FR66s vs Ikeda IT-407 CR tonearms

@gallus
I have both the Ikeda IT-VTA-06 base and an original FR B-60 base. Both work fine on my FR64S, but I like the Ikeda better - it's newer and everything tightens up better on it. Those set-screw hex heads on the B-60 can get pretty marginal over the years.

I've settled on the Ikeda base on my setup, and am very happy. I also like the Ikeda headshells with FR64S.

Dear chakster, Ikeda IT-345 ''armwand'' is not made from steel.
As J. Carr explained  3 different materials are used for the
''armpipe'' in order to supress resonances. According to Carr
Ikeda got better understaning  of involved resonances after the
FR -64/66 S  series. Also there is no lateral balance on IT 345&
407 ''models''.  I bought IT-345 because  Carr mentioned that
according to Ikeda and his ''mechanics'' IT-345 was their best
tonearm. I sold my IT-345 because I prefer my both FR-64 S;
the silver and copper kind.

Thanks a lot for the feedback, @mulveling ! Although also expensive, if 
I´d purchase the Ikeda I will be sure of getting an original, which is not always the case with the B60 offerings... 

@nandric

Dear chakster, Ikeda IT-345 ’’armwand’’ is not made from steel.

I remember Carr’s comments, but ...
There are at least two versions, the latest/modern is CR-1 (i have no idea what does it mean), but my version is earlier from the 1996 and if you will translate it here then you will see "arm pipe made of stainless steel".

My IT-347 is not glossy mirror finishing like those modern Ikeda tonearms, but a much better old school matte grey finishing (except for the arm pipe which looks just like the arm tube on my FR64s). The price for my version was 210 000 Yen in 1996. 

Santa came early this year with some stuff i could only dream about. This is Ikeda IT-345 dynamic balance tonearm in rare matte finishing. Another pearl is a brand new Miyajima Kansui cross-ring MC cartridge in Tanzanian hardwood (known as ‘mpingo’).