Jelco Tone Arms

[rbwinterlink]

Good evening all,

A friend of mine just made me aware of the new Jelco arms available. I've tried to do as much research as I could to find some reviews regarding this product. However, I've not been able to find any.

Is anyone on this forum actually using these tone arms and if so what is your opinion? They look really great and easy to set up. It also looks like VTA can be set on the fly. If so this is great. Of course I don't know how medium to high end cartridges would sound in this arm. I also don't know what would be the difference between the 9 and 12 inch arms in regard to how they sound with various cartridges. I was thinking along the lines of the 12 inch Jelco. Can anyone help me here? Thanks much all.

Bob

[Harry_]

You can find a review of the SA750D here http://raindropaudio.com/wp/wp-content/ ... feb-09.pdf

I have a SA750D on my Thorens TD320 deck and I think it's a very nice arm, sounds great and its easy to set-up.
The only "problem" I see with the arm is its high effective mass, it limits the choice of cartridge.


Regards

Harry_

[rynnox]

Hi Harry, I have the same arm as You but have not yet found a good MM cart for it. As I only have MM with my Graham Slee Era Gold it limit the different choices I have.

I also thought it was a medium mass tonarm ?

Do You have any suggestions regarding cart ?

Maybe it´s a good idea to fit a lighter headshell if that´s something that will help ?

By the way I´m also swedish

[Harry_]

Trevligt att se fler svenskar här

I wrote down some suggestions in your thread. The headshell on the jelco arm weights 12gram, so if you get a headshell from a SL1200 (which should be pretty easy) the carts you listed will work better.

Regards

Harry_

[JoeE SP9]

rbwinterlink:
You have a PM.

[rbwinterlink]

Thank you so much for the great information presented here. And thank for the guide to the Jelco review which I was not aware of. Since the better Jelco arm is listed at 18mg effective mass what is one to do regarding picking a mating cartridge? My preference is to go with a MC cartridge and I had be given information about the Zu Audio Denon DL-103. Of course if you can recommend other cartridges I would be pleased to get that guidance. While I am leanig towards a MC I am open to other suggestions please.

Joe E. What is a PM?

Where can ligher head shells be obtained and what are their prices? Finally for now, which cable would you recommend? By the way, can someone explain to me how the head shell can have an effective mass that is over a quarter of the entire tone arm?

I listen mostly to modern jazz and classical music. My preferences are small and large scale choral works and orchestral pieces. I love small groups and large orchestras that play great jazz.

I love a sound that is expansive with lots of inner detail with great highs and lows. Thanks again and keep the feedback coming because I really need the guidance. And if you know of any other reviews I would love to hear about them.

Bob

[AudioSoul]

I have a Jelco 10.5" "S" shaped arm that has silicone damping that I purchased off of Audiogon from a fella in Australia. It has a effective mass of 18 grams and works well with my Shelter 501mk 2 cart. It is mounted on a VPI HW-19mk2 TT. I am using a VPI SDS and this combo makes beautifull music....

[rbwinterlink]

I have a dear friend who turned me onto my Classe DR-5 pre-amp and Threshold S/300 power amp. I also use a Parasound belt drive CD player and a 10 inch Teac 32-2B reel to reel tape deck. I am a member of the "Tape Project".

Presently I am using Mirage floor standing speakers. Later I want to purchase a set of Eminent Tech LTF-8 eletrostatics or Magnapan 1.6. Right now I am satisfied with the sound I am getting.

It's important that I be able to play the many 33.3 records (classical/jazz) I have. So the quest to find a decent tone arm is key now. Being a neophyte I've got to ask these question because I really want to know the answers.

What is the difference between the Jelco SA-250ST other than being a straight arm, the SA-250, the SA-370H which is suppose to be a longer arm (339mm) and the SA-750D?

