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Tonearms for reference 78 RPM system Technics SP-10R

Seeking some feedback from all of you audio experts on a quandry I'm finding myself in as I build a new reference-level system. I specialize in transfer and restoration of 78 RPM records from the 1920s. While they don't exactly have the frequency range of modern LPs, I'm sure they still benefit from a good system. Assume the rest of my setup is as optimal as it can be with respect to components.

78s require numerous cartridges with swappable stylii in a range from 1.5 to 4 mil. I have a few different carts: Shure M44, Shure M75, Shure V15 mk Vx. They need a medium mass arm and usually track between 2.5 and 4 grams, usually around 3. The stylii are medium to low compliance.

I prefer using a 12" arm or something that mounts far enough away to be able to play 16" records. I also need to be able to adjust the arm height, ideally being able to raise the arm above the spindle to recenter records that are pressed off-center.

I've been debating for the last week what to do about a tonearm. I hate to have to upgrade again someday, but I don't exactly have 10 grand lying around to drop on the best. I could probably do it if I sell of a lot of things and live like a pauper, relatively speaking, for a while. I'm considering the following:

SME 3012-R: Relatively easy to find, medium price ~$2k, would fit on my plinth's armboard without re-drilling holes.
SME 312S: Will need to wait months for one to turn up on the used market or pay a crazy price
Kuzma 4Point 14": Seems like the correct answer, but obscenely expensive at <$10k. 
Kuzma Ref 313: Seems like a nice second-place option
Other Kuzma arms with VTA towers: Mount too closely to play 16" records :'(
Jelco TK750L/850/950: The 750 seems OK but just decent. 850 and 950 pretty hard to find.
TruGlider: Seems somewhat promising, but not sure I'm quite sold.

Seeking opinions on what's the most cost-effective arm solution buck-for-buck for my needs. I've seen others, too, but they haven't made the list. The Kuzmas look great, and I'll have to suck it up when it comes to swapping headshells. A lot of nice arms don't have removable headshells, which is a dealbreaker. The Kuzma you can at least swap them out but need to unplug and replug leads. Thanks!
mke246

Showing 4 responses by mke246

mke246 OP
30 posts
 
Thanks! Some more things to think about. I've heard about that Miyajima product. I'm sure it's good at what it's intended to do and has great build quality, but the main practical problem as an archivist is that it only works well if the groove width is exactly 3 mil. If not, you're better off using a cheaper cartridge with a custom stylus that's 2.5 or 3.5 or 4. The best 78 stylii are truncated, too, to eliminate the pickup of noise in the bottom of the groove. A further consideration regarding mono cartridges in general is that surface noise is best removed in stereo before summing to mono, and archival transfers always need to be done in stereo. For casual listening, my preamp Timestep T-03EQ A+ sums to mono.

I hadn't heard about the Fidelity Research, Lustre or Technics arms, and I'll have to give them serious thought. 

Right now, the SME 3012-R seems like a good mixture of flexibility, price, availability in good condition, and performance. But how much better would performace would I be if I stick my neck out and drop $5k-10k on a Kuzma?  It's generally difficult to decide, largely because everyone hears differently and it's hard to figure out the marginal returns of a $2,000 arm vs. a $5,000 arm or even a $10,000 arm.

The FR-64s seems good but a bit quirky and demanding of a certain setup, being heavy. It seems like it has its own sound and isn't the most neutral. 

The Technics EPA-100s sound great overall, but possibly lacking in bass. I saw one reviewer rank it above the SME V, which is a high compliment. Overall, I'm still far from decided...
mke246 OP
30 posts
 
Yes, the RME ADI-2 Pro FS-R AD/DA.

I think the Fidelity-Research FR-64s and Technics EPA-100 mk2 are good recommendations and would work well, but I'm somewhat fixated on the SME 3012-R. There's even a pro version with silver wire that can be had. I haven't seen much bad written about them at all, only that certain very expensive arms may sound marginally better. 

Would the FR-64 and EPA-100 be better than a SME 3012-R with MM cartridges?
mke246 OP
30 posts
 
I ended up going with a Fidelity Research FR-66S. Will be a few months before I'm able to assemble everything, but I think I'm in good shape for tracking at 3-5 grams with low compliance cantilevers. I may have the arm serviced and rewired down the road.  With 78s, it's mostly about the stylii, anyway, I will also be ordering another full complement of truncated stylii for my Shure V15Vx. Thanks for all the input. I ended up going in a different direction than I initially envisioned. I know there are a few detractors of the FR arms (e.g. the talk about vibrations and dampening), but I think the overwhelmingly positive reviews I've read speak for themselves. I may end up picking up an Ortofon cartridge down the road if I decide to dabble in LPs. My preamp allows for cartridge voltage selection, so I don't think I'd need one of those fancy transformers...
mke246 OP
30 posts
 

Still loving my Fidelity Research FR-66S, but my alternative setup with a Dynavector DV-505 is also producing great results. 78s often have high-speed warps, and the Dynavector seems to track them very smoothly, picking up a lot less distortion than the conventional arm. I've been too busy to run fully-controlled experiments, but it's pretty easy to connect the dots in this case.

I responded regarding stylii in the other thread. Record thickness does vary, so it's good to have an arm with adjustable VTA.

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