In the late 1980s, I was fortunate enough to obtain the dream job of many an audiophile. I worked part-time at an audio store while attending a local college. The Stereo Shoppe wasn't a high-end store, though we did carry several well-regarded lines. This was also an era when print magazines ruled; you could walk into many brick-and-mortar stores, and information was acquired through experience, not at the touch of a button as we have today. Analog was still King, and the compact disc was in its infancy. These were wonderful times, and while I got to live and breathe audio, the reality was I was a poor college student.
Moving coil cartridges were lusted after by many of us in the hobby. At that time, the finest cartridges available were the Koetsu Rosewood, Kiseki Blue Goldspot, and the Ortofon MC2000/T2000. The Stereo Shoppe happened to be an Ortofon dealer, and the owner was an ardent fan of the MC2000. On a few occasions, I was fortunate enough to listen to this cartridge, and I certainly dreamed of someday owning one. Sadly, that was not a reality at that time in my life, as the Ortofon MC2000 sold for $1000, and the matching T2000 step-up transformer also sold for the same price. This was a $2000 package, while the federal minimum wage at the time was $3.35 an hour. Time marches on, and as we grow older, our financial resources increase. Today, in my cartridge treasure trove, I own both a first-generation Kiseki Blackheart and two Ortofon MC2000 cartridges, along with the T2000 transformer.
The MC2000 is still considered a remarkable cartridge, and in some ways, there will probably never be another like it. Its output voltage is .05 mV, which is why the T2000 transformer, with its 1:56 step-up ratio, is necessary. Even with the T2000 installed, hum was often an issue, as most phono stages lacked sufficient gain or had too high a noise floor to be a suitable match. The next hurdle is the high compliance and weight of the cartridge itself. The compliance is 35 dyne, and the cartridge weighs 11 grams. Several low-mass tonearms from this era would work well with high-compliance cartridges, but they lacked the necessary counterweight mass to balance the MC2000 at the recommended 1.5-gram tracking weight. The tonearm ideally suited for this challenge is the SME 3009 MK III. These tonearms are now over 40 years old and would need a complete disassembly and rebuild to meet their original specifications. Yes the MC2000 is a vintage cartridge also, although the two cartridges I own have been serviced by Allclear Audio in Australia. One has the OEM cantilever with a new diamond, while the second has been fitted with a boron cantilever, as the tapered aluminum one met an unfortunate end and cannot be replaced.
In the past year, a nicely restored first-generation SOTA Sapphire turntable came into my possession, and I decided to designate this as my turntable for casual listening sessions. I deemed it an appropriate platform for the Ortofon MC2000, but I needed a suitable tonearm. I had an extra Cosmos series tonearm board cut for a SME tonearm that I could use for this application, so I considered finding an SME 3009 MK III. While working through the process, In a moment of inspiration I reached out to Jeff Spall of Audiomods to see if he could build a low-mass arm. In the back of my mind, I wondered if a Classic III could be modified to meet the mass requirements. Jeff and I had an in-depth conversation about the subject, and he promised to get back to me after working through some options. About a week later, Jeff reached out and said it could be done, and he would accomplish it with a Series Six arm rather than a Classic III. This is the beauty of working with a craftsman-style company that takes pride in assisting its customers. While there may not be an off-the-shelf solution ready to ship within a week, the designer has the flexibility to create exactly what the customer needs, as long as the buyer has the patience to let the company work through the process.
For the purposes of this article, the tonearm will be designated as the Series Six LM (Low Mass). A standard Series Six tonearm has an effective mass of 11.5 grams with the standard cartridge plate. Audiomods offers a series of cartridge plates of varying mass, so the arm can be matched with cartridges that have different compliance characteristics. The LM version weighs just under 8 grams, so it earns the LM moniker. To put this into perspective, a LP Gear Zupreme head-shell alone weighs 12 grams, while a Yamamoto ebony wood head-shell weighs 10.5 grams. Jeff reduced the mass of the Series Six by removing a fair amount of material from the cartridge bayonet at the end of the tonearm and pairing it with the lightest cartridge plate available. He also reduced the mass of the pivot assembly by removing 5 grams of material from the yoke. The second step does not change the tonearms measured effective mass but improves the responsiveness of the assembly in the horizontal plane. When a high-compliance cartridge is paired with an arm with high horizontal mass, the cantilever can become stressed over time because the arm isn't able to react quickly enough as it traverses a record. I have been using this arm and cartridge pairing for over six months now, with no issues in this regard. Aside from these modifications, this arm includes all the new updates that Audiomods has rolled out for the current generation Series Six tonearm. The revised bearing architecture comes from a new Japanese supplier that specializes in precision manufacturing. The tonearm wire is upgraded to Teflon-coated silver Litz wire that has undergone cryogenic treatment. The counterweight stub is now brass with a carbon fiber weave overlay to provide improved resonance control. The carbon fiber arm tube is perfect for a low-mass arm, and the multi-element architecture Jeff designed has superb stiffness and damping properties. The multi-element counterweight and micrometer VTA adjuster remain unchanged. Since the process requires only the alteration of current production parts, Jeff says he can build one of the LM series arms with an additional week of processing time.
