Thanks @jperry That is high praise indeed for the Vector tonearm. "Massive" improvement is great!
How much more of an improvement is your Garrard 301 from the Basis 2001?
I currently have a Benz Micro Wood M2 w/ Boron Cantilever($1600 new I believe) that was recently serviced at VAS. It had around 50 hours of play on it and the stylus was slightly polished back to new.... The M2 was the previous model of the current ML wood models.
I'll have to inquire about the Calibrator Base and see what kind of improvement it makes. 20% I wouldn't care. But 50% or more? I'll consider it. I'll write Basis again about it. And ask if they have any used Vector 4's that were traded for the Super Arm...But if they do recommend a $2700 Calibrator base which is just a machined acrylic plate for the pods to be stabilized in, I may be better off selling my 2001 and upgrading the table.
Your system looks great. I love the look of tube amps. I have Jeff Rowland Model 12 monoblocks for each of my JM Lab Mezzo Utopia speakers. The Ikeda tonearm looks to be slightly more $ than the Vector 4 so hopefully if I do go with the Vector, I'm happy for a long while..The Ikeda 9GSS must be amazing..And the Garrard 301. Wow. Nice.....If you are a member of Steve Hoffman's Forum, you can look up my profile information to see my whole system...
As good as it is, it may be time to replace my McCormack Micro Phono Drive if I upgrade to the Vector 4. Oh, the analog rabbit hole....
How much more of an improvement is your Garrard 301 from the Basis 2001?
I currently have a Benz Micro Wood M2 w/ Boron Cantilever($1600 new I believe) that was recently serviced at VAS. It had around 50 hours of play on it and the stylus was slightly polished back to new.... The M2 was the previous model of the current ML wood models.
I'll have to inquire about the Calibrator Base and see what kind of improvement it makes. 20% I wouldn't care. But 50% or more? I'll consider it. I'll write Basis again about it. And ask if they have any used Vector 4's that were traded for the Super Arm...But if they do recommend a $2700 Calibrator base which is just a machined acrylic plate for the pods to be stabilized in, I may be better off selling my 2001 and upgrading the table.
Your system looks great. I love the look of tube amps. I have Jeff Rowland Model 12 monoblocks for each of my JM Lab Mezzo Utopia speakers. The Ikeda tonearm looks to be slightly more $ than the Vector 4 so hopefully if I do go with the Vector, I'm happy for a long while..The Ikeda 9GSS must be amazing..And the Garrard 301. Wow. Nice.....If you are a member of Steve Hoffman's Forum, you can look up my profile information to see my whole system...
As good as it is, it may be time to replace my McCormack Micro Phono Drive if I upgrade to the Vector 4. Oh, the analog rabbit hole....