Dr. Feickert Blackbird

That being said you can also buy a one arm only tt and add a Viv Labs as a second tonearm if you feel you need it after some time. No need to drill the plinth and these arms seem to have something special.

@senza , I hate to be a stick in the mud but the Viv Labs arm is a seriously bad joke. The marketing is even worse. 

I play my mono records with the exact same stereo cartridge I use on everything else. I am certainly not spending another $10K for a cartridge to play the 100 or so mono records I have. 

The only reason I can think of for two arms would be if you had a large collection of 78s which require a different stylus. As much as I play my 78s I do not mind flipping cartridges. I must admit that my approach is also mandated by the fact that my table will not accept two arms under any circumstance. 

mijostyn,

Let's listen to some Oscar Peterson, a few stereo lps with your $10,000 stereo cartridge via stereo mode, wonderful. Now, this LP is Mono, play it how? Not like I used to, what you advocate, a stereo cartridge is OK, not best I don't care what it is. It was here I learned, and trust me it is true,

Playing Mono with a true Mono cartridge is an improvement, The improved clarity, distinction of individual instruments, voices, and reduction of noise can be small, large, quite large

, it varies, but it is definitely improved. Recording techniques were quite good, sometimes amazing, you deny yourself that level of enjoyment.

GET THEE A MONO CARTRIDGE!

$160.

 

Next: does your preamp have a Mono mode? Next, can you send L+R to one side, listen to only one speaker? Next, enjoy the sound sitting anywhere in the room, When I was selling LP's, I only sold 'inaudible scuffs'. I discovered, some desirable LP's with audible scuffs: Mono, the noise was there, but below the volume of the music, listenable. Stereo the noise was much more pronounced, to an unlistenable degree. I asked my buyers if they had Mono Cartridge before I sold them those few LPs.

OP wants two arms. WHY tell OP not needed?

Find, love, settle on a preferred MC cartridge, forget further comparisons. OK.

An MC fixed stylus cartridge is an excellent reason to have a second headshell (exchange/re-adjust height? tracking? anti-skate?), OR second arm ready to go with a MM cartridge with a replaceable stylus to

play .... LP’s that don’t have content that benefits from the difference, IOW do not wear out your expensive non-replacable stylus for no good reason.

That’s why I added my 3rd arm. 2nd arm is Mono always ready to go. I realized I was wearing out my stylus on fun but not acoustically special content. Especially playing ones I intended to give away or sell.

 

I'm sure the Blackbird is a fantastic table, I owned 2 Volares and then the Woodpecker - solid performers.

I had the Kuzma 12 VTA on the Woodpecker and wasn't too keen on it, mostly it never felt stable when cuing and it was a bit of a pain changing out cartridges and doing a new setup. But I'm not thrilled generally with Unipivots.

Check out Origin Live for excellent tonearms. Pick the one from their lineup that you can afford. I had the Illustrious and it's a fantastic arm. You don't see them too often on the used markets.