Anyone here knows the Reed 3Q tonearm?

Guys .. thanks to everyOne!
I'm starting to like alot the sound of a 12" inches arm

The only doubt I'm having is regarding this Ziricote wood .. and its 22gr.arm mass .. paired with my Benz LP
Low frequencies sometimes a bit too powerful.
Sometimes with certain LP (like Amused to death ,D side) I got a very deep but telling the truth controlled ..low frequencies... so deep I never listened before
Maybe these are normal but I wasn't used to get with the Michell Tecnoarm and the same cart.
Or maybe 22gr. are too much high mass for the relatively medium compliance of the Benz LP (15 cu.)
In this case I would be better to consider the same Reed 12" but with the Red Cedar wood .. kinda 14gr. arm mass.

In your opinion .. Guys .. to come down from 22gr. arm mass to the 14 gr. arm mass of the Red Cedar .. could be a better choice for the BenzLP?

Hi Curio,
A Lexan platter mat would be helpful to bring back some vividness.
But in this case the cartridge is boring! so, it can compensates for the Technoarm's inherent confusion & everyone is happy again!
My experience with this cartridge in my Pluto 9A, was exactly as your's in your Reed 3Q. I asure you : you are hearing the Benz LP. And you don't like it. That Raul has the proper arm for her, it is not irelevant, once you have also the Technoarm that matched well. Well...Does this mean that Technoarm betters the Reed 3Q ? I think it is clear that one can find some kind of balance in one way or another :
The Cardas cables behaves as the same medicine when someone trying to match a SS amp with ESL speakers. (Same contribution as the Benz LP).
A solid core Silver cable somehow resonates with similar results (of the Technoarm) : lacks soundstage & inner depth but it's forward projection adds a directness that can cheat you to prefer a Telefunken or a Mullard tube over an RCA or Sylvania, when the right tube is the Siemens.
The mixing & matching decisions must always have a point of reference, a component of a high enough standard, that we accept it as indispensable for building our system around it. If you choose the Benz LP as your unquestionable reference, (that means your system somewhere needs a shutter) then, the Reed 3Q is acting like the soft British tube in an allready overly warm preamp. No wonder why, a flat-lean cartridge in a wood body on a 12" wood arm tube, results in "overboring" performance (for a lack of a more precise word). Can anyone acuse the arm ? Sure, (as often the casual listener acuse the stethoscope relentless penetration of a compression driver but not the upstream components behind it).
In my belief, I think that the source must be of the highest resolution : the most detailed & nuanced, like a surgical instrument with the utmost precision & at this hunting, (of turntables & cartridges) the easy, calm & effortless performance (with great tonality) of the 12"Reed 3Q arm is the unmistakable indication of it's rightness. Simultaneously, this behaviour is necessary for an arm, as it can push further the apparent capacity, living more space for a credible cartridge evaluation. It can permits the most dynamic, speedy & razor sharp (but unforgiving) cartridge, to release it's scale & gives what other cartridges, (or any other component) cannot offer to our system. Wouldn't be a shame to downsize here, -at the very start of the signal- and afterwards to seek in desperation for (ie): power cables, to deliver what is permanently lost at the begining?
Something in this specific set-up acts as the limiting factor, -filtering the delicacy of inner detail, -doesn't move your senses, -can not engage your emotions. Is it the Technoarm? No! Even if it is the weakest link in the chain, It can only pass the cartridge's signature.

FWIW : (insider gold Vs insider ref. & colibri XGP Vs XGW) I used to own all of them. All the wooden bodies presenting a lower dynamic range, definition, detail & clarity.
Perhaps to look for the lack of transparency elsewhere in the chain but not to the Reed 3Q. (probably to your cartridge and/or perhaps your speakers).

Don't Give Up
George

Hi Curio, I provided the new web site for the Reed so you
should first look for the data regarding the eff. mass of
the different wood kinds. I ordered the Reed 2A, 12" with Pernambucco wood tube (27 gr.) a year of so ago. But I intended to use this 'heavy mass' with a cart with very
low compliance (Phase Tech P-3G). So I am very happy with
this combo. I am not sure what Raul thinks about this co-
relation between eff.mass and cart compliance but I do check the 'abvious' whenever I consider a new tonearm.
That is why I thought that the Red Cedar would make a good
combo with your Benz LP. BTW I use Benz Ruby 3S with my Triplanar VII and this cart is identical with the LP except
for the wood corpus.
Regards,

Dear Curio: The tonearm effective mass certainly is important but IMHO the build material ( arm wand/headshell ) and the " signature " resonance along the cartridge body build material is critical.

The Ziricote and Red Cedar even than both are wood I think that's its signature with the cartridge performance sound is different and the only way to know if you will like it is that you hear both ( wood arm wans. ) in your system.

I totally agree with Geoch: we need ( first than all. ) the best source we can get and then matched tonearm.

The LP is very fine cartridge but maybe with a wood tonearm there is to much of the same.

In your system there is no way that any of us could give you a precise advise about tonearm. With any cartridge ( in your saystem ) IMHO you have to test several tonearms till you find the right for you.

In the other side I'm saying that assuming that each one audio link in your system is neutral, accurate, matched and with right overall set up. If not then as Geoch point out could be other " factors " where you now are hearing its " influences " when before you was unaware: if this is the " probelm " well you need to solve identified where comes those " colorations/distortions " and try to fix it.

A tonearm IMHO is a tool and must be ideally a neutral tool with out itself sound/colorations/distortions to make more easy the cartridge match. This is more easy to say it that to find out.

Today, outside/commercial is there a best tonearm?, not yet there are several very good designs and that's all. What we can find is a best cartridge/tonearm combination and what IMHO you are/should looking for is that tonearm that could help your LP cartridge can shows at its best and this is a " job " that needs time, patience, know how and opportunities to bring/have different tonearm " on hand ".
Of course this is if you are looking for Excellence level.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.

Curio,

I think it's a case of matching issue, probably too much of one flavour, lets call it "Yin". I had heard Benz LP in the past which i recall as being refined, smooth and a touch laid back and I had TW Raven 1 in the past too. And i now use a 12 inch Reed 2A(cedar wand) with Lyra Delos or a modified Denon 103R with Midas aluminium body + Expert stylus' sapphire cantilebver and paratrace stylus. The later 2 cartriges give me the energy and dynamic to go with the nice tone and big sound.

You might need consider cartrige change or one with Panzerholz wand to bring back the sound balance that you like or may be the Reed is just not the right arm for your Benz/TW R1/system/taste.