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Tonearm comparison, Rega vs Zeta, anyone?

Rega RB300 (giant killer) $250 - $400, - - - Zeta tonearm (Giant) $1350 NOS. sold for $800 on US audiomart.

I’m stepping up a level in the cartridge dept, and wonder if the benefits of doing so might be further augmented by stepping up a level in the tonearm dept, and if doing both would make a sonic improvement greater than the sum of it’s parts?

A gain of that level in sonics would make such an expediture intriguing, Eg: 1+1= 3.5. (ajusted to compensate for the law of diminishing returns).

Has anyone out there used "both" an RB300 and a Zeta? And would you feel that moving to a Zeta is closer to a lateral move, or more reflective to an exponential improvement?
My Rega has been rewired with Discovery interconnects, and uses the heavier counterweight.

(Cartridge move is from a Grado Reference Sonata 1, to a Dynavector 20x2 High Output).

thehorn

Showing 2 responses by teo_audio

teo_audio
2,197 posts
 
If you try it and like it, and wish for just a hair more air, tightness, and speed..if you have the original acrylic arm board, switch to an aluminum or metal armboard.
teo_audio
2,197 posts
 
Early Zetas had bearing issues. If it is fine today, it should be fine tomorrow.

It was not all zetas, but a few, and of course it was blown out of proportion. They had excellent bearings with just the right amount of of play and tightness. Which means, depending on how the metals were stressed during cutting, shaping and finishing and usage/application, means they can either go loose -or go tight. IF lucky and well planned, they stay in the zone. EG, all Dual turntables of the 80’s require arm bearing adjustment. All. It was even an instruction set -- in their tech manuals.
Fix the arm bearings according to the manual on a $25 Dual belt/direct drive unit from the 80's.... and you've got  cheap performer - for peanuts.

The Zeta was always an excellent arm. Early Kuzma Stogi’s come in at nearly the same price and play in the same range of quality. A minor mod can make an original Stogi really step up to the plate. The original Stogi was designed principally on an LP12.

Just checked, maybe not.. getting rare and prices are going up.

Zeta it is, if the decision was mine.

We are talking about synergy..and I’ve owned the Delphi, a few times...and had a stogi on it. As well as an early Linn Basik Plus. Knowing the Zeta and what it was generally paired with (low output MC, mid/high mass suspended tables).... the Zeta should work decently on a Delphi.

Results will vary according to human tastes in listening, of course.

Edit: just remembering how the mat and clamp combination on the Delphi has a tendency to slightly over-damped, which darkens and slows things a bit and the high output dynavector should negate some of that, due to how high output coils tend to sound and how they retrieve signal. Might be a very nice combination.

You might find yourself staying there for a while, and not trying to visit anything else.....


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