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replacing tonearm question?

Hey,
I have a VPI HW-19 MK4 which I love dearly. My existing Sumiko FT-3 tonearm is 20 years old and on its last legs and I want to replace it with a Jelco 750 or 850. Both arms are 9". Would I have to have a new armboard made and drill new holes? Or could I use the existing armboard and hole and just drill new screws? I know I'd havr to factor in the tonearm radius and all the millimeter differences.

I've never done this before so please excuse my ignorance on this.
simao

Showing 5 responses by noromance

noromance's avatar
noromance
10,054 posts
 
That is not what I said or implied. Some false equivalence in your example. My argument is that at 25mg, the amount of friction ceases to be a primary concern. Stability and control of resonance is also important. It should also be noted that these Jelco arms are relatively inexpensive so the value-performance ratio is high.
noromance's avatar
noromance
10,054 posts
 
@best-groove  In much the same way a 1% THD tube amp sounds better than a 0.05% THD solid state amp, the friction measurements are so low as to not matter. What does matter is how it sounds. The Jelco 850 is radically different from the other gimbal bearing models in that it uses a hardened precision knife edge. My Jelco 750 bested the Sumiko and the 850 is far better than the 750.
noromance's avatar
noromance
10,054 posts
 
@simao Are you up and running yet? How goes it?
noromance's avatar
noromance
10,054 posts
 
@best-groove The Jelco 850 is a different design and is far better than the old Sumiko arm.
noromance's avatar
noromance
10,054 posts
 
If you are going the Jelco route, get the 850. It is far better for not much more money.
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