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Tonearms: Ripoff?

If you search for tonearm recommendations you'll find an overwhelming amount of praise for $1k and less products. Audiomods and Jelco are the two most mentioned.

The Audiomods is just some guy making Rega-based tonearms in a workshop. Just some guy is putting out tonearms that compete with tonearms that cost many times the price -- from the likes of SME, Clearaudio, VPI, Graham, etc.

So the question is -- are tonearms just a scam? How is it that everyone loves Audiomods and Jelco to death and never talks about / dismisses high end tonearms? Is it because there's no real difference between one of these low-cost tonearms and the high end ones? Is an Audiomods Series V ** really ** the equivalent of a SME V? Some guy in a workshop equals the famed precision of SME? Is that once you have the math and materials worked out all tonearms are essentially the same? Or is it that most owners of record players online are dumpster-diving for vintage gear and simply can't afford to listen to better?

So, what's going on?
madavid0
best-groove's avatar
best-groove
843 posts
 
The Jelco is a large house that has built tonearms for many brands and has been building for itself for some time, tonearms from the affordable price and finished right for the required cost.

A good arm is also seen by friction, known that Jelco applies bearings on its tonearms with too high friction (30mg) not justified in the year 2018 if not on products of low or medium level but that is stubborn to apply to contain costs.

This friction could fit 30-40 years ago on high-level arms but now it is not the most desirable IHMO.

In my opinion, rather than spending $ 1000 for a tonearm Jelco I spend them on a vintage tonearm such as the Technics Epa 100 or Epa 500 which have friction of 5 and 7 mg respectively.
nkonor
635 posts
 
@vair68robert,

Is your opinion based on price / value only?  Do you have actual listening experience with High End tone arms? Such as the Graham, SME, Kuzma 4 point, Triplanar or any other High End tone arm. Have you auditioned any at a High End dealer? High End Audio show? Perhaps, an extended in home audition pondering the purchase of such an arm? Or are you a key board warrior basing your opinions based on reviews on the web, maybe needle drops on You Tube?

As folkfreak pointed out; you may need to expand your range of values to include actual experience. Not reviews by others and price.

Best
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
Instead of spending $50k on a f****g tonearm, drinking your "Château Latour" try to help children dying in some part of the world! The gap between rich and poor people is so huge. 
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chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
@elizabeth 

I am certain I cannot even begin. Two people die EVERY SECOND.. most ugly horrible deaths. Face it. While I typed ONE HUNDRED people died. How many did you save? Do you think you made a dent in DEATH?


I said "help" not "save", how many $50k tonearm have you bought in your life? You don't even know what the tonearm is and why people are buying them, according to one of your post. So chillout and play with your automatic turntables. Your feelings about human life is very well described in your post. 

P.S. At least i know for sure than Michael Fremer do charity, Peter Ledermann do charity too. But some rich audiophiles are mentally sick and need help too. I can not seriously discuss $75k tonearms or $200k turntables, this is some sort of illness and it has nothing to do with the love to music. 

     
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