JMW 10.5 tonearm cartridge recommendation


I am buying a used VPI classic 1. It comes with a JMW 10.5 tonearm. If anyone here is using this arm, what cartridge do you recommend as a good match. I own a Soundsmith boheme cart that is on my current table. From the specs on the JMW arm, it looks like it may be a bit too light for the arm. Can anyone calculate tonearm resonant frequency for me. I couldn't find a formula to do it. Specs are below.

Tonearm: JMW 10.5i SE - Mass is 12.3g
Cart: Soundsmith Boheme Mass is 6.8g - Compliance 22um/mN

Thanks for your help

Andy
andyprice44
I own a Classic too. My primary carty is the Soundsmith VPI Zephyr and backup is the DV 20X2H. While I like the DV, IMO, the Zephyr is much better. Another plus for the Zephyr is that Peter Ledermann can retip it pretty quickly for only $250.

Your OP mentions that the Soundsmith Boheme compliance is 22um/mN. The complaince factor for the Zephyr and DV 20X2 ranges something between 10 and 15. So, I second the suggestion that you call either Mike at VPI or Peter at Soundsmith for advice re compatibility.
I believe that I recall reading that VPI recommends cartridges weighing more than 7 grams and with compliance greater than 10. I think Dynavector's, Lyra's and Sumiko's are popular with VPI tables/arms. I'm running a Sumiko Blackbird with my Scoutmaster/JMW-9 Signature with good results.
Thanks for the suggestions guys. I talked with Peter at soundsmith. He said my soundsmith boheme cartridge will be a good match. He suggested adding some mass to the head of the arm by using the EZ - mount screws and to add 2 or 3 drops of damping fluid. I am going to try this first and see if it sounds good.
I told him I would be willing to buy the zephyr cartridge if he thought it would be a better match sonically for the 10.5 arm. He said either cart would work great. They are two totally different cartridges. The zephyr will be a bit warmer sounding cart, while the boheme will be a bit more analytical and retrieve a bit more detail. He said the zephyr would be a good match for someone running all solid state gear and the boheme would match better with tube gear.
I am going to stick with the boheme for now as I plan to pick up a couple of Mcintosh MC275 tube amps in the near future. Once I get my amps, if I am not satisfied with what I am hearing I may pickup a lyra delos cart and a good step up transformer.