2. analog
  3. 1354259910

Which tonearm for vintage Micro Seiki BL-91

I have "upgraded" from a vintage Micro Seiki BL-51 to a vintage (again)BL-91 (checked by the local Hi-Fi shop). Unlike the BL-51 that came with a hard wired original tonearm this BL-91 comes without any tonearm.
Could someone recomend me a good tonearm for this turntable. I'm wondering if modern tonearms like the Kuzma 4 point ( have an offer for a second hand one), SME V (or IV-VI), Schick Tonearm, or TriPlanar would be a good match or should I rather go to the older ( and less expensive) designs like the Saec 407/23, Micro Seiki MA-505 Fidelity research FR-64S).
I have a Miyajima Shilabe that I bougth second hand here on Audiogon. Sounds very "organic" meaty full bodied and that is what I like.
Does someone have experience in using recent desings on older turntables?
Thanks in advance
Enjoy the music this weekend
Tony
128x128tgaral

Showing 2 responses by pryso

pryso
1,903 posts
 
Tgaral, a caution regarding MA 505 arms.

I picked up a MA 505 from a friend several months ago and noticed the end stub for the counterweight drooped. That is to say it was not in the same plane as the armtube. Looking online I found pictures of other examples which looked similar. A couple of "experts" even stated this was the intended design. But I could easily move the stub up and down and I also found photos of examples which were straight. So I concluded it was damaged and sent it off for repairs. My arm had apparently been dropped since the mounting screws for the stub had been sheared. That repair process was delayed for multiple reasons but I just got word it has now been completed.

The point of my story is to insure any used arm is functioning as designed before evaluating it.

Now regarding your initial question on arm matching your table, it seems to me the critical match is between arm and cartridge. If you have a favored cartridge then I would look to match that with an appropriate arm. Then make certain that arm is positioned correctly (pivot to spindle distance) when mounted. After that it will simply be following the routine alignment procedures.
pryso
1,903 posts
 
Well Tgaral, I might question your judgement in calling me "popular" here on Audiogon. Many others have greater knowledge and post more than I do.

Regarding your BL-91, I can't comment. I don't know if I've ever even seen one.

Regarding plinthed VS plinthless, I've read enough opinions on that to know there is nothing close to any consensus. I suspect it relates to the amount of energy (possible micro vibrations) generated by a given motor unit design. The one point I feel strongly about is maintaining an absolutely stable relationship between the platter and the arm/cartridge/stylus. Why would the cartridge/stylus set up be so critical if that stability was not important?

So my only advice in your case would be to study all the Micro Seiki table designs. Which of their higher end models have the most similar drive system to your BL-91? I believe from their reputation the MS designers had a pretty good idea what they were doing so copying that to the extent possible may be helpful. Good luck.
More to discover