Arche headshell with London Reference cartridge - fantastic results


I've owned a (Decca) London Reference cartridge for about a year and have found it to be an excellent sounding cartridge. It's really special with an immediate and "real" sound.
My tonearm is an FR66s which has a detachable headshell so this allows very easy interchange of cartidges- resulting in an obsessional (and expensive) fixation with collecting cartidges.
Apart from the London, I've ended up with 2 Koetsus (Jade DC and Urishi Vermilion), an FR7 fz, Zu Denon 103 with ESCO stylus, SPU "classic" and SPU Synergy.
For some time I could never get the Jade to really sing. Switching to an Arche headshell (and some great help and advice from Syntax) really improved things. Moving from Brinkmann La Grange to Balance 2 months ago totally transformed the Jade and really for the first time I could see what the fuss with Koetsu is all about. 
However the Balance did not lead to any great improvement in the London. If you read reviews they usually say "sonically brilliant but very fussy about arm and vinyl condition."
That had been my experience. I know little about the science but gather that the lack of cantilever means you are very reliant upon the arm to deal with resonance.
I assumed I was in the right ball-park with the FR66. Before buying the London I specifically discussed this with Brian Wilson (who makes it) and he told me he uses an FR64.
Dont get me wrong - I loved the London from the word go. Once I got used to it I tried it with different headshells. I found the best sound came with a Yamamoto black ebony. This seemed to have a "calming" effect compared to the Orsonic Av1. Speculation here but maybe the wooden headshell had some anti -resonant effect.
Being unable to stop tinkering I took the plunge and went for another Arche. Fitted it to the London (with Aggolos silver wires and Acoustical Systems titanium screws) lowered onto Balance and all expectations were surpassed.
i couldn't believe what a difference (beneficial) I was hearing. The thing was as solid as a rock: It seemed to be far more mechanically relaxed around a full range of vinyl (old/ near knackered/ new). Surface noise and clicks reduced to near Koetsu level.
But best of all, the sound was amazing. It's a cliche but forget the hi-fi descriptions - the sound is just real, in the room. 
I listen to a lot of old choral music recorded in big cathedrals and containing spoken voice passages. The voices became totally human and the decay (echo within large venue) literally melted into the farther draw walls.
The organ made my sofa rumble.
As I said I'm not technical and all I can do is report on my own personal experience. However any London Reference owners that might be interested in a way to maximise the performance of this cartridge I would urge to consider this headshell.
The end result ,in my system at least, is nothing short of astonishing.


128x128howardalex

Thanks for the report, Howard. Another great pairing with the London/Decca pickups is any of the Townshend Audio Rock turntables, with any arm of one’s choosing (the FR64/66’s being favorites, along with the Zeta). The damping trough inherent in the design of the Rock is an ideal way to deal with the somewhat (!) resonant, undamped, and cantiliver-less design of those pickups. The Reference is the best of them all (except for perhaps the ancient 4-series Deccas), but it too benefits from the Rock’s unique capabilities.

I believe you meant to say Brian Smith, not Wilson, designed the Reference. Actually, Brian Smith is the distributor of London products, his company being Presence Audio. The pickup’s designer, and builder, is John Wright, a Decca engineer who, in 1989, I believe it was, bought the rights to manufacture the pickups. He took the Decca design and ran with it, improving the Decca Gold and Super Gold, and creating the new models Jubilee and Reference.

 I (also) bought 3 extra ''insert pieces'' on which the cart need to

 be fastened. With the included one this means 4 headshells.

I have seen one Orsonic on eBay for $300. This is the right

perspective  to judge the prices. Anyway each headshell should

have ''movable 4 pin connector'' for azimuth and eff. lenght

adjustment. Those are not cheap. My only problem with Arche

are the headshell wire. If those are too tight they influence the

working of the SRA adjustment .


.


Sorry yes it was John Wright I spoke to - early onset dementia - and he said he used an FR 64 tonearm 
Nandric - my Arche came with some sort of standard headshell wire already attached.
I replaced these with Aggalos silver wires which seem to fit fine and are not at all stiff.

howardalex, I could not afford Aggalos and made my own by

careful choice of headshell clips (clearaudio) and (thin) silver

wire. A kind of ''cheating the cheaters'' which is fantastic feeling(grin).