Looking for some turntable/tonearm/cartridge guidance

Get the Moerch if the price is affordable for you. The Hana ML is a very good choice!

I don't know what additional armtubes for the DP-6 cost, but I do know they can be changed to suit mass requirements. Could be a fun experiment :)

Hi coreyt,

The Moerch is one of the worst tonearms made. You are far better off with the Technoarm 2. If that is not available get a Rega RB3000. It is very similar to the Technoarm and will handle the Hana beautifully. The Moerch fails because it is a unipivot and it is way to flexible. To work well a tonearm has to be firmly trapped in 2 dimensions, the horizontal and the vertical. It has to be very stiff to absorb the vibration coming from the cartridge and not reflect it back. Both the Technoarm and the RB3000 meet these requirements. 

@coreyt - take a look at audiomods arms - thay are extremely well made and performance is excellent - probably the last arm you will ever buy

www.audiomods.co.uk

I’ve had my Series III since 2007 and it still amazes me, but the newer audiomods are even better.

Send Jeff at audiomods an email about your setup adn he will probably be able to tailor one to fit

Regards - Steve

@mijostyn I was looking at the RB3000 recently, unfortunately I can't find an armboard for the turntable for Rega. This turntable has been a pain to finish actually. I've had it since August, but there are no Rega armboards anywhere, same with the Michell arms. I have one on order from the US distributor directly, but it's just dragging on and on. I have an SME armboard, but newer SME arms are well out of my price range right now, and the 3009s seem to be not so great based on reviews. Though at this point, "not so great" is better than nothing maybe.

@williewonka I looked into the Series Six a while back, but after emailing they never responded about what kind of armboard I'd need to mount on the Gyro. Googling I haven't found anything. 

I am not familiar with Michell TT s, but what is so special about the arm board that prevents you from finding a machinist who could make one to your specs? It’s probably just a matter of drilling a hole in the right location on a blank arm board.

Also, check spindle to pivot distance for the arm you want to use vs P2S for the available arm boards. You might luck out and find that one of them is actually useable with your chosen tonearm.

@lewm I had a similar thought, but this table is a floating suspension type. The armboard is pretty much just a ring with 3 holes to mount it to the floating plinth. I just have no idea how I would know what needs to be in place for a Rega arm to mount to something. Then the weight is specific too from my understanding of the board. Basically if someone had a diagram of what to make I'd definitely look into finding someone to make one out of wood/metal/acrylic. Nothing comes up when I look though.

@coreyt ​​@lewm has exactly the right idea. I had a close look at your turntable. The Michell arm and the RB3000 are VERY similar. I bet they both have the same spindle to pivot distance which is 222 mm. Making an arm board is child's play if you have the right tools. I assume an arm board came with the turntable? It would help to have one to use as a template. Also you need to check if you can get a blank arm board. Then, all you need to do is drill it. If you need help message me.

@coreyt I also have a Gyrodec SE and enjoy it very much. My current tonearm is a  SME M2 9R that i purchased from  www.smetonearms.com. This might be an option for you as you already have a SME armboard. Alfred was a pleasure to work with, if wish, he'll also rewire the tonearm and upgrade bearings.

I've still got my original TecnoArm on the shelf, I should probably do something with that.

I have a Gyro Se with a Moerch DP6 and a Hana Umami Red.

Prior to the Moerch, I was using a modified/upgraded RB300( rewired vta adjuster tear drop counter weight)

The Moerch is a huge upgrade, as it should be, considering cost

Coreyt,

Morch DP-6 is not unipivot. It is an awesome arm. In a wrestling match against SME V, it would likely end up with a broken limb, but if you prefer a set and forget approach, it plays beautiful music. Also, it is spectacularly beautiful and it would look amazing with a Gyro SE.

lectronjh50

I stand corrected The Moerch is not a unipivot. It is still a vey thin flexy arm and modern tonearm thinking supports making the arm tubes as stiff as you can within reason. This is why you see so many conical arm tubes and carbon fiber ones

@coreyt , You buy tonearms to play records not look at. The RB 3000 and Michell Arms may not be as sexy, but they are far better arms. 

\

@mijostyn Don't get me wrong, I'd much prefer the TecnoArm, or pretty much any Rega arm. The Moerch came up on eBay with the armboard for my turntable. I'm coming up on 6 months of having a turntable with no tonearm. I'm getting desperate to finish the thing so I can finally use it. I'm going to skip the Moerch, and hold out for the TecnoArm. Maybe I'll luck out and it'll finally ship this week haha. 
If this goes on much longer, I'll just find a cheap SME 3009 S2 on eBay and mount that I guess. 

@coreyt , I know how you feel. I wound up selling my old turntable not realizing how long it was going to take to get the new one, vinyl withdrawal. The Gyro SE is a fine turntable deserving of a great tonearm design and the Techno arm tics all the important boxes. Hang in there. The wait will be worth it.