Best Phono Stage within 2000 $

Robm1 - I'm thinking of getting the Feickert so any additional information on the differences versus the standard 10.5 would be valuable. You can email me offline if you like. Thanks

I'll know in the next day or so...but from what I have been told the Feickert is a lot better.

I have absolutely no reason to believe that the "Feickert" is a different tonearm than the 10.5 S on the Pure Music Group site based on:

1) the description of the bearing(s) and the rest of the arm on the Feickert and Pure Music websites which are almost verbatim

2) the physical appearance of the arms on both websites and

3) inquiries I made with respect to the tonearm. If someone can't send an e-mail asking a few questions then they probably deserve to pay five or six hundred dollars more for what certainly appear to be the same product. Wouldn't be the first time it's happened in "high end" audio. In my experience, if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it's usually a duck.

What I'm trying to find out now is if the 9" Jelco 750D has the same bearings as the 10.5 S. If I can establish that it does, it might swing my tonearm decision in favor of the 750D as the cost differential between it and the SME 309 is substantial and the 750D appears to have much higher effective mass which would potentially be a better match with my cartridge.

FWIW, I have absolutely no affiliation with either Feickert or Pure Music Group. Just trying to put out a bit of info which may save someone some money on what certainly appear to be the same arm.

So if Christian Feickert says it different -then you're saying he is a liar... is that right? The whole 'duck' thing doesn't always apply in life. You can't judge a book by it's cover is more applicable - I find.

Hdm - I appreciate the information. It will be interesting to hear what Chris Feickert says.

Since you've done the research, who would be good resources for me to contact to confirm whether or not these arms are one and the same? Combined with the information to be provided by Robm1 I'll then draw my own conclusion.