All - thanks very much for your responses, frankly I had no idea the Alphason was such a great arm! I may look at upgrading the cartridge at some point, but great feedback...
brent
brent
Arm upgrade for Gyrodec SE, could use some help
Hi All,
I have a modest rig that includes:
- JA Michell Gyrodec SE (~$2400)
- Benz L0.4 MC cartridge (~$1250)
- Alphason HR-100S MCS tonearm (unknown)
- Sonic Frontiers SF-Phono1 Phono stage (~$2000)
It seems to me that the old Alphason "S" curved arm is a bit of a weak link at this point (any opinions on that assertion?), so I've been thinking about an upgrade. There are several options, and here is where I could use an opinion or two:
1) JA Michell TecnoArm - rebuilt RB-250, is it worth $1100?
2) RB-300 - probably the most common arm on Gyrodecs, and at $500 seems to be a reasonable price point. Better than the Alphason?
3) RB-700 - don't know much about it, but in the price range of the TecnoArm.
4) JWM-9T - Not sure it will fit, but beautiful arm that is well regarded ($2100)
5) SME 309 - Similar price point to the JWM, but again, will this work well in my system?
so that is my situation, I'd appreciate any opinions and recommendations you have!
Thanks,
brent
===============
Rest of system:
DK MkII Integrated
SFCD-1 CD player
Silverline Sonata III speakers (Thanks Grant!)
AU-24 / Harmonic Tech / Cardas
I have a modest rig that includes:
- JA Michell Gyrodec SE (~$2400)
- Benz L0.4 MC cartridge (~$1250)
- Alphason HR-100S MCS tonearm (unknown)
- Sonic Frontiers SF-Phono1 Phono stage (~$2000)
It seems to me that the old Alphason "S" curved arm is a bit of a weak link at this point (any opinions on that assertion?), so I've been thinking about an upgrade. There are several options, and here is where I could use an opinion or two:
1) JA Michell TecnoArm - rebuilt RB-250, is it worth $1100?
2) RB-300 - probably the most common arm on Gyrodecs, and at $500 seems to be a reasonable price point. Better than the Alphason?
3) RB-700 - don't know much about it, but in the price range of the TecnoArm.
4) JWM-9T - Not sure it will fit, but beautiful arm that is well regarded ($2100)
5) SME 309 - Similar price point to the JWM, but again, will this work well in my system?
so that is my situation, I'd appreciate any opinions and recommendations you have!
Thanks,
brent
===============
Rest of system:
DK MkII Integrated
SFCD-1 CD player
Silverline Sonata III speakers (Thanks Grant!)
AU-24 / Harmonic Tech / Cardas
8 responses Add your response
I started out with an Incognito rewired RB300 on my Gyrodec and moved to a used SME309. The SME is much more refined and quiet, but the RB300 had a certain beefy, solid quality that I can imagine some people preferring. I paid $1100 for the 309 and think it's one of the best analog purchases I ever made. Note that the SME alignment method work best with cartridges with a 9.5mm mouting hole to stylus distance. I think this *should* work OK with the Benz, but I remember my Benz L2 tracking better on the RB300 (I "downgraded" to an AT33PTG, which I love, even though it's a little too compliant for the SME). |
I have the gyrodec se with a rb300 with michell tecno weight and incognito wire and soundsmith smmc-1 cartridge. Sounds very good but as always looking for something better. I am considering the Trans-fi linear tracking arm. It look and sound very interesting at a somewhat reasonable price in this hobby. Google it and look at audiogon discussion forum. Doesn't address your question but provides something else to consider. |
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While I agree that the Audio Mod arms are very good, your Alphason arm, IMHO, is one of the best arms ever made. I owned a couple of the HR-100S MCS arm on different tables and always found them to be top performers. In your setup, I might try a new cartridge first. Maybe a Lyra Dorian, Argo, Helikon or a Dynavector. |
Here is an arm that you should look at. I am expecting mine next week and it will replace a rewired RB-300 w/Tecno Weight & VTA adjuster. Audio Mods Regards, Todd |