I am also an admirer at a distance of the Viv Float tonearms. I'd probably have bought one already if they were not so costly, and if I did not have some questions regarding the rigidity of the pivot bearing, such as it is. I have seen them for sale over the counter in Tokyo, at prices well below US prices. Optional lengths seem to be 7, 9, 11, and 14 inches. So one way to have high effective mass is to buy the longest one, but that would cause mounting problems on almost any normal turntable (too long), and there is the question of resonance of such a long arm tube. If you worry a lot about Tracking Angle Error, TAE is much greater with any underhung tonearm than with a comparable typical overhung tonearm with an offset headshell, but my experience with another underhung, the RS Labs RS-A1, suggests one should not be concerned. The longer the Viv, the less the TAE. So that's another hypothetical advantage of the longer versions, if you care. The less the TAE, the lower the skating force generated. I would not worry about that, either.
Decided to try a SPU cartridge
I’ve been fascinated that the SPU (Stereo Pick-Up) cartridges, which was invented over 60yrs ago in 1958, still has loyal fans today. The SPU is reported to have a big, bold, exuberant and musically exciting character.
While researching, the best SPU cartridge may be the Ortofon SPU Century. I found one new at a greatly discounted price so I took the plunge.
Normally, it’s best to demo before purchasing. But because I’m going for sonic variety rather than improvement, the SPU’s sonic description and market longevity is enough for me to feel confident it’ll be a good experience. Besides, trying to track down a SPU demo in this Covid environment may be a pain.
In addition, I’ll probably purchase a Ortofon SPU Classic GM E MkII to experience the “original” SPU sound. Other SPUs I may try are Ortofon’s SPU Meister Silver GM MkII, SPU Synergy GM, SPU Royal GM MkII, SPU Wood A.
Next I’ll have to get a SPU tonearm. The usual suspects are Thomas Schick, Groovemaster II, and Ikeda. I wonder what’s the best SPU tonearm?
I suspect that tonearm cables upgrades won’t yield enough sonic improvements for SPUs.
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Okay, I'm taking a step backwards - I realized that the 4point and the ViV won't work on a SPU "G" but may likely work on SPU "N". So I'm back to getting another tonearm. I'm heavily favoring the Groovemaster II which I know works well with SPUs. Also, I'll eventually purchase a Bokrand modified Ortofon arm to compare arms and especially because I like the idea of matching brands to my SPU cart. I'm sticking with SPU "G" size because I want to compare on the the best SPU (hopefully my Century) to the original SPU. I'm guessing that a new Ortofon Classic G will fit the bill. Not sure how SPU "N" compares to SPU "G" sonically, no incentive to experiment. Got a message from WAM that they don't evaluate stylus on SPUs - in retrospect I feel dumb/embarrassed for asking. Getting a stylus angle correct doesn't apply much to spherical/elliptical stylus profiles as for a other stylus profiles. Sometimes you just got to laugh at yourself. I did notice that used SPUs don't state their hours usage. Maybe SPUs are considered disposable and/or stylus replacement is cheap/easy? |
Because of this previous thread, I picked up a used Ortofon SPU Gold which likely needs retipping. The fun continues... https//:forum.audiogon.com/discussions/mc-cartridge-mini-shootout-spu-koetsu-fr-ikeda
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