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Tonearms: Ripoff?

If you search for tonearm recommendations you'll find an overwhelming amount of praise for $1k and less products. Audiomods and Jelco are the two most mentioned.

The Audiomods is just some guy making Rega-based tonearms in a workshop. Just some guy is putting out tonearms that compete with tonearms that cost many times the price -- from the likes of SME, Clearaudio, VPI, Graham, etc.

So the question is -- are tonearms just a scam? How is it that everyone loves Audiomods and Jelco to death and never talks about / dismisses high end tonearms? Is it because there's no real difference between one of these low-cost tonearms and the high end ones? Is an Audiomods Series V ** really ** the equivalent of a SME V? Some guy in a workshop equals the famed precision of SME? Is that once you have the math and materials worked out all tonearms are essentially the same? Or is it that most owners of record players online are dumpster-diving for vintage gear and simply can't afford to listen to better?

So, what's going on?
madavid0
roberjerman
4,319 posts
 
And in my collection I have four Empire belt-drive TT's with Empire arms (high mass) that mate well with mc cartridges.
roberjerman
4,319 posts
 
There is not enough material in any tone arm to justify such high prices. Though I could say the same about pricey cartridges!
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
You think that’s a rip off? Wait’ll you take a gander 👀 at cartridge prices. Things are tough all over.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,408 posts
 

In the case of the Audiomods arms, the designer/master machinist (he’s not "just some guy making Rega-based tonearms in a workshop". For one thing, his arms are NOT "Rega-based", they are entirely his own design and hand-made manufacture, and quite unlike the Regas. Yes, he buys the arm tube he uses from Rega, but that, and that alone, is the sole commonality between his and their arms) sells directly to the consumer. If he had a dealer network, the price of his arms would automatically be double what they are.

The Jelco’s are made in massive quantities, which allows for economy of scale. The more you make of anything, the less each costs.

And then there is the matter of diminishing returns. After a "certain" level of performance is reached (in all products), further improvements cost more per increment than below that level. Experienced audiophiles are searching for the "sweet spot" in the price/performance ratio continuum. Flush audiophiles are willing and able to pay for increasingly small and expensive improvements; good for them! The rest of us have to find products that reside in our own personally-chosen "sweet spot".

uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz
13,381 posts
 
As David Coverstar once famously sang...."here I go again on my own"
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