Origin Live Silver Tonearm MK4

Description

Origin Live Silver Tonearm MK4

When launched in 2002, the Silver Tonearm received widespread acclaim for outperforming high-end arms at a fraction of the cost. Hailed by the editor of Hi-Fi World as the best arm he’d ever heard, the Silver set the benchmark for our cost-effective designs that overtook both the SME and Ekos arms in performance.

The Silver Tonearm has a wide range of strengths which make it a great all-rounder. Highly musical, it tracks dynamics accurately and gets right into the groove of the music. You will expect to hear improved speed, dynamics and separation in the music over the Onyx due to its sophisticated tonearm tube design. The Silver also includes a higher grade external cable which improves bass weight in comparison to the Onyx. It has a natural tonal balance with excellent transparency and fine performance at both frequency extremes.

Features

In the same way, great singers have better voices, all materials resonate differently and have a “voice” in micro-vibration. There is an argument that says the ideal material is totally dead, but this oversimplification ignores the fact that to absorb energy, the material has to vibrate. The argument also omits to consider that if a material is too soft (like a sponge to take an extreme example) then it will lack rigidity. Conversely, if a material is too hard then it reflects energy which is disastrous. Because all these factors conflict with one another it renders correct material choice much more complex than many imagine.

The nature of mechanical playback means that every material chosen plays a role in performance. Specifications and theory can only play a limited role here. If pure measurements were the answer, you could use a computer to judge the talent of singers on shows like the Voice or the X-factor. The problem is that any measurement system can only measure what it’s programmed to. Understanding the physics of what makes one voice more preferable to another would probably take more than a lifetime. For this reason, we conduct hundreds of listening tests to determine the best choices.

Origin Live pay obsessive attention to the types of material used throughout the construction of turntables. This is one reason our Platter Mat (offered as an accessory) upgrades 99% of turntables on the market. The same is true for our turntable belts and oil, both of which receive remarkable reviews from satisfied clients. These may seem trivial examples but they indicate a fanatical thoroughness in research that extends to much more important areas in our turntables.

Arm Tube

The Origin Live Silver Tonearm MK4 is made from high-grade aircraft alloy to reduce the effect of resonance. This has the enormous advantage of allowing your cartridge to function correctly without unwanted movements caused by resonance.

Silver Tonearm Counterweight Shot

A High Strength Rear-stub improves counterweight stability in vibration – thus enabling the arm tube to hold the cartridge more steadily. The result is an increase in dynamics and a sense of power and control in the bass.

Silver Tonearm Yoke Shot

Superior Yoke Design encompassing precision bearing fit. This results in an incredibly transparent arm with superb tonal balance.

Bearings

are highly researched and purpose made to our specifications.

Integral VTA Adjuster

consisting of a threaded top nut above arm-board and clamping nut underneath arm-board.

Falling Weight Side Bias

Tests on the Origin Live Silver Tonearm MK4 show this to be the highest performing method of achieving side bias. It has lower friction, better constant force and lower resonance than other alternatives such as magnets, springs, levers and twisted threads.

Internal Wiring

is high-grade copper Litz wire, Cryogenically frozen to reduce discontinuities in the conductors. This wire allows great transparency, detail and freedom from artifacts.

1 Meter Upgrade External Cable

(6mm diameter) Low resistance cable with high conductivity Gold plated RCA plugs to fit directly into your phono-stage or amplifier.

REVIEWS

Thanasis Moraitis

Will it make a difference? Why you NEED a great tonearm.

You would be forgiven for thinking the difference in sound quality between the best tonearms and others is fairly minor – after all they look fairly similar so what could possibly make any real difference?

In addition, it seems that your cartridge is at the business end of things, so the advice is “invest in a good cartridge and great sound will naturally follow”.

However intuition is not always reliable and an alternative view of things offers breakthroughs which are otherwise unachievable. This article explains why improving your tonearm will yield results out of all proportion to general expectations.

The truth is that popular tonearms seriously limit the performance of cartridges. It follows that upgrading to a better tonearm will massively increase your cartridge performance and overall sound quality. Not only this but the best tonearms have the added benefits of :

• Significant financial savings in the long term
• Your record collection will last longer

Intensive Research and Innovative Thinking

The design of our tonearms is the key to their performance. Over 25 years of continuous development has gone into these arms. However, it’s the “outside the box” thinking, which make them special. Origin Live arms are extremely innovative, not only in concept but also in the choice of superior build materials. Wherever possible high-grade alloys are included. These alloys are expensive to machine and finish but the results are so worthwhile in terms of performance.

Most arms look great on the outside so it is easy to miss the massive hidden differences. With an Origin Live arm, you can be sure that it’s not just a matter of high-grade components but far more importantly, you have a design that really delivers in terms of performance.

Tonearm Overall Design Philosophy

Much of the design philosophy behind Origin Live tonearms is discussed in our web page Aspirational design which is an important introduction.

Tonearm Design Specifics

The specific design attributes of our tonearms are described in detail on the web page Tonearm design specifics.