Rega arm vs Sumiko

Old MMT over old RB250 would also be my choice.

Misternice and Jperry are absolutely right, MDC 800 "The Arm" was designed by David Beltcher himself and machined by the same person. One of the best tonearms ever produced with metal bearings rather than nylon bearings found in other Sumiko tonearms. Counterweight placed as close to the bearing as possible. One heck of a tonearm.

I know that I may be in the minority range but the new Rega tonearms are, IMHO, way better than the old Sumiko MMTs.

Yes Schubert, people still complain that these still carry almost the same wiring and horrible little "clips" but they have been vastly upgraded in other areas such as improved bearings and a tightened spindle fit tolerance over previous models.

Each bearing suposedly individually selected to find the perfect match for the chosen spindle.

Brand new low mass precision engineered vertical bearing assembly. Completely redesigned arm tube to redistribute mass.

A much better arm no longer good for toasting marchmellows :-)

Kiko65...just a quick correction. It was David Fletcher, not Beltcher that designed the SOTA tables.

Kiko, I agree Rega arms are better now, but those clips still just plain suck.
About 6 months ago I had an RP-6 and a Pro-ject Perspective at home to audition , both with Ortofon Black.
I thought the 9cc Pro-ject arm was better for my purposes,
I'd guess most rockers would prefer the Rega.

Thank you Mofimadness,
I think I was "belching" while typing :-)

Wait a minute @kiko65 , you never said Beltcher designed the Sota table. You said he designed the MDC 800. I believe he designed both but you guys are starting to confuse me. ;^)

Any way, I have the MMT on an Oracle Alexandria III, which is a suspended table, of course, and I've been looking at an upgrade. Not that the MMT is dissatisfying, I just don't know how a 'better' arm would sound on the table. Given that any replacement would be so much easier to accommodate if it were close to the weight of the MMT (about 545g I think. I can't weigh it without the amrboard It's been rewired from the cartridge clips back to the RCAs in one continuous run and the RCAs won't fit through the hole.) , are their any recommendations you would make? I am especially looking to hear from someone who has upgraded from an MMT, although all opinions are appreciated. There was an MDC 800 for sale recently; but I thought it was overpriced at $1,700 USD with ancient wiring.