Looking for Tonearm Advice/Suggestions

This is a belated thank you for these suggestions. Some good items for me to research.

@puppyt 

@andrehighend 

Well said!

@williewonka/Steve

Really appreciate this idea. I will definitely drop Jeff a note. Thank you very much!

Steve thank you again. This is great stuff.

@puppyt 

I really appreciate all of the suggestions and commentary; this is extremely helpful. I ended up getting the Kuzma 4Point9 paired with my existing Lyra Delos.I haven’t been able to put in a lot of listening hours yet but so far, to my ears, it sounds a little harsh. I’m not really conversant in all of the audiophile terminology but I would say it is revealing, maybe too much so. It seems like everything is pushed forward a bit. Not sure how to describe it. Can a tonearm be “bright” or “warm”? I do suffer from tinnitus and since introducing this tonearm it seems to have ramped up more than normal while listening.

@pindac 

Thanks for these thoughts. I definitely prefer a richer/warmer tone and the thought did cross my mind about changing tubes on the Chinook. Pardon my ignorance though, what is SUT?

@pindac 

Thank you. Very interesting. Much appreciated.

@lewm 

Thanks for this explanation. I had never heard the term “SUT” until @pindac mentioned it. I’m glad to learn about it and even more appreciative that you suggest it is not something I need. The good news is I don’t have to keep this tonearm and can return it if needed. I just need to figure out whether or not I can correct the issues I am hearing or whether I need to start over with either the tonearm, the cartridge or both. Your thoughts and those of others are very helpful in this process. 

I do have a general question for you and others. I know speakers and amplifiers have a “sound”. I am very partial to the Dynaudio sound in speakers and I have become a fan of tube amplification. To my ears the combination has provided a warmer, richer sound. I know there is a point at which the pursuit of “warmth” can overwhelm what I would term “clarity” or maybe the term is “accuracy”. I don’t think I have done that so far at least not to my ears. Up to this point every piece I have added has peeled back a layer of the onion without causing fatigue. So my general question is this, do cartridges and tonearms have a signature sound like speakers and amps have or do they simply reveal more as you move up to more expensive and expertly designed models?

@rauliruegas 

Thank you for your perspective. Much appreciated

@sounds_real_audio 

I’m curious, what speakers or speaker brands do you characterize as tube friendly?

@sounds_real_audio 

Also, the Contour S 3.4LE is a 4 ohm speaker is it not?

@sounds_real_audio 

Thank you very much. 

I really appreciate everyone’s commentary. Even when opinions and suggestions wildly diverge I find them very interesting and helpful.