jcmusic Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 I am considering getting a new TT, the owner says he will include a Rega RB250 or any other arm I want. Please advise. Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 What table? What cartidge? What price? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 And what arm options? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcmusic Posted May 23, 2006 Author Share Posted May 23, 2006 Clearaudio Champ. level 2, have not decided on which cartridge. Did not go into options. He is asking $2000.00. Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 As has been mentioned do you have a budget? Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 The arm and pickup cartridge are a "system" and must be carefully chosen together. This is one place where there are not only "synergies" that take place, the wrong combination can result in major mistracking and other sonic problems caused by incompatible differences in arm mass, arm type, pickup mass, stylus compliance, etc, etc. I would start with a pickup choice first, and then get the proper arm for it, there are most likely a number of equally good alternatives available at different price points. But be careful here too, as not all arms will work well on all turntables. The Graham Phantom for instance works great with a Decca Jubilee pickup, but the Graham arm is too heavy for a the suspension system in a Linn LP12 turntable, and the Decca doesn't like the Linn motor and power suply. All great products in and of themselves, but not together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBryan Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 Tell him you want a Schroeder arm... and then I'll trade you my Graham or SME for it. OK, I'll give you both. Actually, matching an arm to a table is much less demanding than finding the right cartridge for an arm (my opinion, of course). If you were starting from scratch, I'd say find the cartridge you like first, then match the rest of the setup to it. Since you already have the TT factored in, I'd suggest that you look at cartridges that will work with your phono stage/pre and then look for an arm that will tie it all together. You can then look for a phono cable that will match your analog setup with the rest of your system. Have fun, Bryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxg Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 Nyet on the Rega. It is a nice arm - but it is not sufficiently good to get the most out of your TT. I have heard all manner of Rega 250''s from unmodded to the full monte, over $2000 version that is insane and not that great. Now if you want cool with a capital C clearaudio make a version of their standard arm that is 14 inches. Looks the business and is the nearest thing to a linear tracker without the headaches and for half for the money. The only thing is that it is a unipivot design at with that length can have problems with low compliance carts. After that there are too many to chose from. Arguably the best 9 inch arm at the moment is the Schroeder - mate that with a ZYX Airy 3 and you have close to the best combo money can buy - for about $4 K all in. Half of that money would get you something similar but with a Shelter 501 and in between those the Shelter 901 and the 90X. How much do you want to spend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcmusic Posted May 23, 2006 Author Share Posted May 23, 2006 Artto, What would you suggest to go with the CA/Champ. level 2? Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcmusic Posted May 23, 2006 Author Share Posted May 23, 2006 Maxg, I am not looking for the best, just a nice match to the champ. 2. Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxg Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 Canyon, Every arm listed in this thread is a better match than the Rega. The Champion level 2 is a seriously good table. If you are going to the trouble of getting it I think it would be a shame to hobble it with an inferior arm. It would be like running a Ferrari on re-molded tyres. Again, therefore - how much do you want to spend? Addtionally - any thoughts as to cartridge preferences? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcmusic Posted May 23, 2006 Author Share Posted May 23, 2006 Max, This is starting to get a bit complicated, I may need to rethink the amount of cash I want to spend. Thanks for all your advice and comments. Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 I agree with Max about the Rega, hope you can better it within your budget. The true TT gurus here will have to comment on this combo, but here is a Champion (not a 2, I guess) with a Graham Robin, no cart, for $1,395. The Robin is supposed to be superior to a Rega, if not quite up to the very expensive top-line Grahams. A Robin new is $645 or thereabouts. That would leave you some cart funds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 Artto, What would you suggest to go with the CA/Champ. level 2? Like I (and others) said, in our opinion you need to decide on a pickup first, something that matches your phono preamp and sounds the way you like, regardless of whether it's some kind of coloration, or absolute accuracy, or maybe tracking is a priority. Most of us who have had high(er)-end record players for many years usually have more than one tonearm/pickup combination that we can install. Some arms allow you to change their mass, some you can simply change the arm wand and have several wands with different pickups mounted. Some arms have arm wands offered in different mass so you can better match the pickup to the arm. As far as pickup choice goes, I'm probably not the guy to ask for advice as I use one of the trickiest and most difficult pickups to setup that was ever made. It has certain qualities and is constructed like no other. Do I use it for everything all the time? Absolutely not! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott0527 Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 Great advice fellas! I couldn't agree more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 [Oh man, you all scared Jay off with your techno nerdie talk. [] nerdie talk? Let me guess, Scottie has never had a transcription turntable. Yes, they are a pain in the ***, but............. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 If you were starting from scratch, I'd say find the cartridge you like first, then match the rest of the setup to it. That's what I did and now I've got myself in a world of trouble. It's kind of like the tail wagging the dog. I bought a new Denon DL-103 from eBay prior to my knowing I couldn't use it with my existing table/arm (Dual CS-5000). I knew I was going to have to upgrade my BBX by adding the Cream option ($500) but also have to find a new table/arm to mate the cartridge with. Well, I settled on the SME 3009 arm and decided to mate it with a Thorens TD-125, but after a couple of weeks I couldn't find the one I wanted so I ended up spending a fortune on a TD-124 instead (don't ask). I still don't have an arm yet (or table for that matter as it won't arrive until early June sometime), but there are a few 3009's that go up on eBay each week even though most are in the UK. So what started out innocently enough has turned into a financial catastrophe for me. I sent the BBX off to Mark today and am selling my Dual table (should go on eBay in the next day or so) to help pay for the Cream option. Still gotta figure out how to come up with the dough for the arm. Jeez, I might be without a table for a couple of months! I'm blaming Allan for all of this [] Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 Nerdie talk? Let me guess, Scottie has never had a transcription turntable. Yes, they are a pain in the ***, but............. [] Uhhhh... Among his 25 tables he has the following: Thorens TD124 Garrard 301 (2) JA Michell Hydraulic Reference Transcriptors (2) (the famous Clockwork Orange tt) Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 Mike-- Here are a couple of ebay beauties: 3012R--the last of the production and some say the BEST 3012 made (as soon as you swap in a metal kinfe edge bearing): http://cgi.ebay.com/SME-3012-R-TONEARM-exceptioanl-condition-for-SPU_W0QQitemZ9729865551QQcategoryZ48648QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem NICE 3009: http://cgi.ebay.com/SME-3009-SERIES-2-TONEARM-SUPERB-CONDITION_W0QQitemZ9728844640QQcategoryZ48648QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem VERY nice 3009: http://cgi.ebay.com/near-MINT-BOXED-SME-3009-S2-original-arm-No-Reserve_W0QQitemZ9729199963QQcategoryZ3283QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 Nerdie talk? Let me guess, Scottie has never had a transcription turntable. Yes, they are a pain in the ***, but............. [] Uhhhh... Among his 25 tables he has the following: Thorens TD124 Garrard 301 (2) JA Michell Hydraulic Reference Transcriptors (2) (the famous Clockwork Orange tt) Mike Great! Then possibly Scottie has as much experience with analog transcription record players as I do and could contribute something more than comments about our "nerdie talk". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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