Had settled on the GM II. Then talked to the wife. She reminded me to look in my stash of "I should hang on to that........" gear closet. Indeed...... have a nice Stax UA-7 with carbon fiber TA squirreled away for just such a use. So, will start with the 9" TA and once all is settled out with the new plinth build, decide on the 12" TA.
A more specific question - would higher compliance cartridges (like a Shure V15) work on the 12" 850L even though it doesn't have fluid damping? I seem to remember reading somewhere that the knife-edge bearings would make a compliance "mismatch" more acceptable, but I don't remember why.
Would like to try an HS-4 one day. I had a similar with improvements afforded by the Jelco HS-30 headshell I bought for my 750L. It's a magnesium, rosewood and copper item, with silver wire. It also has an azimuth adjustment. I have thought about getting my 750L rewired with silver, so I can run it continuously from my Kontrapunkt B through the arm to the phono-stage. This might keep me from changing my 750L out too soon, as it's still a great tonearm and a bit of a modern day classic.
Gramophone Dreams #25: Dr. Feickert, Jelco, Koetsu, My Sonic Lab JICO Seto Hori CartridgeJICO Seto Hori Cartridge - Positive Feedback
Thank you sir. Any "budget" cartridge recommendations for this arm? I need something to play beat up/dirty records, which I do a lot of with thrift store finds. I own a V15 III with an EVG stylus, but don't care for the sound through this setup. I presume it's the high compliance (or the cheap stylus). I was pondering a Shure SC35C, but but I don't know if the arm is heavy enough for something that low compliance.
Budget cartridge for dirty beat up records use a Tonar Diabolic-E myself about 60bucks if you want better sound remove the body , or fit a new upgraded body ( graphite or Panzerholz/tankwood ) & bit of a " giant killer " for a Nagaoka DJ cartridge Cartridges - Thomas Schick
I have a question for you guys using the 850/950 s. I noticed that the counterweight has a sliding ring on the back. Is the forward/backward placement to accommodate a heavier cartridge? I run the ring close to the front, but i noticed that the overall counterweight assembly rides near the tail with my heavier cartridge. Does having the counterweight assemble closer to the pivot increase the tonearm performance?
What do you two TK-850M users think now that you've had a bit of 'run-time'? Am shopping 12" TAs again and the SA is $589, the replacement for the SA, the TS model is $765 and the TK is $1054 (all from the same reseller). Am wondering if the TS with Ammonite base might not be the way to go for my Denon DP-80.
Unless he's raised his prices recently, George Merrill at Analog Emporium in Memphis had the most favorable prices for the Jelco knife-edge tonearms and the HS-30 headshells. I bought the TK-850L and an HS-30 from him last year.
I'm a bit hesitant to give a review at the moment. First of all, I don't speak the language. It's really difficult for me to describe what I'm hearing. I'm replacing the Jelco Sa-370h. The change is not at all subtle. The difference is greater in my system than the difference between the Dyna 20X2L and the XX2mkii. The arm definitely allows more details to come through. It's a more transparent soundstage. Tonally, I'd say it's really similar to the Sa-370h, but the 850M handling the bass quite a bit better. This is still early yet and I'm not sure the setup is as good as it can be! I'm impressed!
Thanks for the tip on George Merrill. Just spoke to him and am waiting for his reply on availability & cost for the TS-550L & TK-850L (he was driving).
When I bought the TK-850L from his shop last year, his prices were at least $200 less than the closest online dealer prices I found at that time, IIRC.
And, George is a very pleasant person to deal with over the phone. Also been in touch with Phillip Holmes, the owner of Mockingbird Distribution LLC who imports the Sorane SA1-2, which also catches my fancy (I'm a sucker for good modern design). Sorane SA1-2 As my plinth is out for new black walnut veneer and I'm travel for the majority of the next several weeks, I'll "stew" on which arm to go with until the 1st week of July. Any more thoughts on the Jelco TK arms in the meantime would be appreciated.
He's a nice guy, and knowledgeable. I met him years ago when I lived in Memphis. The Sorane tonearms look good, I agree. I also checked out the Groovemaster 12" tonearms, also from Mockingbird, but I found the economic persuasion of paying about 40% less for the Jelco more amenable to my budget. Did I miss earlier what turntable and phono cartridges you'll be using?
Have a Denon DP80 with an original wood plinth and Stax UA-7/CF TA. Am in the process of designing an aluminum Michell Gyro 'style' plinth as a longer-term project. One reason the SA1-2 would be a nice addition is its geometry is only 4mm difference from the UA-7/CF so would drop into the same armboard. The Jelco would require a new one. Plus, Phillip Holmes also uses a DP80 with SA1-2 as his TT/TA, so good knowledge base available for my combo. My cartridges are Lyra Kleos, Ortofon Kontrapunkt-b, AT33R, Ortofon 2M Black & AT150Ti. Multiple carts is one reason I moved away from VPI and their fixed headshell TA and why the Audiomod TA won't work for me. I rather like the VPI unipivot TA, but not the fixed headshell. Yes......... I wonder if Sorane did not build the Dynavector arm. Jelco certainly builds/built many arms for many brands over the years.
I looked it up. Not really - maybe a simplified version of it. Still looks like a killer arm - my palms are itching...
Finally found a "professional" (Herb Reichert - Stereophile) review of the TK-850. Gramophone Dreams #25: Dr. Feickert, Jelco, Koetsu, My Sonic Lab Page 2 From what I read, it compares very well with the modern SME & AMG TAs at several times the cost. The overall sound that Herb ascribes to the TK-850 matches up well with what George Merrill told me in our conversations. You can always put a penny on the headshell to add some mass. Seriously, you may want a higher mass TA to go with your high compliance V15. My "go to" rig in the 80's was a Shure V15III, IV & VxMR on a Sony PS-X7 with carbon fiber arm. It worked well for several years with a heavy (massive) headshell, which Sony was happy to supply. Just use a heavier headshell and you should be good.
