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What is the best arm for a VPI Aries 2 and Benz L2

I have a VPI Aries 2, an SME IV and a Benz Micro L2. I know this isn't the best matchup but I like the Benz quality and the soundstage depth as well as the instrumental tones. I expect it will get even better when 'broken in'. With this table, what would be the best tonearm to let this cartridge open up and really sing?
gfloyd53
salectric
751 posts
 
Gfloyd53, I suspect your experience was with the JMW 9, which I understand can flop around a bit. But the JMW 10 and 12 have a heavy collar that effectively hangs below the pivot and keeps the arm pretty stable. I have never noticed the arm wiggling around when the stylus is lowered into the grooves.
stevecham
3,340 posts
 
I have the JMW 10.5 that came with it and am very happy with it. I used to have a HW19 with an SME IV that while good, is no comparison to the 10.5 in terms of silence on interbands. Plus it is very compatible with the Koetsu Urushi. I'm convinced that Harry's tables sound best with his tonearms.
readster
241 posts
 
I have a super scoutmaster, with the jmw-9, and i've never seen my arm wiggle once it's lowered into the grooves of the lp, i don't know what you referring to, it will wiggle when it resting on the arm rest, but once it's lowered, it's solid in the grooves, and sounds great.
gfloyd53 OP
53 posts
 
Salectric, Stevecham and Readster,
What cartridges were you using and what were your VTFs? All three cartridges I had used with these arms (Van den Hul Frog and Black Beauty, Ortofon Kontrapunkt B) had light VTFs (1.3 to 1.7). Yes, the JMW 9 was much worse than the JMW 10.
stanhifi
224 posts
 
The JMW-9 will accurately track only a handful of inexpensive cartridges. If one moves up the audio chain, leave the JMW-9 behind. Despite the attempts to upgrade the 9, VPI's other arms are far superior to it
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