OL Silver vs SME 309

Thanks for your comments. I agree with TWL that the OL Silver looks pretty pedestrian - I might even say "cheap" looking. While it has gotten good reviews i am always skeptical of audio press hype unless someone can say they have actually done a comparison listening test of one vs he other. The OL silver looks like nothing but a tube on a hinge with no adjustment whatsoever. Maybe this works and is all that is really needed for good sound but considering the design, the $800 price actually seems high to me. You probably have $25 of "raw materials" in that arm. Has anyone done A/B comparisons?

All I can say is I wouldn't trade mine for an SME V or a Graham. They both(SME and Graham) however are more easily adjustable. The OL has the Rega-style VTA collar, and that is all the adjustment I ever needed. No doubt that they are better looking than the OL. I guess it comes down to whether you want to look at it or listen to it. I've lived with mine for a year now, and have no desire to even think about another arm.

If you want a cool-looking arm, take a look at Morch DP-6. That is a very cool looking arm, I think. It is around your price range too. Some folks really like that arm.

If you like the SME better, then go with that one. It is a good arm. Many things enter into the choices people make. You have to be happy overall with the purchase.

Ths Silver hands down
Check this Thread
Strange Tonearm Tweak. Long

I own the "Silver" tonearm and must agree with Tom and Rockinroni,it just can't be beat for 800.00 or even much more,I am one very satisfied customer

Jyprez,

You are going on the premise that if it looks cheap, it must sound cheap!!

I'm sure that you have past experiences to back up this reaction. I'm also sure that many of today's audio gear warrant this reaction! However, in this not the case for the OL Silver. I say this as an owner of this tonearm. I would have preferred to have paid much less for this tonearm since it looks so pedestrian but sound-wise, it is definitely worth the cost.

I've compared it directly to my previous MMF5 tonearm, which I agree is not much of a tonearm. I've also compared it to a OL OL1 (the modified RB250) but this was in a diff. system. No comparison though - OL Silver was much better. Agree, this comparison might not carry as much weight as one wherein both tonearms were compared in the same system.

You know, sometimes less is better. There is not much to tweak in a tonearm if it is correctly designed. The OL Silver has 2 bearings in its yoke hence azimuth is correct by design. No need for that adjustment. The cart. slots are long & wide enough to accomodate virtually any cart. + allow slight modification of offset angle by twisting the cart. in the headshell. Only VTA is rather clumsy but then this is a Rega trademark! If you buy a Rega arm, you KNOW this apriori.

That aluminum tonearm tube looks plain but it takes some work to machine it correctly for good sound. Internally it is damped. Headshell is also carefully machined with all those holes in it to make it rigid.

The trick lies in its simplicity. You have all the adjustments that you REALLY need & none that you DON'T need! All those adjustment dials in the SME or Graham are great to look at but they have given you enough rope to hang yourself!

IMHO, it would be foolish of you to discard the OL Silver based solely on looks. HEAR it, it'll positively surprise you! You might not still like it but at that point it won't be for looks.