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Garrard 301 and Graham Phantom or Vintage Arm

I am upgrading from a VPI Aries to a Garrard 301 with a Steve Dobbins plinth. I have a Graham Phantom with Shelter 501 stereo and a Sheleter Mono 501 on an extra arm wand. Some of the dealers I've contacted have recommended that I look into a new arm....Ikeda 407 with Miyajima or an EMT arm & cartridge. I would love to try this and move my Graham / shelter to my office system (overkill), but this is quite expensive. Im contemplating this move largely because i rarely see folks use Graham on a Garrard...does this combo lack synergy? Does the Garrard have greater synergy with vintage arms?
mcmprov

Showing 1 response by logenn

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logenn
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Among modern arms the Graham is a superb tone arm for many systems, but the Garrard benefits from an arm like the Triplanar, which emphasizes the leading edge. This adds another dimension of speed and resolution to the Garrard. I used this combination with a Dynavector XV1 s with great satisfaction and still recommend it.

The Reed is also an excellent choice with modern cartridges, adding sparkle to the Garrard 301. I teamed it up with an Ortofon A 90 and the package is top notch.

Although I have not tried the Ikeda 407/Miyajima, I have a friend who uses this combination and speaks highly of it.

If you are planning to listen to low compliance cartridges, the Ikeda or Fidelity Research 64S or 66S are excellent choices for the Garrard.

You do not need to limit yourself to vintage arms; an ideal set up would have one of each.
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