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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
daveyf's avatar
daveyf
2,877 posts
 
Same old positions as usual on this thread, as on the thread I started about the cartridge nightmare. Plenty of people who don’t like the questions and positions posed by the OP ( for whatever biased reasons that they have)- and so they resort to the old retort..you’re a ’troll’. That is so old and weak!

Are tonearms a rip off...yes they are IF they are doing nothing special for the sound, are poorly designed and made, and they are being sold at a huge inflated price. OTOH, IME,most decently designed tonearms are actually either more resolving than what they replace, or more capable in one way or another...bass control, high frequency air and ability to control the cartridge tracking. Unlike cartridges and my OP on the nightmare cartridge thread, I think the opportunity and likelihood of at least hearing a tonearm under consideration is much greater. Leading to a more defined, and in all likelihood, acceptable result once acquired., IMHO.
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
A bit more resolving (or not) just for extra $10k (or even extra $50k) compared to the Technics EPA-100 mkII, Fidelity-Research FR-64fx and FR-64s, Lustre GST-801, Micro Seiki MAX series and many more highly regarded vintage high-end toneamrs.  
orpheus10
8,668 posts
 

When funds allow, I'll get the RB 2000 tonearm, which is listed at $2,195.


          https://www.needledoctor.com/Rega-RB2000-Tonearm


          http://www.rega.co.uk/rb2000.html


The reason I'll get this tonearm is because it comes with the Rega RP10 which is my next TT.


If I wanted to play with something, I would have gone into electric model trains; I want to hear beautiful music reproduced in my listening room as good as possible. The pinnacle of success in my book is to feel as though you are at a concert when you are in your listening room, and I will take all shortcuts available to get there.
orpheus10
8,668 posts
 

The "haves" are not ruining this hobby, they are helping to fund it. Just think about it; if you had a reputation for a good product, and you could build a slighter better product and charge an obscene price for it, that was way over your acceptable profit margin; "Why not".

Conrad Johnson is my favorite preamp, and here are some prices. When inflation is taken into consideration, they're probably not too high.



    http://www.thestereoshop.com/conradJohnson.php
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