Experiences With The Ikeda Arms?

ET-2

Going to strike this one from the list of candidates. As I look at the offerings on the market, I am convinced that all of them need to be sent out for restoration. The restoration costs and the cost of a B 60 really do not seem to make this a prudent purchase. Time to start a thread about candidates. 

I forgot the stellar and more expensive ma<nufacturer that as Luxman exist today and is still  expensive: Accuphase, I still own one of its LOMC cartridges.

Accuphase was the top of the top in Japan audio world.

R.

@jperry :Luxman and specially Nagra ( professional/audiophile markets. ) were what Rolex in watch by its very high quality design and build excecution of that design.

Today even Nagra has a TT in the market.

Your today Luxman has the same kind of high quality than that vintage SS phonolinepreamp C 5000A when in Japan existed a challenged market not for specs as many audiophiles think but for high quality design/manufacturer

Where my Luxman is only an example of what Luxman had achieved to compete with the Pioneer Exclusive serie or the Sony ES/Esprit serie or the Yamaha M and C series or the Denon POA/PMA series all those japanese audio manufacturers were the in those times the today true High End. That  Luxman I paired with a Denon POA amplifier ( a beauty at sigth, ). My speakers were the Dalhquist DQM-9

All those manufacturers including Technics shared that were audio manufacturers of Integral Systems, this is that each one of them had in his catalogue for the market: speakers, cartridges, tonearms, turntables, amplifiers, phonolinepreamps and preamps/phono stages.

What an " OLD TIMES "for we MUSIC lovers/audiophiles. ! ! ! ! ! Great ones.

R.

@rauliruegas 

Thanks for the compliment Raul. I also have a Luxman CL-35III which has the original plug in transformers. They may be the same as the SUT in the C-5000A.

I do have some SS amplification with a Nagra Classic amp. I usually use that in the summer.

Best Regards,

Jim Perry

Dear @jperry : I just was looking your virtual system and was surprised that at very first sight I look a Luxman phonolinepreamp that I owned ( truly similar all unit exterior face plate and the wood box. ) the C 5000-A but reading in your site I read that only those is the similar between your unit and the one I owned because the C 5000-A is an all SS against your all tube design. Btw, the Suts in the C5000-A are stand alone plug-in external items and were silver wired and with gold connectors ( a beauty ) and like your unit very high quality, even those stand alone Suts Luxman offered in the market and if I remember models were 8020 and 8030. If I remember too one Agoner audiophile I think owned the C5000-A and is @theophile ( I think ? ).

dsc6664.jpg.webp (1500×997) (liquidaudio.com.au)

Very nice system you own.

R.

@neonknight  : Sorry but the forums are free for any one can post.

Btw, what in my two posts in this thread you did not like it. What and why? because I can't see nothing agressive against you in those posts, so your explanation is appreciated.

R.

@rauliruegas It appears you have difficulty being civil, it would be just best if you avoided my threads then. Please don't play the "what did I do" charade, I have seen this scenario play out many times over the years. Quite simply you are rude and do not foster much good will on this board. From my perspective it seems to have gotten much worse lately. 

I have an opportunity to improve one of my tables, and so I am gathering information. I find it interesting that your perspective runs counter to most other owners postings. Anyways, have a good deal and please be courteous to stay out of any thread I start. It is a shame this site does not have an ignore feature. 

Neon, if you run the FR64S, I highly recommend both the B60 and an arm board that has good energy dissipation. The B60 and the board help with mass damping. Properly set up, the FR64S can be very good.

@neonknight  : Good, then go ahead and enjoy it.

R.

@rauliruegas I have sold my SME V, to be honest I always found it grey sounding to ally. I also sold my Dynavector DV505. The Triplanar is moved on, I did not find it superior to the Dynavector but it’s more expensive. 
 

I am now looking for an arm for the SOTA, which has some constraints due to the island shaped arm board. An FR64S would work, and nice versions are available and less expensive than the Ikeda model. I can then source a SME 3009III and have it on a board for whenever I want to use the Ortofon MC2000 I have. 
 

I am currently down to the Schroder and Verismo on the Scheu, which is a thoroughly enjoyable listen. 

Dear @neonknight  : The Ikeda tonearms in reality never was and are a truly  " refinement " ( other that maybe the internal wire. ) of the vintage FR tonearms. It's more of the same that looks a little different and that only takes the advantage of the FR name. I owned all the FR/IKeda tonearms.

Its dynamic balanced mechanism is the same as in the FR and way ringing one that means higher distortions. I think you own better tonearms than Ikeda , but in reality is up to you who at the end is the one that will buy what you like.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,

R.

I have the 12 inch version of that tonearm. Very well made and better sounding than the Ortofon RS-309 D that it replaced. VTA adjustment is very easy with the VTA-06 VTA base. I have mostly moving coil cartridges that like a high mas arm.

Mr. Ikeda did tonearm and cartridge design for Fidelity Research