Refurbish Fidelity Research Tonearms

Dear @dover : As you and other gentlemans, years ago , I used too ( SME IV/V, FR and Ikeda tonearms. ) the VTF set up 50%-50% and sounds good but at the end and through my several tests experienses with all those tonearms the best quality sound performance appears using 100% static VTF set up.

The " best spring is no spring " specially in this application. Even at 50% that spring resonates, as you said is inherent on it.

I made tests too in my other two dynamic balanced designs: MAX282/GST-801. These ones usus no spring for that function so resonances about is not a problem but even that fact I decided to use those tonearms in static balance due that in this way the counteweigth is near the tonearm fulcrim/ bearings and gives not only better control to the tonearm work but seems to me that puts less stress to the bearings closer than far-away from there.

Obviously each one of us choose the best trade-offs to be nearest to our priorities/targets.

R.

Dear @karl_desch  : I agree with you. Thank's for the answer.

R.

Dear @karl_desch  : ""  to not alter a classic. 

I respect your opinion but in the best way could be a " non-sense classic ".


"""   improving the performance of an excellent design ..."""

Well I can see that links in this thread you not read it yet or have a misunderstood about.
. In those links even Mr. Ikeda and his people that worked in the manufacturer all says that that " excellent desing " you mentioned is not true for them, he has a different preferent  self design but not this.

So, I think you are spreading just a " rumor " where even the designer him self: disagree.

False rumors as these is what develops " no sense false classics ".

R.

Well me neither but always that I participate with him in any thread his no-sense " crash " answers are exactly the same and not only with me: in this thread we can read his responses to chakster. Maybe need a " refurbished brain ", who knows but exist a problem down there.

Yes to his " crash " kind of answers I just make the same, no one else gives him that kind of answer because does not really " knows " him like me. So self defense and nothing more because I have nothing and I mean it against him.

R.

syntax, as almost always totally wrong but that's not my problem. You can't hit me so frustration is your self game, sorry.

R.

Dear friends: For those almost " no sense " fanatic ( in good shape ) of the 66/64 you have to take in count that of both units the 66 is the worst one.

Maybe some of you could ask why bougth I the 64 if I already knew the S tonearms problems?..

First that the 64 came to me I sold my 66 and time latter I bougth through ebay a second hand  Luxman TT that I was looking for. When I received the TTthe 64S came with but the seller does not write in the Luxman description auction, so was a surprise to me..

Anyway like Mr. Ikeda I learned.

" high-end " audio is full of subjectivity and there is no way to argue against it. As a fact I'm not totally against subjectivity but time to time I like to be sure I'm standing in a secure/bulletproof floor and that's all.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

Dear @syntax : """ For some it may important to quote wisdoms from a Designer but i am not interested what they say...........

The worst sounding preamps i ever listened to came from Lyra … so each his own. """

May I ask what’s your problem? have you asked by your self who really are you in the audio world?

For the gentlemans/audiophiles that know the long @jcarr history and his audio contributions he does not needs a defend about your opinion in the Lyra Phono stage.

First no one in the thread touched the words " phono stage " ( yes any one is free to post anything. ) so was unnecessary that kind of statement that I know you did it because ( almost always when something does not like to you. ) you must " crash " the opinion of that gentleman. This is your style.

Now, JC is co-designer of that active high gain SS phono stage and I can tell you that several true experts audiophiles die for it and I can tell you too that outperforms very easy your really bad tube French old design copy you own.

You can name it any vintage or today cartridge and you can be sure that JC owned or still own. He owns too several TT and one of them is the top Micro Seiki not the bs you own and I owned. He owns too any tonearm you can name including the FR64S and is close friend for years of Isamu Ikeda. Remember that as a cartridge designer he needs to voice their top designs in different systems and he is trully a professional about.
That you don’t care what JC said on an audio topic is your problem ( your words. ) and no one else.

