Jelco sa 750e
If you want to go this route the linn arm but you would have to go above the Ittok to improve the Jelco is a pretty good arm. I had a Audioquest pt-9 long ago which is pretty much a Jelco 750 but straight I rewired it added better din wire and added a Expressimo counterweight there was a nice improvement even the counterweight alone made a nice difference. |
Don't obsess about that 240 mm distance! Plus or minus 5 or so mm is inconsequential regarding distortion. For most tonearms the overhang is within 1or 2 mm! You cannot hear the difference! I owned a Jelco arm years ago when the company name was Koshin - the GST-1. $250 in 1978. The GST-801 was $500 then. I liked the SME-type adjustable base - made setting overhang easy! |
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I just put 3 arms on a single plinth made for 2 arms and learned a lot doing it. You can see it here, 8th photo: https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/9511 How much room do you have? (verify clearances inside the closed dust cover for height and rear part of the arm when at rest). I got lucky with my long arm’s height after I put it on a spacer, and was very careful to find a compact arm on the left, I just squeezed it in. you have some options you might not have considered. What diameter is the existing hole? You can elongate the hole ’some’ as long as the new arm’s cover plate will cover the larger oblong hole, that gives you flexibility within reason. I did that for my rear arm (check underneath for any obstructions and clearance to fasten the replacement arm). You can add a larger cover plate (or very large washer) below an arm’s base plate (thin and strong) to cover an elongated hole below the replacement arm IF you will be able to keep the arm low enough for proper VTA. Note: my thick Victor TT81 sits above the plinth, I had to add a 3/8" spacer under the base plate to get the arm high enough. Clear acrylic, I could have painted it black, didn’t bother. 7th photo Previously I had 3/16"thick rectangular hardwood board below the base plate that I stained to match the plinth. Then the tonearm supplier sent me the spacer pre-drilled for the base plate screws when he saw my TT81 thickness. Oh yeah, I filled an old hole with a wood plug from the bottom, left it recessed a bit, and put a 45 adapter in it. Clever, with caution! |
Jelco is drilled thru with no arm board. Same PS distance does not mean the same diameter of the mounting hole in your plinth. It can be wider or smaller than your current hole. If you can modify the mounting hole a bit, you could use Fidelity-Reseach FR-64fx tonearms with 230mm PS distance and 30mm mounting hole diameter. Superb tonearm! |
So 1.25 inch = 31.7 mm Basically you could expand your mounting hole towards the platter by only 0.39 inch to mount another tonearm with 230mm (9.05 inch) Pivot to Spindle distance like Fidelity-Research FR-64fx. The top plate of the FR tonearm base will cover 53mm (2.08 inch) diameter above your plinth anyway. Look at FR-64fx in my system (in the middle of the picture gallery). |
Looks really solid, I was about to make a trade for a sp10 that had a fidelity research fx64 s on it but he backed out. I read that if the vtf was hard to turn it would need to be cleaned and regreased Did you have your cleaned and regressed? the plinth is corian several layers I’ll have to look into what to drill it with thanks |
I read that if the vtf was hard to turn it would need to be cleaned and regreased I did, but only on my 66fx and only because the side panel fell off on arrival. Look at the VTF spring of my 66fx with new grease. My NOS samples of the 64fx are all fine, two of them. I also have 64fx PRO and it’s also fine. As you might know the fx series was made in the '80s and overall quality of some parts are better than old 64s from the early '70s. The armlift and arm base are better on FX, dynamic tracking force is always in better condition that on 64s. So the problem you are talking about is a common problem for 64s , but not for FX series. |
I learned this from a guru, and it turned out to be correct. Sometimes the FR64S and probably the 66S, so maybe the 64fx, pivot can feel kind of "stiff" at first. This may also apply to the VTF adjustment. The guru advised to just put the tonearm under a heat lamp for a short while, to cure the problem(s). I did this with my 64S, which did come to me with a feeling of viscosity in the pivot and a very stiff VTF adjuster. The heat lamp cured the viscous feeling in the pivot bearing entirely, and the VTF adjuster got looser, but the latter is still a bit stiff. I think you want it that way, so the chosen setting does not vary during use of the tonearm. Despite the fact that I am using my 64S in my basement system, where the ambient temperature is typically in the mid to high 60s, cool by US home standards, the bearing has remained free after that one heat treatment. |
FR 64s and long 66s are heavy mass toneams made of stainless steel. 64fx and long 66fx are NOT heavy mass tonearms, they are made of aluminum and copper. 64fx with optional counterweight (W250) can handle superheavy carts like SPU and FR-7fz, but with stock small counterwight the 64fx is perfect for nearly all MM and MC cartridges (old or new). Those two tonearms are predecessors of the IKEDA tonearms available today (same PS distance BTW). You can read about IKEDA here. heat lamp warms up the grease I guess? If there is a problem (*typically with 64s) you can try this method, but I think you’d better open/clean to add the new grease, it’s very easy! Before you buy, ask the seller about the condition, if there is a problem - don’t buy such a sample and find another. My 64s does not have such a problem. |
Look for my thread on the 850. Basically, it's more resolving, finer etched, blacker - more contrasting, better layering, more spacious soundstage, faster, more color. It's a no-brainer. I haven't heard the 950 - uses a spring to apply downforce rather than weight alone for theoretically better tracking. |
The more I listen to the 750e it is quite a nice arm
but given the cost I’m sure there’s better I’m just wondering am I getting into the diminishing returns area of my investment? or would it be significant?
i was even looking at a Ikeda arm way more than I paid for my whole turntable but if it would be a great improvement.
who knows this can be a crazy hobby but fun
i really feel like the most important part of the equation is the room |
The better the table, the better a good arm will perform. Your turntable support is also important. When I moved my table from wood to metal stands to concrete blocks, the improvement was a major upgrade. Adding springs under the table instead of cones also brought a large improvement. Try these 'upgrades' before spending relatively large amounts on gear. |
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Have you tried these guys? |
OP: A 750 with a Ammonite mounting collar is perfect for medium to high compliance MM carts and some lighter medium compliance high output MC carts, just use a lighter head shell to dial things in properly. MC carts that are low compliance and on the heavy side will see a greater benefit from 850's knife edge bearings, both are well made but 850 seems to be designed for MC carts. |
Jelco's are well made plus very versatile judging by the cart/head-shell combinations people report using that replacing it without making a lateral move is going to be difficult. Osage Audio sells Sorane with recommendation for medium to low compliance carts but spindle to pivot distance does not match 240mm. @noromance I would be interested in your opinion or review of a 750 with Ammonite mounting collar if you ever have to switch back over to your 750. |
@jeffrey75 I have a 750L 12" with Ammonite collar and Expressimo brass stub and counterweight on a Garrard 401. Not much to say other than it’s great. It’s not as good as the 850 though. I will say that the better the turntable, the better the arm performs. In other words, the 750 and more specifically, the 850 sounds a lot better on my higher spec main 401 than on my second 401. |
