Too bad the Audiomods has a fixed headshell. I swap cartridges (generally have 5 or 6 on-hand at any one time) too often to deal with cartridge alignment every change. VTA & VTF are enough. Is down to the TK-850L or Sorane SA1-2 (at 2x the price - eek - that's almost another cartridge or lots of LPs).
Does anything better Jelco arm ~$1000
Been reading about the Jelco 850L and the other newer models as I look for arm with budget of ~ $1000 (new or used) to go with a Sota Star and Dynavector XX2mkII. Not a ton of user comments, but just about every one I've read (here, VA, vinylengine, and a few smaller boards) all imply thrilled owners and not a one who regrets the purchase. Sound quality performance value for its price is reportedly high and that has been my experience when I've heard the older 750 series and even their lower priced arms. Another arm under consideration is the Audiomods Series V.
My take so far:
Jelco: pro - longstanding reputation for quality, demonstrated by so many OEM arms provided to turntable manufacturers, good fit & finish, compatibility w/many carts of varying compliance, flexibility of changing headshells(including w/azimuth adjustment), high likelihood of parts/service if ever needed, likely decent resale value if I ever choose to go in another direction.
cons: extra electrical connection points @ armtube and headshell, lack of precise repeatable VTA adjustment (although EasyVTA aftermarket product can address this), knife edge bearings theoretically an improvement, but my impression is that in practice they often aren't ideal.
To use a car analogy is this the Toyota Camry of tonearms?
The Audiomods Series V:
pros: keeps the best aspect of the new Rega arm and replaces almost everything else with better design and quality parts, precise micrometer VTA adjustment, silver wire one piece loom from pins to plugs
cons: one man company uncertainties on parts/service if ever needed, relatively little user base or resale market, no opportunity to listen before buying, a bit more costly than the Jelco.
Hoping it's not a Saab 900; really cool when they were around but at some point a quirky performer from days gone by that might not be a keeper.
So anybody care to chime in on these or others that fit the bill in the same price range? If you're curious, the rest of the system is here: Austin City Within Limits. Cheers,
Spencer
My take so far:
Jelco: pro - longstanding reputation for quality, demonstrated by so many OEM arms provided to turntable manufacturers, good fit & finish, compatibility w/many carts of varying compliance, flexibility of changing headshells(including w/azimuth adjustment), high likelihood of parts/service if ever needed, likely decent resale value if I ever choose to go in another direction.
cons: extra electrical connection points @ armtube and headshell, lack of precise repeatable VTA adjustment (although EasyVTA aftermarket product can address this), knife edge bearings theoretically an improvement, but my impression is that in practice they often aren't ideal.
To use a car analogy is this the Toyota Camry of tonearms?
The Audiomods Series V:
pros: keeps the best aspect of the new Rega arm and replaces almost everything else with better design and quality parts, precise micrometer VTA adjustment, silver wire one piece loom from pins to plugs
cons: one man company uncertainties on parts/service if ever needed, relatively little user base or resale market, no opportunity to listen before buying, a bit more costly than the Jelco.
Hoping it's not a Saab 900; really cool when they were around but at some point a quirky performer from days gone by that might not be a keeper.
So anybody care to chime in on these or others that fit the bill in the same price range? If you're curious, the rest of the system is here: Austin City Within Limits. Cheers,
Spencer
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SONY PUA-7 is agreat alternative to many modern tonearm over $1k including Jelco. The build quality of SONY PUA-7 is amazing (anti-skating, armlift, vta on the fly .. are precisely made and easy to use). Another picture is here, with its own SONY protractor, and with its own SONY headshell. Very nice tonearm! The price is a steal compared to many other tonearms. |
chakster and lew, this goes back nearly a year, but I have a question on your counterweight stem discussion. A few years ago I bought a MS-505S. That has a similar design where the stem is separated by a rubber cushion aft of the pivot point. Once I obtained the arm I discovered the stem was not in the same plane as the arm tube. Searching online I found conflicting opinions as to whether this was "normal" or not. At that time Jim Howard was still around so I consulted with him. He said it was deteriorated suspension and not normal, so I had him rebuild mine. To the point, I don't remember specifics from physics class, but it does not seem desirable for a counterweigh to be too flexible on one side of a fulcrum if we want the other end (stylus) to have a stable platform. Isn't that the tail wagging the dog? |
- 46 posts total