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Top 5 Tonearms Newer or Vintage Under 2500 That Will Beat anything above/below 2.5k?

From all your tonearm experiences trials errors comparisons etc is there a Top 5 tonearm list that are known for their musical superlatives in all music ranges and genres? including finer detail nuances feeling, 3d sound but also deep bass and midbass, basspunch. Airy highs. And importantly long hours listening without fatigue.
The criteria also to be met are easy setups for all angles vta vfa azimuth anti skating etc 
The Tonearm must also the ability to use more than just one or two cartridge compatibility.

Probable Turntables to be Used: Garrard 301/401, Lenco, Linn, Thorens 124, Technics 1100 1200 10 or 15. 

Heres the list i compiled of ToneArms to pick from.
Feel free to mention others.

  • Tw Raven, D Talea, Graham 2.2/phantom, Moerch, Origin Live, Vpi, 
  • AudioMods

  • Clear Audio, Stax, Rega, Technics 500/1000, Sumiko, Alphason, Black Widow, One unipivot, Saec, Clear Audio, Basis Vector, Triplanar

  • Origin Silver, Rega 9, Linn Ittok, Project, Technics 500/1000,
  •  Alphason, Audio Technica, Dynavector 507

    Grace, Mission, Grado, Ortofon, EMT, Thorens Tp,
  • ESL, Sme 3012, Sme 3009, Sme V, IV,

  • Schroeder, Kuzma, Eminent, Ikeda, Breuer, 
    Stax, Kenwood 007 arm, Sonys top Arm, Artemis
vinny55
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 

The VTA adjuster may be ON the arm but is FOR the cartridge .

Those are supposed to be ''sensitive/critical'' for the VTA adjustment.

But our love for some components can be such that we can't bear

any negative comment. Say the fact that even the SME V misses

the VTA adjuster (grin).

tkr
100 posts
 
The SME V has VTA adjustment, and I can`t agree with @fleschler that it´s difficult to adjust. 
Ag insider logo xs@2x
rauliruegas
12,786 posts
 
Dear @vinny55 : As I said and can re-read my posts to you I never insult you as you again ( 3-4 times. ) followed insult me as in your last post.

It’s not neccesary to insult some one else especially when that person did not insult you in anyway.

What I posted in your threads is that " makes no sense " what you posted what you ask.

Not only in this thread statements but in other thread ( all makes no sense. ) where you ask to rank 16 different cartridges and that audiophiles as us tell along than cartridge ranking the best tonearm for each one cartridge.
Well that makes sense to you but not to me and even in all your threads other gentlemans posted the same: " makes no sense ".

We all live in a free world where you have the rigth to post whatever you want and everyone of us have the rigth to post too with out insulting.

You don’t have the rigth to insult me but you did it and follow do it.

Your audio arguments to give an answer to the " non makes sense " posts were too with no sense.
So you have not audiophile arguments to post why makes sense all your threads's statements and if you have it just show it but stop to insult me.

R.
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 

@tkr, The difference between induction and deduction is that

the first mentioned one generalize from limited number of

experience to some ''general rule''. By deduction one combine

different sentences and deduce from them his conclusion. No

experiments whatever are needed. From the fleschler's statement

 about SME V problems with VTA I (wrongly?) deduced

that this arm, despite of its price, has no VTA adjuster. There are

added assumptions needed to grasp why a tonearm with an

VTA adjuster is difficult to ''VTA adjust''.

Anyway you succeeded to correct two members with one single

sentence. Bravo!


ct0517's avatar
ct0517
2,041 posts
 
re:VTA

fleshler
where it appears more critical to adjust is for differences in the LP cutting angles.

the angles that get cut into LPs  "the included angle" vary. The European cutting standard does not match the American one. What does this say about the same album title, one an American pressing, the other Dutch?
Every time the cutting stylus is changed (every 10 hours or so) the replacement stylus is never put in at exactly the same angle. Is the conspiracy growing? Ask the folks that cut the records. I have.

It is my opinion therefore that since the cutting angles vary, even with records of same thickness, that unless someone can tell me here on this thread, that they are able to visually see the angle of the cut in the record (the included angle), then VTA adjustment for those so inclined, should be done by ear, since the variables that exist outside that actual record - different rooms, gear and the way we hear, all factor in to what we will hear. Just remember your tonearm, due to physics will change VTF when you adjust for VTA. Differences heard may be due to this. VTF needs to be reset. Only one tonearm keeps VTF the same due to a patented system.

If someone is not VTA anal, and just wants to enjoy the music, use a stylus profile that is not as affected by VTA changes, like a Conical. Ask the cart manufacturer or retipper. You will hear less detail, however you can adjust for tonality once, be done with it and enjoy your music.

Now about those folks that use USB Digital microscopes to set VTA.....

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