Best arm for a Nottingham Spacedeck?

First of all, let me thank Blcube for the kind words. It means a lot from such a purveyor of fine jazz as himself. And he has a superb system that has seen many changes as of late, all for the better.

And Twl, my respect goes out to you. I did go through a rather expensive learning curve after selling my original Benz L2, buying two different cartridges, and finally coming back to a new Benz. And it is a great match for the Bluenote arm and more of the rich yet detailed sound that is to my liking. There is no substitute for system synergy, something that is often overlooked.

Nighthawk, you have several excellent choices of arms that will drop right in your mounting pod. I had the Silver for a while and thought it was a great match on the Spacedeck. I didn't opt for the VTA collar, as I didn't need it with the sleeve supplied with the pod as it comes. VTA was easily adjustable.

Like I said, the Silver is a great arm, and Twl's mod probably makes it even more of a bargain. However, the Borghese and the Borromeo sounded better to my ears than the stock Silver, but you are more limited to cartridges, as my situation proved. But when all is well, it's REALLY well done. Good luck, and I think you will really enjoy the table no matter what arm you choose.

Oz

I have a spacedeck with the OL silver arm. I upgraded from the standard RB300, and never tried the spacearm, so can't compare with that. You don't need a VTA adjuster with the Rega pod on the spacedeck as VTA is adjustable with the collet screw. I am running the OL with a Benz glider and am very happy with the sound. Pinpoint imaging with a lot of weight to the sound, nice bass extension and a warm midrange (although this may be due more to the cartridge).

This thread is a wee bit dated, but I had the opportunity to audition a Basis Vector on the Spacedeck this week and thought I'd relay my impressions. Flat out excellent. Super dynamic, incredibily taught, involving bass, but still articulate in the highs, especially cymbal work. Sweet midrange with vocals right wher ethey should be. I said earlier that I would buy an OL Illustrious with a Spacedeck if I wasn't going to spend mega-bucks on an arm. I've changed my mind. I look forward to hearing this arm on other tables.