the perfect tonearm

To Mikeyc8, you may have problems finding what you are looking for such a price in a new arm.

I concur with Dertonarm's recommendation for the Graham 2.2, which is easy to setup and sounds decent. The Triplanars also sound decent, and if you can find either one second-hand and in good condition, I'd go for it.

In a somewhat different direction, you could consider vintage heavyweight arms like the FR-64fx or an IT-245, both of which can sound quite good and don't need to cost a lot of money. Like this:

http://page18.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w37585355

FWIW, the Triplanar and other tonearms that have drop-down headshell sides may have problems with wide-bodied cartridges like the Allearts Formula One. When I was using this particular pair, I had to machine a thick spacer to get the cartridge body to clear the headshell sides. hth

Hi Lew:

>What model of Triplanar have you used that has such a headshell?

For sure mine is not the latest version. My memory is that I started using it around 2000~2001, and had it paired with the Allearts around 2002.

>I have owned mine for more than 15 years, and, altho it is not sitting in front of me at the moment, I could swear that the under-surface of the headshell is a flat plane with no "sides" to it. Moreover, to my knowledge there has been no change to the headshell design in the entire long history of the product.

I'd have to search for where my Triplanar is right now to check the construction details. You may be right that the headshell has no sides. But there was something in my particular Triplanar's headshell structure that impaired its compatibility with the Allearts - that was one of the very, very few times where I was forced to design and machine a part specifically to allow a cartridge to work properly in a tonearm.

>Anyway, the Allaerts cartridges are unusually wide-bodied.

Agreed. But the question is not only how wide, also where the width is located. On some tonearms, towards the rear of the headshell, the connection between the headshell top and rear is reinforced with triangular or curved pieces. A cartridge that is wide-bodied in this area could cause problems, while the same width farther forward may not cause any difficulties.

cheers!

Hi Mikeyc8: Ikeda's tonearms, like the FR's and IT's mostly veer in the direction of high mass, and should work far better with low-compliance cartridges than high-compliance. I'd say that the IT-245 is at least comparable the 64fx, and probably somewhat better. But you do lose the convenience of universal-type headshells. In a universal headshell tonearm, the IT-345 is a more sophisticated design than the 64fx and sounds better, but I don't think you will have much luck finding a second-hand one for sale (which is why I didn't mention it earlier).

>The Micro 505 is also interesting, as it has VTA on the fly I believe.

Note that the 505 was made in straight-tube as well as S-tube variants. I've owned the 505, and I'd say that it has a midrange-oriented, forgiving personality that is quite likeable. But in terms of frequency extension, dynamic range and resolution, it isn't as capable as the 64fx or IT-245. FWIW, FR made an on-the-fly VTA adjustment piece for the 64 and 66 family, which was called the "Arm Elevation Base".

Good luck with your search!