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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
lohanimal
659 posts
 
@jollytinker  I do love your post - just saw it today (yes - 9 months later)

Perhaps the OP should pop down to his local plumbers - buy a copper pipe - go get some mains cord - cut out the cable - go to a toy shop and use some marbles for bearings - and hey presto - he can say that's better than: SME V; Breuer; Durand; Basis Vector and Kuzma 4 Point.
madavid0 OP
214 posts
 
Well I ended up buying a used Reed 2A off Audiogon for $2k. Later on I also broke down and bought the $600 SmartTractor.
parrotbee
103 posts
 
So what do you think of it? 
lohanimal
659 posts
 
Ahhh... you must be enjoying it

jeraldej
2 posts
 
I just went through this entire thread. Originally, my search began to find examples of cartridges that work well with the Reed 2A Cocobolo 12" that I have mounted on my Luxman PD-444. It currently has installed a Lyra Kleos. The primary tonearm is a Triplaner MK VII U2 with a Soundsmith Sussuro MK I. Originally, the Kleos was on the Triplaner and then I wanted to see what the Sussuro would be like on it.

What I want to end up with is a mono cartridge on one tonearm and a stereo on the other. The search continues.

I too bought the Reed here on AudioGon and I have both the Feikert and SmartTractor alignment tools.
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