Tonearm for Teres turntable - approx $1000 - ??

A standard wand is included with the Morch; if you get the precision (I would ) wand it is a bit more but not sure how much. Call Chris and he'll fill you in. Chris is very helpful (as is Hart at Audio Advancements) and will discuss your needs and make a recommendation appropriate. I never felt he was trying to "sell me" the Scheu arm. In fact, when I discussed a Morch UP4 he stuck with that until I expressly asked him about the Scheu arm; you know they are making more money on their own arm than a Morch.

Chris' email is:
[email protected]

His other contact info is:

Dr. Feickert Analogue Products
Rütteberg 5
79294 Sölden - Germany

new workshop address
Rimsinger Weg 9
79111 Freiburg -Germany

phone: 0049-761-4598558
fax: 0049-761-484577
GSM: 0049-177-6013150
ICQ: 98121197
http://www.scheu-analogue.com

Brand new Morch UP4 with 12" or 9" precision wand retails for 1149 I think; you can probably get one for a bit less. Very nice arm and nicely finished.

Both Morch arms, up4 and dp6, have replaceable arm wands. They also come in both 9" and 12" wand lengths. If you contact Morch or an authorized rep they should be able to provide you with a list of popular cartridges and the recommended wand. The DP6 would be my fist choice, too, as I just don't much like handling a unipivot; it makes me nervous when it twists around while I am lowering the thing onto the record.

They come with wiring is my understanding but there are several options for more money. Biggest problem I have with the Morch and any other unit with detachable wands is all of the wiring joints. There is a break from the cartridge to the wire and then another break where the wand joins the tonearm assembly and yet another break where the DIN plug attaches to the bottom of the tonearm mount.

An arm with a seamless wire is the best option for the cleanest sound. Incognito and Audio Note offer such wiring (others might, too) for the Rega RBxxx arms. Biggest problem with the one piece wire scheme is most of the phono cables are 1 metre. This means you have to have your table pretty close to your phono preamp or you must use RCA couplers and an extension cable (yet another set of connections).

The Audio Note arms based on the Rega RBxxx arms are the ARM1 and ARM2. The ARM1 is the rb250 with audio note pure copper wire and is seamless from cartridge clip to the RCA termination. The ARM2 is the rb300 with audio note pure silver wire and seamless, too. There is also an ARM3 which is also a RB300 with even better silver wire.

The ARM2 with a Michell Technoweight (or Kerry heavyweight; several good ones out there) is an excellent arm for under 800 inc the weight. I believe Audio Note retails the arm for 600.

If you are comfortable with a unipivot I urge you to check out the Scheu Classic II unipivot arm. It can be had for around 500 to 600 direct from Scheu in Germany. It is sold by Audio Advancements under the name "Belcanto". It is a good arm and reasonably priced. I am probably going to order a 12" versioin with a new Scheu Premier Mk II table pretty soon as that seems to be the best deal in town (table/arm inc shipping for 2495 US).

The Belcanto is simply a renamed Scheu Classic Unipivot; it is available in either 9" or 12" length and can be wired up to your liking by Chris Feickert of Scheu. The price for the 12" version is around 700. I am ordering a new Scheu Premier II dual arm (9", 12") table with Classic 12" arm with the optional 80mm platter and a record clamp. The price for the whole rig inc shipping from Germany to Oakland, CA is 2495. Closest Teres with a comparable arm is many hundreds of dollars more.

The Belcanto/Scheu is a bit rough looking as TWL has mentioned to me. But, at the price I am taking a chance as it has received several excellent reviews. The other tonearms by Scheu (Cantus, Taco) are a bit pricey for what they are and I would look elsewhere at that price level.

The Morch is a good arm but has a lot of wiring breaks to accomodate the removeable wands and the detachable wire (DIN connection). I think it can be set up with a seamless wiring run if you order it that way. I would suggest you look at the UP4 if you have a non sprung table as it is significantly less money than the DP6 and many think the unipivot design performs better in any event. The DP6 is not a unipivot design.

An Origin Live silver with Audio Note silver wire in a seamless run might be the best bet for you. It is a good fit with a lot of cartridges and is not terribly difficult to install and calibrate. It also does not twist in your fingers as many unipivots do, which is quite disconcerting, when lowering the stylus to the record. First time I came across an unipivot was an Audiocraft AC arm; very weird. Performed quite well, though, on the Micro Seiki BL111

I would urge you to contact Chris Feickert at Scheu in Germany on the topic of arms and suitability. Chris sells Morch as well as the Scheu/Belcanto arms. He can also procure other arms such as the wonderful Schroder line