The installation of the Series Six arm is straightforward, requiring only a 23mm hole and fastening from below with a large brass locking nut. The review sample is a 10.5-inch arm, so the spindle-to-pivot distance is 239mm. I set up the cartridge using a Lofgren A alignment, and the tracking weight is set to 1.5 grams. The factory tonearm wire is connected to the Ortofon T2000 SUT and then fed into an Esoteric E-03 phono stage. I did have to experiment with connecting various ground wire configurations, but in the end, I achieved a silent arrangement free from any residual hum. The preamplifier is a Trinov Audio Amethyst, which feeds a pair of Classe Omega monoblock amplifiers. A pair of JBL 4367 floor-standing speakers are paired with two Velodyne HGS12 servo sub-woofers. Speaker wire and interconnects are from the Wireworld Eclipse series, and the power cords are from PI Audio Group, used in conjunction with a Balanced Power Technologies BP-3.5 Signature power conditioner.
The first issue that must be addressed is the unconventional combination of cartridge compliance and arm mass, which results in what many would consider a less-than-optimal resonant frequency. Conventional wisdom suggests the target resonance frequency should fall between 8 and 12Hz. When the combination falls below 6Hz, footfalls, warped records, and outside disturbances find a pathway into the audio signal. The MC2000 is a particularly difficult cartridge. When J. Gordon Holt first reviewed it, he could not pair it with an SME V, which has an effective mass of 10.5 grams. Holt eventually used a Well Tempered arm with an unusual silicone bath and string bearing but had issues with the cartridge suspension collapsing over time. The pairing of the Audiomods Series Six LM and the MC2000 results in a resonance frequency of 6.1Hz, which is at the lower end of what can be considered acceptable. The cartridge has been in daily use for six months now, and there have been no ill effects on the suspension or any sign of the cantilever being compromised. It's important to note that the Ortofon MC2000 is an extreme case; other high-compliance cartridges, such as the Shure V15 V-MR, will not present such a daunting challenge. Theoretically a tonearm would need to have 2-3 grams of effective mass or less to be able to attain an 8Hz resonance frequency. In a manner of speaking, this exemplifies what Ortofon engineers think is important in terms of acceptable resonance targets. The SOTA Sapphire is a suspended turntable tuned to 3Hz, and this package of table, arm, and cartridge has no issues with footfalls or acoustic feedback. The lesson here is that cartridge resonance target points are not set in stone. While there are risks in deviating from them, you are not necessarily doomed to "audio purgatory."
The album House of Sleeping Beauties by Lucia Hwong presents several challenges in terms of cartridge tracking. "Journey to Lhasa" (House of Sleeping Beauties, Private Music 1601) features a lovely Japanese Hichiriki flute, whose double reeds are difficult to reproduce cleanly. Meanwhile, "Children of the Jonkan Temple" has an underlying synthesized bass line overlapped by a kettle drum passage. The power and energy in this passage is formidable, but the Audiomods tonearm keeps the MC2000 in check, beautifully reproducing these instruments. Another challenge is the album's length, which places inner songs in the area where most albums would have dead wax. The tighter arc the cartridge has to traverse can often result in tracking issues for lesser cartridges and tonearms. Historically, producers have placed less dynamic songs in this area, yet on this album, "Himalayan Twilight" resides in the inner grooves, with several powerful and dynamic passages. The MC2000 tracks these passages without a misstep, proving that atypical cartridge and tonearm combinations can still be outstanding performers.