Dear friends here you can confirm what I posted:

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/fidelity-research-cartridges/post?postid=367517#367517

Here when he voiced the Titan i using ( between others. ) the FR64S and his comments on the 345::

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/fidelity-research-cartridges/post?postid=367521#367521


Here you can read more about and here you can read that Mr. Ikeda preference of tonearm is not the 64/66. Read too how he damped his other tonearms but the 64/66, as JC pointed out: he learned:


https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/fidelity-research-cartridges/post?postid=367539#367539


One man’s ceiling is another man’s floor …Or just being a pretentious ignorant?

One additional problem for the cartridges mounted in the 64/66 is that heavy mass that at the end it’s its inertia moment and during playback that heavy mass: from counterweigth to headshell is on movement and this dynamic mass is seen by the cartridge going in additional degradation other that the design is non damped one develops of high distortions.

Anyway, as syntax likes to say: not my problem. As JC I still own the 64 that I don’t use and years ago I sold my 66 that I bougth in new condition.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

Dear @edgewear : I think that an advancenment in cartridge design is what we can read here, I have not the opportunity to listen to it:

https://www.x-quisite.ch/technology

About tonearms I owned your Audiocraft AC-4400 with 3 different arm wands and all options on counterweigths and even its removable headshell. Audiocraft still is a very well regarded manufacturer where its cartridges are really good ones an its SUPs too as TS-20, I still own the 
T-26.

In my opinion the best vintage tonearm is the MAX-282 that I owned with all its options including 4 different arm wands. In reality this Micro Seiki tonearm design was way a head years of its time. Even today it's very hard to beat it.

Btw, from some years now the fashion with tonearms is to go for 12" and even 14" whith not real advantage over the shorter ones that have true advantages over the long ones. In the past happens almost the same with the 66 or the SAEC and many other. If you still own the 66 and 64 it's to take in count that the quality level performance is a little better in the 64 and the same happens with today tonearms models.

For my Ikeda REX9 the best quality performance was mated with Mission The Mechanic , never really shinned with 12" tonearms.

The OP always diminish my posts similar to hwat I posted here on the 66/64 but the fact that he own 3 Lyra Olympos speaks his total misunderstood in the whole FR issue because that cartridge is a good performer but colored and this fact comes from JC post years ago when he answer a question comparing the Olympos vs his other designs. I had the opportunity to listen the Olympos 3-4 times in different tonearms and if you listen to that cartridge you can confirm its coloration. So that's what he like, that's the kind of distortions that moves his boat and nothing wrong with that due that all these is according each one priorities and very personal.

R.

Dear @edgewear : " Either way I’ve found that static balancing sounds slightly better,...."

I own/owned at least 7 tonearms that were/are balanced design. All of them but 2 use the spring to set up the vtf that always is a resonance source.
This happens with the 66 and 64 ( I still own the 64. ) and the SME IV/V the other 2 balanced tonearm designs that I owned were the MAX 282 ( great really great tonearm ) and the GST 801 that been balanced designs do not use that spring and has not those resonances.

For years I posted that all balanced tonearms vintage or today designs must be used in static way to set up the vtf and it’s not only because that distortion resonance source but because the LPs are not totally flat and is better to use the gravity for handled in better way those waves and the other important issue is that in static way the tonearm will stay nearer to the tonearm pivot given it a better control to horizontal and vertical extremely fast movements demanded for the grooves tracking along those imperfections in the LP as off-center/waves and the like.

So, yes I agree with you.

In the other side around 40grs. of EM in the 66 is not the best for any cartridge because at the end the cartridge cantilever/suspension are looking that dynamic mass during playback.

Any medium mass tonearm can handled any cartridge in way better way than a heavy one as the 66 or 64. Yes, I know that some die for it, good for them.

Btw, for your last post seems to me that you are the other way around from what mijostyn posted and in some ways is true that today analog advancements maybe are not so spectacular over the years against vintage items but in tonearm exist many advancements not only in the use of build materials or pivoted LT designs but today tonearms are best damped than the vintage as the 66S and this is an important issue to achieve better quality levels of LP reproduction.
No I don't think that in the future " things " in analog changes to much due that this alternative is way limited and one way or the other it's at its limit. Anyway we can enjoying it.

.Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.