Jelco tonearm for Colibri Gold LW cartridge

No, definitely not the ideal arm for the VDH Colibri LW. Try a high quality tonearm with a lower effective mass. We use a Colibri XGM (Gold coil/metal body) with a weight of 7 grams and the same static compliance of 35 Micron/mN mated to a tonearm having an effective mass of 12 grams. Even this arm has proven to be slightly heavier than ideal for the Colibri and as a result, does not track as well as it should. The exacting nature of the Colibri demands you use an appropriate high quality tonearm with initial setup being absolutely critical in order to reap the benefits of this special cartridge. The Colibri has proven itself to be the most demanding cartridge we have used in terms of initial setup and proper alignment parameters.

"Actually the masses of the cartridge and tonearm are both critical.

Their combined mass, in conjunction with the cartridge's compliance, determine the resonance frequency which in turn affects overall performance."

Agreed, that is absolutely correct.

Yes, 9.5 grams would be a better match, however I would stretch the budget a little and go with a SME 309. The Colibri ideally should be used with the highest quality arm possible.

Stanwal, VDH compliance rating is a bit unusual, they express compliance specification in static compliance (Micron/mN) instead of dynamic compliance (cm/dyne) like most mfg's. So, in more typical stated dynamic lateral compliance terms it is more like 18cu. (approx.) even this figure is subject to scrutiny as each Colibri is hand built and as a result these specs may vary slightly from cartridge to cartridge. Not to mention the fact that this compliance figure may not reflect a typical 100Hz measurement. The poster could possibly contact VDH directly with his cartridge serial number though to try and verify compliance stated in dynamic terms.

The stated 3.5grams total effective mass for the Ortofon TA-110 is not correct, it is more like 19g. You are quoting the mass for the arm minus headshell, which is rather heavy at roughly 16g +/-.5g. All current Ortofon arms are much heavier than ideal for the Colibri LW in terms of total effective mass. Better to stick with a used 9g effective mass SME 309 or 9.5g effective mass SME M2-9.

Another odd note pertaining to VDH's charted Colibri specifications is that they do not state what frequency the static compliance measurement pertains to. Most mfg's would state @ 100Hz or 10Hz.

Audiofeil, makes a valid point, you can always move towards another cartridge. The Colibri's can be rather challenging with arm/setup parameters and with so many other viable cartridge options available you need not limit yourself to this one model.