Victor UA-7082 Arm OR Micro Seiki MA505L ...? (both fit my existing alternate 270mm hole)

Personal Experiences:

Part of a smashed kit I bought and returned: It had a UA-7045 with a bad grommet, took it apart, measured, found rubber stepped washer fix at home depot, but returned the smashed kit, never installed/used it. I would use my AT headshell with adjustable azimuth if needed, the MA505L armtube fitting is itself adjustable for azimuth

I installed a pair of MA505's long and short for a friend, took them apart, set them up, played them, I like everything about them. 

Many of us are aware it is the Victor 7045 and 7082 arms that have a rubber grommet, like the SME 3009 3012 arms, that isolates the rear counterweight section from behind the bearing and forward parts of the arm, and they deteriorate. SME’s concealed long tube grommet age and rot, I replaced mine with OEM part, but are harder to see, the Victor stepped grommet weakens, tears, Sag is obvious, perhaps even beneficial for a time as lewm mentions, until it further deteriorates.

My post: Victor UA-7082 Arm (good grommet)

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Aside from that, what choice would you make?

I like them both, but never installed or used the Victor Arm like I have the Micro Seiki on my friend’s Luxman PD444

Without paying too much attention, my choices, I have never had resonance issues.

I will rotate several existing and future cartridges, light tracking preferred:

all at 1.25g.

AT160ML Microline/Beryllium (2nd one arrived yesterday); Shure V15Vxbody/Jico SAS/Boron; Shure 97X both OEM elliptical/aluminum and advanced stylus/boron from VAS; AT440ml Microline/Tapered Aluminum; ATTR485U Shibata, AT14Sa shibata/tapered aluminum:

at 1.5g

Grado Mono Elliptical/aluminum

my heavy trackers at 2.0g.

Sumiko Talisman S Van den Hull Line Contact on sapphire tube, AT33PTG/II Stereo MicroLinear on Boron; AT33PTG/II Mono advanced stylus/boron from VAS:

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adjusting these two arm choices on the Fly.

Not having mounted/used it, that is my open question on the Victor 7082, is it smooth enough to adjust height while playing. Does it unlock/lock smoothly and firmly, while playing. Adjust tracking force and anti-skate during play?

I unlock and change the Acos Lustre GST-801 arm height during play without hesitation, it is the smoothest height mechanism I ever used, I wish Acos Lustre made a long version.

I find the Micro Seiki is not as smooth, harder to have confidence it it being secure, so I lift the arm, release the lock, make an adjustment, lower the arm: both quick and easy, but not during play.

My friend’s Technics EPA-BP500 Base is easy, you simply turn it’s big base ring, no lock/unlock needed, but I am left handed, need to use my right hand, so I lift his arm, make an adjustment, lower the arm.

I have adjusted both tracking force and anti-skate on the Micro Seiki 505 while playing, not the Acos Lustre or Technics

It's not a fetish to ask people for their experiences, and IF it is smooth enough, it is a tremendous feature/asset. I just want to know what others here have found.

I am asking if anyone has personal experience with either of these 2 arms, and letting you know what my experiences with the few arms I have messed with.

does the Victor arm height mechanism feel secure when you lock it? has anyone found they can adjust tracking and/or anti-skate during play?

OK, seems nobody currently using these two arms.

maybe a different approach:

What Long Arm with Removable Headshell can you recommend?

on the fly not needed, but easy height adjustment desired.

Bought this JVC Victor UA-7082 for $758. New Rubber Grommet. all misc parts, 60 day return.

was OEM Long Arm Option back when my TT81 was new, fits my existing alternate 270mm hole. Height is good (my Blackbird needs a spacer due to the TT81's wide/thick tapered rim design).

Victor's armtube headshell fitting is not azimuth adjustable like many Micro Seiki models are. I'll use my Pat's, or my Audio Technica Headshells with azimuth adjustment.

I just got two of them with the used AT150e and 160ml cartridge bodys I just bought (both with used ATN160ml stylus with beryllium cantilevers),

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My NewArtVinyl Blackbird 12.5 Arm is fixed cartridge and is giving me trouble. I am a firm practitioner of properly set anti-skate for fidelity, balanced l/c/r imaging, improved contact surface area while preventing/reducing uneven stylus/groove wear.

My Blackbird's original delicate Litz wire's silk insulation was damaged by movement against the sharp edge of the hole it passes thru in the arm base (design flaw). they now make it with an integral 5 pin din connector (above the plinth).

Litz Wire Fun

VAS re-wired it, BUT they put a protective sleeve that is too stiff, I am unable to get a full arc of free movement without a speck of tonearm wire resistance, or set anti-skate reliably.

After I mount the UA-7082, I will widen/round the edges of the Blackbird plate's hole, and remove the stiff protective sleeve on the wires, which will hopefully allow free movement for anti-skate forces to be accurately set. 

I did not need to mess with my friend's  MA-505 or 505L counterweight section

a thin gasket that could deteriorate is seen here

I took a defective Victor UA-7045 apart, measured, found a solution in Home Depot plumbing dept, gathered new and old info here in 2020

bad victor gasket discussion here

the Victor Gasket is a stepped design, the front portion is smaller diameter and is drawn inside the end of the forward tube, the rear portion is the same diameter as the tube and is seen separating the rear counterweight tube from the front main arm tube

the Victor Arms gasket definitely deteriorate, the one I bought seems to have been renewed, but until I take it apart, I cannot be sure. There is a brass piece within that prevents rotation while tightening, I will verify it's condition

many photos of victor gasket problem here

I found my measurements of the Victor concealed brass piece and measurements of the gasket I found at home depot

I will take the 7082 I just bought apart when I receive it, go again to Home Depot, find the part number, take pics, measure the inside diameter this time.

lewm,

you are the reason I will take it apart and go find a washer that works and make a note of the part number when I do. Arm is about to ship from Japan.

I'm hoping everything is good inside, won't know till I take it apart. If not I have 60 days to return it.

Disappointedly, my early model Blackbird Arm post is not as tight a fit in it’s arm base tube as Thorens or SME precision. I had NewArtVinyl add a 2nd allen head set screw (current production change along with the 5 pin din connector so you don’t need to terminate the silk covered Litz wires yourself like I did),

I need to loosen two set screws, adjust the height up/dn, tighten two set screws; definitely not ’on the fly’. but their micrometer method provides for ’precise’ up/dn

you put something between the plinth and the micrometer’s tip so the arm stays where it is when it’s set screws are loose, then turn the micrometer for up or dn: not easier, but more precise than any arm I have adjusted. You can record the micrometer’s settings if you want to recover prior determined positioning.

lewm, others

Look what I just found, I forgot this discussion I had started in 2019 when the 1st 7082 was on it’s way (it arrived damaged, I returned it for a full refund).

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/cartridge-compliance-try-what-in-my-jvc-ua-7082-arm

lewm

I find it humorous when a google search finds something I created that I had completely forgotten about, a chuckle, then I forget again. I didn't read it yet, just wondered if you remembered it, maybe something useful there.