1. Do they all have bearings in the vertical and horizontal plans?
2. Is the quality the same?
3. Can they all be upgraded in terms of cabling?
4. Can heavier counter weights be added to all of them?
5. Do they all have the same features and benefits?
6. Can they all accomodate medium to top line cartridges and provide good to outstanding sound?
7. Do they all have oil damping?
8. Can the VTA be adjustable on the fly with any of these arms? Is that asking too much?

By the way, all of these tone arms were found on Ebay. I am not sure that Ebay is the best place to purchase a tone arm. Has anyone else had a good experience there with a Jelco purchase?

Looking at the specifications I can't see a lot of difference in these tone arms. And if I can get away with paying less money for the same basic quality I'm ahead of the game.

AudioSoul: where did you get your Jelco 10.5 tone arm and what was the cost in US dollars? What is the model number?
Dave C: you are using a Jelco SA-250ST and a Shelter 501 MK2. How is that working out for you?
: I really appreciate the time you've spent providng specific information especially regarding tone arm/cartridge effective mass. I also appreciate the info on where to purchase lighter head shells. Are you familiar with Ms. Maria Schneiders Jazz Orchestra? Get Sky Blue or Allegresse. Beautiful large scale orchestral music. I love this lady and have all of her recordings. Unfortunately they are all on CD. What a bummer.

Please don't forget I do appreciate all of the assistance each of you have given me already. This is a wonderful forum where a neophyte like me can get answers to my questions and I am very happy about that. Thanks so much.

[JaS]

I think this speaks volumes of the people selling something "similar" but attempting to liken it to the one we supplied!

Hi Dave,
Out of interest what are the differences between the Jelco SA-750D that Raindrop Audio sell and the one you supplied to HFW? There do seem to be quite wide variations in the prices of Jelco arms from different sources but I put this down to taxes and warranty periods and presumed the hardware was the same

Regards,
JaS

[JoeE SP9]

I have a dear friend who turned me onto my Classe DR-5 pre-amp and Threshold S/300 power amp. I also use a Parasound belt drive CD player and a 10 inch Teac 32-2B reel to reel tape deck. I am a member of the "Tape Project".

Presently I am using Mirage floor standing speakers. Later I want to purchase a set of Eminent Tech LTF-8 eletrostatics or Magnapan 1.6. Right now I am satisfied with the sound I am getting.

It's important that I be able to play the many 33.3 records (classical/jazz) I have. So the quest to find a decent tone arm is key now. Being a neophyte I've got to ask these question because I really want to know the answers.

What is the difference between the Jelco SA-250ST other than being a straight arm, the SA-250, the SA-370H which is suppose to be a longer arm (339mm) and the SA-750D?

1. Do they all have bearings in the vertical and horizontal plans?
2. Is the quality the same?
3. Can they all be upgraded in terms of cabling?
4. Can heavier counter weights be added to all of them?
5. Do they all have the same features and benefits?
6. Can they all accomodate medium to top line cartridges and provide good to outstanding sound?
7. Do they all have oil damping?
8. Can the VTA be adjustable on the fly with any of these arms? Is that asking too much?

By the way, all of these tone arms were found on Ebay. I am not sure that Ebay is the best place to purchase a tone arm. Has anyone else had a good experience there with a Jelco purchase?

Looking at the specifications I can't see a lot of difference in these tone arms. And if I can get away with paying less money for the same basic quality I'm ahead of the game.

AudioSoul: where did you get your Jelco 10.5 tone arm and what was the cost in US dollars? What is the model number?
Dave C: you are using a Jelco SA-250ST and a Shelter 501 MK2. How is that working out for you?
: I really appreciate the time you've spent providng specific information especially regarding tone arm/cartridge effective mass. I also appreciate the info on where to purchase lighter head shells. Are you familiar with Ms. Maria Schneiders Jazz Orchestra? Get Sky Blue or Allegresse. Beautiful large scale orchestral music. I love this lady and have all of her recordings. Unfortunately they are all on CD. What a bummer.

Please don't forget I do appreciate all of the assistance each of you have given me already. This is a wonderful forum where a neophyte like me can get answers to my questions and I am very happy about that. Thanks so much.

