Tonearm/Cartridge Upgrade

I have a VPImk4 with the VPI JMW Memorial tonearm and a Benz Glider cartridge and it sounds fantastic. The JMW tonearm was the best upgrade I ever made to my entire system, and I have made a lot of upgrades over the years. Good luck and have fun!

Slowhand, did you compare any other arm/cartridge combinations before buying? I see many posts and periodical reviews with the JMW listed. This leads me to know that the arm is a quality product in addition to my enjoyment of my VPI TT. I appreciate your post I am continuimg to hope for additional posts. Thanks Doug

graham has 2 "new" arms you should try, depending on your budget. the first is the 2.2, an upgraded 2.0. the second is the robin, whch should retail for around $800. not sure when either will be shipping. aj conti of basis also has a new arm with a silicon "bath," sorta like the kuzma. again, not sure when it will ship. if you're interested in any of these, contact misicalsurroundings.com. no, i am not afilliated with musical surroudings, tho i do know its principal, garth leerer. i did listen to all of these products, save the robin, at ces and was mighty impressed.

i haven't a-b'd this w/the higher-priced stuff, but i believe that the origin-live modified rega rb-250 is a great arm, especially for the money. o-l modifies *all* the rega arms, but they say the lowly 250 turns out at the top of the heap - even better than their modded rb900 - due to its differing bearing-mount scheme. as the stock rb900 is highly rated, how can ya go wrong? i got mine, fully tricked-out, w/an o-l vta mounting base from stoneaudio-uk, for ~$400, delivered to maryland. no bragging rights about yer super-spendy tonearm, tho... ;~)

Had an Eminent Technology model 2 air bearing arm back in the day with silicon damping. Magic with the VPI! Try Larry at Hollywood Sound (hwdsound)he's THE analog guy.

Thanks for the responses. I am in the Chicago area and a local dealer recommended a Dynavector arm have any of you had any experience/knowledge of this arm? I've never heard of it. Sedond, how can I get info on the O-L arms? Cornfed, do you know if Graham plans to upgrade the 2.0 to 2.2? Agaain, Thanks, Doug

I would second Sedond's endorsement of the O.L. modded RB-250. The site is www.originlive.com for info on all O.L. products. I believe the site that he did business with is www.stoneaudio.co.uk. I'd recommend pairing the arm with a Denon DL-103 with an elliptical stylus (if you can find one) or a DL-304 (if your phono stage can handle a very low-output coil (0.18mV). Best of Luck! -John

Hello, I have the OL RB 250 paired with the Dyna Karat 17 MKII. The results have been very satisfying. Mark at Origin Live was very helpful and delivery was warp speed. I ordered a tt from the east coast (I'm on the west coast) and the arm at the same time and the arm arrived a week ahead of the tt. With that said I'm wondering if anyone has mounted a really hi-end cartridge to the arm and what the results were. I'm thinking in terms of a Koetsu, Benz Ruby etc. Mark at OL states that he mounted a Koetsu and the results were very good. thanks

I have exactly a VPI 19 Mk-IV fitted with a OL-RB250 and a VPI/VTA with all the mods purchased directly from Origin Live in the UK. Cartridge used is a Dynavector DV10X4-II also purchased from OL. The exchange was favourable to the US$ and save about 30% if I would purchased here!! I am very happy with this setup and get terrific sound! You will need to spend a "lot" more money to improve on this combo...Alex.

Doug,
If I was you I would get the JMW-10. I have a Graham but I heard the JMW and I really liked it. If you can get a good price I would go for it.

Another arm that is frequently overlooked is the Immedia RPM-2. It is a very synergisitc match with the VPI products. For information, go to the Immedia website at www.immediasound.com