One Saturday afternoon, I swapped the Ortofon cartridge for a first-generation Kiseki Blackheart I recently had serviced. There is quite a story behind these original Kiseki cartridges, and to this day, the designer and manufacturer of these legendary cartridges remains a mystery. The Blackheart is reported to have a compliance of 20 dyne, and owners have reported issues with the suspension collapsing after a few years of use in higher-mass tonearms. For my listening session, I installed the standard weight head-shell, set the tracking force to 1.8 grams, and kept the Lofgren A alignment. I then placed Keb' Mo' Keep It Simple on the turntable. The opening track, "France" (Keep It Simple; Epic MOVLP1058), instantly revealed all the glorious beauty that a Kiseki cartridge is known for. Keb's vocals are rich, textured, and refined in a way that may not be the most accurate presentation, but there is an intrinsic authenticity that cannot be ignored. The bass line tracks wonderfully, extending deeply while maintaining a rich tone. Typically, when a cartridge with a firm suspension is paired with a low-mass tonearm, the bass region suffers. However, in this instance, the tonearm was successfully configured to avoid this issue. This pairing demonstrates that the LM version of the Series Six arm is versatile and can be used with an array of cartridges. Jeff Spall produces cartridge plates with higher mass, allowing for the pairing of medium-compliance cartridges with this arm. While I may not recommend a Denon DL-103 with the LM version tonearm, I can confidently say that typical Ortofon or Audio-Technica cartridges would be a suitable match.
If there is one defining characteristic of the Audiomods Series Six family of tonearms, it is the ability to remain neutral when tasked with reproducing the majority of music. Is this arm without limitations? Of course not. The finest tonearms will resolve upper registers to a greater degree of precision or offer a level of dynamic contrast that surpasses others, but their cost is often many thousands of dollars more. Still, the Audiomods arms provide an honest presentation of the music, making them a solid value for those who want a favorable balance of quality for the price. The Kiseki Blackheart excels in the regions of acoustic space, layering, and presenting the finest details within a song, and the Series Six LM showcases these abilities. The Audiomods tonearm presents "Early Wednesday Morning" (Gun Metal Sky; Drive On Records n115115-09) by Lori Lieberman with a wide soundstage and excellent front-to-back depth. Instruments are solidly placed within this soundstage, with the low-level details of acoustic and steel guitars cleanly reproduced. The bass guitar and drum set gain presence in the later segments of the song, but in the beginning, their contributions are still audible if you listen intently. The backing vocals are beautiful, with a natural and unhurried presentation. This album is a fine recording, and the Audiomods tonearm allows the listener to experience every aspect of this wonderful piece.
The world of vinyl playback is a diverse landscape that allows for the pairing of modern technology with vintage components. The underpinnings of analog playback were established by the giants of our industry, and their work remains relevant today. Many hobbyists have discovered the abilities of classic tables such as the Garrard 301/401, Thorens TD124, Technics SP10 MK II, and the Denon DP80. Some vintage audiophiles would argue that the technological capabilities of cartridge manufacturers from the final days of the first Golden Era of analog have been lost and that their top-of-the-line offerings would still compete with most modern cartridges. Perhaps there is some truth to this, and the Ortofon MC2000 is a legitimate representative for this stance. However, it should also be acknowledged that the current vinyl renaissance we are experiencing is often quite expensive, and there is a real need for high-quality components that are attainable by the average hobbyist. The Audiomods Series Six tonearm sells for £1245, or approximately $1565 USD at current exchange rates, making it one of the more affordable options on the market. The combination of high-quality parts at this price point is impressive. The Series Six arm uses ceramic bearings, silver cryogenic treated Litz internal wiring, a dual-layer carbon fiber arm tube, a micrometer VTA adjuster, and a multi-layer counterweight. Another advantage of working with a company dedicated to the analog hobby is their responsiveness to customer needs. Jeff Spall could easily have said this project didn't make financial sense for his company, but he chose to put the needs of his customer first, investing a considerable amount of time to make the LM version of his arm a reality. The defining characteristic of all three versions of the Series Six arm is its ability to let the music flow without significant coloration or loss of refinement. Whether your analog playback system is based on a modern or vintage turntable, I would encourage you to consider the Series Six tonearm family. The sound quality is superb, and these arms are flexible enough to be used with a wide variety of cartridges.
Series Six LM Tonearm
Retail: $1565
Audiomods
