I have the Graham Phantom. It is the best arm I've ever had. Very adjustable. The SME 5 is a good one. It will be hard to beat, though a Phantom II or the Kuzma would be ones to try. A friend has recently gotten a Kuzma, but I haven't heard it yet. He likes his Kuzma better than the Graham, though I imagine that they would be close.
What Does It Take To Surpass A SME V?
Thinking about the possibility of searching for a new tonearm. The table is a SOTA Cosmos Eclipse. Cartridge currently in use is a Transfiguration Audio Proteus, and it also looks like I will also have an Ortofon Verismo if a diamond replacement occurs without incident.
The V is an early generation one but in good condition with no issues. Some folks never thought highly of the arm, others thought it quite capable. So it's a bit decisive.
The replacement has to be 9 to 10.5 inches. I have wondered if Origin Live is worth exploring? Perhaps a generation old Triplanar from the pre owned market?
Any thoughts on what are viable choices?