Morch DP-8 arm on a Helix Two turntable

Thank you for sharing your experiences with the DP-8. I'm currently using a 9 inch DP-6 and have really gotten used to it, so the natural upgrade path for me is the DP-8. I don't have the vibration issue you had on my tonearm but it's good to know your experiences with the VTA and lateral side weights as well as the 12-inch wand.

@scar972 
I think the DP6 is best bang for the buck on Moerch.

One further point, the DP8 came standard with TCI Viper arm cable which was pretty course and lacking transparency. I make my own phono cables using MIT cable - this was a vast improvement.
So if you have the standard arm cable - try upgrading this first.

Dover, Those side weights are a feature I mentioned once before in reference to tonearms that have a high effective mass in the horizontal plane.  As I am sure you know, that is the raison d'etre for the side weights, in the case of the DP8.  The idea being you want a high effective mass in the horizontal plane so that when the LP calls for reproducing a low frequency signal, the tail will not wag the dog, so to speak; the cartridge will be held stationary with respect to lateral movement while the stylus is then able to trace the wide horizontal swings required for low bass response. I'm sure you know this; I am repeating it for the benefit of some others who have criticized linear trackers along with all other tonearms with high effective mass in the horizontal plane, a la Mike Fremer, who rarely misses an opportunity to bring up the subject.  The Dynavector, which I own too, is another example of a tonearm that introduces damping to hold the cartridge steady in the horizontal.  I feel that the DV does a good job with bass response, but I have never heard a Morch.  What would be the opposite argument?  Fremer never makes the argument very well except to assert that "you want" horizontal and vertical effective mass to be about the same.

@lewm 
Although they have similar principles in terms of higher lateral effective mass relative to vertical effective mass, the bass from the Dynavector 501 arm is much quicker, tighter and cleaner than the DP8 from my personal experience with both arms.

Thanks, D. I have a DV501 (given to me by a dear departed friend) and two DV505s. Only one DV, one of the DV505s, is in constant use on my much tweaked Lenco.  I prefer it to the 501 because of easier VTA adjustment, although I do know that many favor the 501 over the 505 for pure SQ. (On that table, I  change cartridges a lot, and I hate the "grub screw" method of securing VTA vis the 501.)  My question, for anyone, is that since the argument for high effective mass in the horizontal plane makes so much sense (to me), I have to wonder what is the counter-argument in favor of equalizing or nearly equalizing effective mass in the horizontal and the vertical.  Fremer seems  to favor that approach but I have never seen a convincing argument for it.  I have an FR64S on my Victor TT101, but all my other tonearms are of the conventional type; no special effort is made to increase horizontal mass over vertical mass.