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Tonearm suggestions for Denon DP

sinnerboy

sinnerboy

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
I'm putting together a turntable using a Denon DP-6000 or 3000 drive unit. After perusing the DP-80/75 owners thread, I began searching for a tonearm. Finding vintage tonearms (SME, Victor, Jelco, Technics, etc) appears to be difficult. I'm just not seeing much available here in the US. Japan has almost anything you want, but I would rather not go overseas (not sure why, maybe I should). Anyway, are there any recommendations for perhaps a new tonearm in the $500 to $700 range that would be worth considering, and where would one source them? I've seen some Rega tonearms at Audio Advisor, just not sure what other options would be out there. Maybe I just need to set up sniffers and be patient....
 
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Hi, The 1st question you need to ask is what cart do you want to use, as the compliance of the cartridge will dictate what arm will be suitable. Also if you cart has an exotic stylus (not conical or elliptical) you will need the ability to move the arm vertically to align the cartridge SRA correctly.
However getting a T/T without a plinth you can mount the arm on an arm pod & get maximum isolation from any motor noise, like this one

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184659713732?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Why do you not want to buy outside the States, after all the Denon was built in Japan, there is this one currently on E/Bay, maybe worth a look

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Denon-DP-6000-Turntable/203264132839?hash=item2f537c86e7:g:etEAAOSwkYpfvZXH

Cheers
 
Compliance is something I need to consider. I'm coming from a DP-47f in which compliance isn't that big of an issue. The carts I currently have are mid-high compliance, AT OC/iii and AT 15SS. I guess there is no reason to not buy from Japan, I was just concerned about any follow up if needed. But many of the vendors have great feedback, so maybe that's not an issue. I do have my eye on that DP-6000, it's 120v as well where as most are 100v. Using a transformer is not a huge issue in the grand scheme of things, but not having to use one is a bonus. Thanks for the replies
 
I’ve purchased many items from Japan, no issues at all....make sure you try an offer first.

Used tonearms in that budget range can be very good.

Good Hunting,
Andy
 
There are several tonearm in that price range that are close to Ref level if bought 2nd hand. Hadcock 242, Audiomods 5 & TemmadAudio Warlock 12'' arm.
All can also be improved by wiring with the top of the line VDH wire, about $120 DIY (people rewire their SME V's with this wire) The Hadcock & Warlock are simple to rewire the Audiomod not so simple.
Which arm you choose will depend on your cart choice the Hadcock - high compliance, Audiomod's Medium compliance, Warlock medium, but also change the head-shell & it is suitable for a low compliance.

Cheers
 
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Putting a Tonearm like that used on the Technics SL D30, on the Denon is like putting thin cross ply tires on a turbo charges car. The Technics decks normally sell S/H on E/bay for around $75!!

The tone arm is critical to a cartridges performance & I believe should be a least the same cost or even cost more than the cart itself.
But the good thing is most people can buy good S/H tonearms in good condition, it is normally a lot safer buying a S/H tone arm than a S/H cartridge.

Cheers
 
When it comes to the price range of $500 to $700 for new there are not a lot of choices, especially since Jelco has left the market. Rega has arms within that price range. Perhaps Origin Live also. Audiomods may have a kit you can assemble that would hit your budget if you have that ability.

There are some Chinese manufacturers that look to make some interesting arms that are new.

They call this one a tone arm lifter...but it is a complete arm.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1set-EIZZ-...table-DISC-Vinyl-Audio-HiFi-DIY/193239467338?

A linear tracker

https://www.ebay.com/itm/linear-tra...5d004ef:g:PDcAAOSwIblfS7lN&LH_ItemCondition=3

a bit over budget but interesting

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Jasmine-JS-TA240-10-Dynamic-Balance-Tonearm/333184621147?hash=item4d9359da5b:g:RlAAAOSw9Gdcz7Vm&LH_ItemCondition=3

New limits you quite a bit. If you did go to the used market there are many classic Japanese arms that can be had for below your budget, and some very very nice ones at the upper end of your budget. You could look for arms from Acos, Audiocraft, Denon, JVC, Fidelity Research...just to name a few.
 
I would look on the Japan Yahoo Buyee site for a good used tonearm. I like the Victor (JVC) UA-7045 (10") and UA-7082 (12") models myself. One of the easiest arms to dial in with both VTA and anti skate on the fly.
Bottom line is you need to decide on the cartridges you want to use first, than look for an appropriate arm.

BillWojo
 
The OP mentioned new because, according to him, finding vintage is “difficult”....


Another option is to run a WTB in BarterTown, you’ll probably be surprised at the response.

VR
Andy
 
thanks for all the comments. I'm certainly not only looking at new, my initial concern was most vintage tonearms were in Japan, but maybe that's not as much of a concern as I initially thought. Posting in Bartertown is a good idea....
 
Again I caution, even today I had another example of a person not matching there arm to the cartridge The contributor advised that a Ortofon MC25FL (medium compliance cart suitable for arms with an Eff Mass of 16 - 22 grams) was a great match for an SME 3009 MKIII (very low mass arm 5 grams). However the resonant frequency of the pair is about 16 - 18 hz, right off the charts!!. (flapping sub cones)
So before plunging into getting an arm you need to fugue out what type of cartridge you are going to use.

Cheers
 
tabarddn51 said:
Again I caution, even today I had another example of a person not matching there arm to the cartridge The contributor advised that a Ortofon MC25FL (medium compliance cart suitable for arms with an Eff Mass of 16 - 22 grams) was a great match for an SME 3009 MKIII (very low mass arm 5 grams). However the resonant frequency of the pair is about 16 - 18 hz, right off the charts!!. (flapping sub cones)
So before plunging into getting an arm you need to fugue out what type of cartridge you are going to use.

Cheers
Click to expand...

Thanks, as I mentioned before, I'm using an Audio Technica AT-OC9/iii (high compliance) and an AT-15SS (mid to high??).
 
sinnerboy said:
Thanks, as I mentioned before, I'm using an Audio Technica AT-OC9/iii (high compliance) and an AT-15SS (mid to high??).
Click to expand...

The Japanese cartridges are a bit hard to pin down on exact compliance. They test at 100 Hz versus 10 Hz that many European and American cartridge manufacturers used. Cartridge designers also say that there is not an easy 1 to 1 conversion of compliance numbers from 100 to 10 Hz, but the best approximation is to use a multiplier of 1.5 or 1.6 to get a conversion.

I have used several of the Audio Technica cartridges on various arms, including the OC 9 III. I found it to behave more like a medium compliance cartridge, perhaps a bit more compliant than a middle of the road one, but not significantly different. It can be used on typical mid mass arms like the Rega, SME M2-9 or 309, on Audiomod arms, Origin Live arms, and a number of vintage arms. I had mine on an Acos GST802 with a light head shell. I also had it on an Eminent Technology II linear tracking air bearing arm with great success. I am not doing any calculations here, but I suspect if you keep your arm within 8 to 16 grams effective mass you would be just fine.
 
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