Yep John, the Decca/London’s lack of a cantilever is definitely a major contributing factor to it’s unique sound. I’m about to mount mine on the Zeta I just acquired, an arm reputed to be a great match with the Decca/London. Not as high mass as the FR’s (they actually possess too much mass for the cartridge, pushing the resonant frequency lower than optimum), but with a very stiff tube and great bearings, which the Decca/London’s require.
Why will no other Tonearm beat the FR-66s?
Having owned many very good Arms in my audiophile life I am still wondering why not one of the modern designs of the last 20 years is able to beat the sound qualities of the Fidelity Research FR-66s.
New designs may offer some advantages like azimuth on the fly, better matching to the majority of Turntables etc. but regarding the sound quality the FR-66s is unbeatable!
Prices in the second hand market are $8k-$15K, depending on History, finish, full box....
What is the real reason behind this as the Arm is 20+ years old, including the shorter version, the FR-64s?
New designs may offer some advantages like azimuth on the fly, better matching to the majority of Turntables etc. but regarding the sound quality the FR-66s is unbeatable!
Prices in the second hand market are $8k-$15K, depending on History, finish, full box....
What is the real reason behind this as the Arm is 20+ years old, including the shorter version, the FR-64s?