There is nothing wrong with the tonearm to begin with. Pro-ject makes a pretty good arm. They are used on other makes of turntables as well....music hall, and even on the entry level Linn majik, although that arm is of the 9cc or evo variety. The funk firm is a sideways move, it is no better than what you have. If you want a real move up, then go to a pro-ject xtension 9 or 10...or a music hall 9.3 or 11.3.....or a Linn, or even a vertere dg-1.
