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Does anything better Jelco arm ~$1000

Been reading about the Jelco 850L and the other newer models as I look for arm with budget of ~ $1000 (new or used) to go with a Sota Star and Dynavector XX2mkII. Not a ton of user comments, but just about every one I've read (here, VA, vinylengine, and a few smaller boards) all imply thrilled owners and not a one who regrets the purchase. Sound quality performance value for its price is reportedly high and that has been my experience when I've heard the older 750 series and even their lower priced arms. Another arm under consideration is the Audiomods Series V.

My take so far:
Jelco: pro - longstanding reputation for quality, demonstrated by so many OEM arms provided to turntable manufacturers, good fit & finish, compatibility w/many carts of varying compliance, flexibility of changing headshells(including w/azimuth adjustment), high likelihood of parts/service if ever needed, likely decent resale value if I ever choose to go in another direction.
cons: extra electrical connection points @ armtube and headshell, lack of precise repeatable VTA adjustment (although EasyVTA aftermarket product can address this), knife edge bearings theoretically an improvement, but my impression is that in practice they often aren't ideal. 

To use a car analogy is this the Toyota Camry of tonearms? 

The Audiomods Series V:
pros: keeps the best aspect of the new Rega arm and replaces almost everything else with better design and quality parts, precise micrometer VTA adjustment, silver wire one piece loom from pins to plugs
cons: one man company uncertainties on parts/service if ever needed, relatively little user base or resale market, no opportunity to listen before buying,  a bit more costly than the Jelco. 
Hoping it's not a Saab 900; really cool when they were around but at some point a quirky performer from days gone by that might not be a keeper.

So anybody care to chime in on these or others that fit the bill in the same price range? If you're curious, the rest of the system is here: Austin City Within Limits. Cheers,
Spencer 
sbank

Showing 7 responses by sbank

sbank's avatar
sbank OP
3,382 posts
 
Thanks for all the comments! Many interesting takes. 
After doing a bit more research today I realize that the Sota a start only can fit a 9" arm. That means the TK-850s & TK-950s and the Audiomods are options, but the 12" "L" versions and other 12" arms are out.
The Transfi is one that isn't for me. A good friend has one and while   it sounds good, I am not impressed with the VTA micrometer. Also, the exposed wiring setup looks like an accident waiting to happen. Maybe an anomaly, but he also had much down time with it, waiting for parts to keep the wand properly floating & tracking.
OL has probably sold a high number of tonearms, but compared side by side to the Audiomods, the OL doesn't stack up. Their better models cost much more.
I will read up on the Victor UA-7045. What vintage is typically available and are they all the same?
@noromance I have followed your comments on the other thread and look forward to more comments on the 850s. Cheers,
Spencer 
sbank's avatar
sbank OP
3,382 posts
 
Looking at @chakster 's suggested UA-7045 I see online a spindle-to- pivot distance of 230mm. Anybody know if that will fit on a Sota Star? Anybody with personal experience with a tonearm on a Sota Star/Nova/Sapphir w/ S2P distance >230mm?
The 9": arms I commonly see on their tables include SME V at 215mm, Rega RB-300 at 222mm, Alphason at 211mm, Ortofon TA-110 at 213mm OL Zephyr 223mm. Wondering if the UA-7045 is too long to fit. Cheers,
Spencer 
sbank's avatar
sbank OP
3,382 posts
 
@bpoletti thanks I saw those. If the length isn't too long, it's an option. Having most recently owned another great vintage arm, the Technics EPA-250, I do like the on-the-fly VTA. The fact that this one was refurbished recently is clearly a bonus.

@williewonka Thanks for the comments. I enjoyed reading your review too. It's great to hear that Jeff is so in tune with his customers' specific situations. The details matter; for example my Nagra BPS has RCA inputs pretty close together, so larger RCA plugs might have a tough time fitting. In that spirit I confirmed via Jeff's manual online that S2P distance of 222mm would fit. I also saw one user mention using a Series V on a Sota table. Cheers,
Spencer
sbank's avatar
sbank OP
3,382 posts
 
Has anyone directed compared the sound of the Audiomods V vs. the new Jelco or even vs.the 750 series? Cheers,
Spencer 
sbank's avatar
sbank OP
3,382 posts
 
So does anybody else have a suggestion besides those already mentioned? Cheers,
Spencer 
sbank's avatar
sbank OP
3,382 posts
 
Interesting comments, guys!

@williewonka I agree that from the details I found on the Technoarm that the Audiomods is probably a better modded rendition of the Rega. With the Audiomods being a mod of the RB-300 and the Michell a variant of the OEM1(RB-250), with a silver wire loom and more precise VTA adjuster, the Michell while nothing wrong with it, probably isn't my cup of tea. Here's some info on Rega variants that some might find useful: https://www.vinylengine.com/a-guide-rega-tonearms.shtml

@karl_desch & @noromance , good to see a few with some direct comparison experience. Sounds like both the Jelco 850 and the Audiomods V both beat the Jelco 750 series. 
Guess I'm back to where I started except I now know that both have a bigger number of very happy users and I'll probably be pleased with either option.

So right now it looks like I'm considering the Audiomods V with optional VTA micrometer and silver loom(795GBP = $1045 plus international shipping) or the Jelco TK-850S($825) + the EasyVTA(89GBP+Intl. shipping or $200 from US distributor) + a DIN/RCA phono cable(DH Labs or something used like a Harmonic Technology Crystal Silver Phono($350/BO or similar). So total cost would be similar with a slight advantage to the Audiomods. It's a close call...Cheers,
Spencer
sbank's avatar
sbank OP
3,382 posts
 
Thanks, @andrei_nz!

One of the kind posters here offered a good deal on a used Audiomods V, no longer needed since he upgraded to something at a much higher price. After all these posts, I'm thinking that it's not a SAAB and more like a Subaru WRX or a VW GTI.  Awaiting word from Sota that it's a good fit on my table, and if so, think I'm heading that way. Cheers,
Spencer
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