Just to let you know. Eminent Technology speakers are not electrostatics. They are planar magnetic like Magneplanar's. I have heard the LFT-8's. They are directly comparable with Maggy 1.6QR's. One of my audio buddies has a pair of the 1.6's. I like them a lot. Two other friends own 3.6R's and 20.1's. Of course they are better. The 20.1's are up there with the best I've heard that an ordinary working person can afford.

A PM is a private message. You access them from the main page of the forum. Click on my inbox.

[iain42]

How long has the JELCO SA-750L 12 tonearm been in production?

[rbwinterlink]

Good evening all, And thank each of you for your continued assistance and guidance. I want to extend my deep appreciation to everyone.

For some reason I keep coming back to the Jelco SA-370H arm. It looks like it will meet most needs but I am waiting to see who else uses this arm and what their experiences are. I have no idea what phono cartridges can be used with this arm. Plus, as has been stated previoiusly, there is an effective mass problem that must be taken care of with a lighter tone arm head.

It would appear that matching a cartridge to a tone arm is a rather tricky thing and mostly guess work or am I on the wrong track here? Plus this arm is oil damped which should make a difference how it will sound in the end. At any rate for the price this arm looks mighty good.

Bob W.

[Alec124c41]

I have the older MMT mounted on a Heybrook TT2. It sounds better on it than the stock Rega RB300 did. I have used it with Denon DL-110, DL-160 and DL-300 cartridges with pleasure. It has also performed admirably with a Grado Signature 8, Audio Technica AT33EE, Ortofon MC200, Signet AM30, Pickering V15 micro, Benz MC20E2, Dynavector DV10x5, and Shure V15 III, IV and V, not to mention the Grace F9 Ruby and Astatic MF-100 and MF-200.
That's my harem.
Yes, there are differences in the cartridges. A good cartridge is entrancing. Some are more entrancing than others.

Cheers,
Alec

[rbwinterlink]

NEO,

I wanted to get back to you here. I am using a Classe DR-5 pre-amp with mc/mm input. I will have to get back to you regarding certain perameters because I am just getting around to taking the top off my pre-amp to see what resistors are installed in the mc input board. However, the mc stage is factory set at 22Db Originally a resistor kit came with this pre-amp so that the owner could install them and adjust the gain for different MC cartridges. There does not look to be any changes made by the previous owner. Is it OK to use canned air to blow the dust out of the pre-amp? There is plenty there since 1990. I purchased this pre-amp used from Audiogon and love it.

My other components are:

> Threshold power amp (150 watts/channel)
> Parasound CBD/2000 belt drive CD player
> Various upgraded cables and power cords
> Technics, Sony, Teac and Otari MTR-15 studio tape decks

Right now I am using Mirage OM-9 floor standing speakers soon to be upgraded to the Mags 1.6 or Eminent Tech LTF-8 planar speakers.

Back in 1983 while working for the Dept Of Defense in Germany I purchase the Cranfield Rock Turntable (Max Townshend). Since the motor is no longer useful and the Excalibur Tone Arm is old school I decided to dismantle the turntable and only use the massive bearing and platter for now. I have already ordered a Stand-A-Lone motor. I plan to build a 30 - 40 LB plinth myself using various woods.

Of course I will use the Excalibur tone arm until I decide what other tone arm I want to purchase. My tone arm/cartridge budget is very tight now and I can't spend over $600 for both. That's why I am looking at the Jelco SA-370-H tone arm. I am waiting to get some additional feedback on this arm I know nothing about. The rest $$$ I can put into a good cartridge.

As an aside, since you like Gil Evans you will simply love Maria Schneider who studied under Gil for a while and has adopted many of his musical skills but has moved beyond where Gil was. I love this woman. Her album "Sky Blue" won a grammy. She has won several other grammy's.

Let me know what other information you need to put me on the road to Tone Arm nirvana

Bob W.