Tonearm recommendation


Hello all,
Recently procured a Feickert Blackbird w/ the Jelco 12 inch tonearm.
The table is really good, and its a keeper. The Jelco is also very good, but not as good as my Fidelity Research FR66s. So the Jelco will eventually hit Ebay, and the question remains do I keep the FR66s or sell that and buy something modern in the 5-6 K range. My only point of reference is my old JMW-10 on my Aries MK1, so I don't know how the FR66s would compare to a modern arm. So I'd like to rely on the collective knowledge and experience of this group for a recommendation.

Keep the FR66s, or go modern in the 5-6K range, say a Moerch DP8 or maybe an SME.

Any and all thoughts and opinions are of course much appreciated.

Cheers,      Crazy Bill
wrm0325
Dear atmasphere: You was the person that in 2011-2012 posted that we can’t overdamp the TT/platter TT " and from your today post sure we can overdamp if we interfere with its natural movement.

Fleib posted almost he same but as fleib you are not a rookie and " stop " the movement of TT/cartridge or tonearm obviously means we are overdamping but we need damping even here because the LP excentricty, skating force and surface waves that both goes against the " free " cartridge ridding. I know that and every one understand that even if no one talks about,certainly that’s is not what I’m refering to. I know that you understand very well what I’m trying to explain against fleib that he understand it but only try to beats some one.

I owned perhaps the best head amp ever Classé NIL-3. A design with an external power supply that ony this even today could be the envy for many design amplifiers.

Well, the main unit has to metalic shielded boxes ( very heavy unit. ) and as always I wanted to tweak/"improve" so I opened both boxes but to my surprise all the circuit board was not only encapsulated on the metalic boxes nbut truly encapsulated with a silicon like treatment that permit no single " door " to touch any circuit board component/part. This silicon like ( covering everything. ) encapsulation was used as damping.

I remember my tube SA-5 unit where Elliot puts especial attention to damp the circuit board and in the latter top of the line SA-9 he took it at " extreme " that damping trying to " kill " some kind of distortions.

One way or the other almost all the people inside the audio industry/market/hobby are trying to damp their system or designs to achieve better music information lowering all kind of the distortions.

Don’t you?

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.


Hi Bill, i have used on my Blackbird Jelco 750L 12", Reed 3P 12", TW 10.5 and actual Jelco 750D 9" and Origin Live Conqueror 12".

Everybody knows that there is no better arm for the money than the Jelco`s.
The Reed sounds very musical, but has a resonance problem in lower bass frequencies. The TW has an incredible accurate bass, but maybe a small stage. Moreover the TW looks a little bit to small on the BB.

With the OL i can grow old.

Pictures of the Reed can you see here.
http://galerie-jumpy.de/categories.php?cat_id=20
From the TW i can mail and OL pictures i will make soon.

Cheers, Thomas from Bavaria
fleib: You continue to give explanations but till now you not answer that big WHY and if what you want to listen is what is the LP grooves modulations. Till when?

As a fact no one here gives any single answer about yet. Seems to me that only are walking " around and around and around " but does not takes the bull by its horns and I wonder why!!!! when all of you that are questioning my posts are experts.

Don't be shy or don't be affraid and just do it or perhaps no one of you have a real and true " card " in your hands.

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.
Dear dover: """ Removed both external tonearm damping and internal tonearm damping from many arms. The result in every case has been an improvement in clarity, transparency and speed.
In some cases there may be increased colourations due to the resonances in the undamped tube - but for me I prefer to take the increased clarity, transparency and speed and deal with any increased colourations by other means. """

it's clear that what you want is not what is in the LP grooves modulations but what you like it. Good. 

You and me have diferent targets and that's all.

Btw, you don't need to answer to this post.

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.
Hello Thomas from Bavaria,
Now, we're talking.
While I still am leaning towards keeping the FR66s, I will humbly admit that going with something more modern has been calling me, even if it's only to my vanity. The ONLY problem I have with the FR66s is it's mass, and while I know there are ways to somewhat ameliorate that issue, it's still somewhat constrictive in cartridge choice. So I still have been seriously considering an upgrade or lateral move, depending upon one's point of view.

I've been doing a lot of studying, and the Reed tonearms were in my radar. I thought about the 3P, but I don't need the azimuth on the fly capability, as I have the Feickert Adjust+ program in house to set it once properly. I really was looking at one, or maybe two Reed 2A tonearms, each optimized for two different cartridge compliances. One would be for my Koetsu or Denon combo, and one would be for my Grado Statement, a much higher compliance unit than the other two. But your comments on the resonance issues concerns me. Is it possible for you to speculate that the issue might be caused by the variable azimuth correction on the 3P, or is it maybe intrinsic in the basic nature of the Reed arms in general. I know that asking a lot and putting you on a limb.

I also am very interested in a Durand Talea2, as it appears, from what I've read and studied to be a world class arm. Do you have any experience with it?

I found the OL arms a while back, and I keep thinking they look mighty fine and should be considered. Your comments on the Conqueror are quite enlightening. If I understand your comments correctly, of the arms you have the Conqueror is the cat's meow, STS, and the one you would want to live with.

BTW, I wouldn't hesitate to go with the OL 12 inch Enterprise. Their arms do look good, and especially that one.

Thanks Thomas for any input or further thoughts you may provide, as it is much appreciated.

Also, anyone else, please feel free to offer any input.

Again, many thanks.

Cheers,                      Crazy Bill