| BUYING GUIDE - TONEARMS |
| PRICES SHOWN ARE THOSE AT THE TIME OF REVIEW |
| Tonearms |
£ |
Year |
Verdict |
| Hadcock GH 228 SE |
£595 |
Dec 98 |
Construction won't worry SME but its sound quality will unsettle a lot of the competition. |
| Hadcock GH 242 SE |
£689 |
Jun 00 |
Utterly musical high-end performance, with a tempting price tag. Very little serious competition at the price. |
| Linn Ekos |
£1500 |
Mar 01 |
Powerfull, rhythmic and engaging like few others, the Ekos is not the best all rounder, but what it does it does like no other. |
| Naim Aro |
£N/A |
Aug 00 |
Designed expressly for the Sondek, the ARO (Analogue Rules Okay!) works in a number of modern decks. A fine secondhand buy for £500 - if you can find one! |
| Origin Live RB250/RB300 |
varies |
Nov 97 |
These modified arms are a considerable improvement on the originals |
| Origin Live Rega Arm Re-Wiring |
varies |
Nov 00 |
An essential mod for all Rega users, but only after you've had the counterweight done first. |
| Origin Live Silver 250 |
£599 |
Mar 02 |
Words can't express how good this is - for vinyl junkies, this is one of the designs of the decade. |
| Rega RB600 |
£358 |
Aug 01 |
Sweeter and more musical sound with greater transparancy and better sound staging makes this a superb step up from the RB300. |
| SME 309 |
£689 |
Jan 93 |
Tight, neutral sound with good tonality, but lacks the IVs pace and precision. |
| SME IV |
£828 |
Mar 92 |
Sexy chassis and staggering engineering along with potent performance earn it a place in audio history. |
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