Hearing an Enterprise is an unforgettable event. Breathtakingly realistic, it simply lets the music flow out to the listener in an unmediated way.
Although it deserves the very best turntables and cartridges that money can buy, it unlocks huge performance gains from lesser ones and makes mediocre recordings positively sing.
From its massively powerful and highly tuneful bass, to a treble that is gorgeously silky yet amazingly spacious, its a sublime performer.
The mineral clarity of the midband is uncanny, and the sound staging profound. Prospective purchasers of a high-end tonearm owe it to themselves to audition this seminal design.
Features
- Hybrid armtube made of six materials, improving on Conqueror through improved energy dissipation and rigidity
- Ultra-low friction, perfectly stable dual-pivot bearings design for vertical movement
- Two single tungsten carbide points rest in hardened cups, to mimic gimbal bearing stability but with much lower friction
- Floating vertical bearings more highly specified and with much lower friction than all lower arms in the range
- Sophisticated Yoke decoupling, with several additional isolation interfaces from the vertical bearings
- High strength aircraft alloy headshell for increased dynamics
- Internal arm wiring Ultra-low loss Silver Hybrid-S version
- External Silver Hybrid arm cable with 95% shielding
- High conductivity single point contact Copper Harmony RCA plugs
- Specially selected materials used throughout
- Integral VTA adjustment
Azimuth adjustment
- Fits all Rega armboard cutouts including old style threaded base or new 3-point mounting
- 12 option optional sub-chassis available for fitting a 12 arm to Origin Live turntables
Now in MK4 version, the arm looks similar to the previous MK3C but MK4 arms are easily identified by a slot in the rear stub for the counterweight clamp bolt.
Another visual differences includes a more stylish slanted arm clip.
The MK4 version represents a major leap forward in performance through a stiffer arm tube. It also introduces a number of improved decoupling devices within the armtube itself.
This included a new interface with the counterweight which is attached differently.
These new features result in significant improvements to: definition, transient speed, dynamics, separation, timing and overall musicality to name but a few.
Each tonearm in the Origin Live range shares important features outlined below. Higher models are differentiated by refinement, increasingly costly materials, components and advanced engineering.
Differences between various models are highlighted on the specific page allocated for each arm. You can also compare features on the Specifications page.
High Strength Alloys and Carbon Fibre Components
Your cartridge needs to be held with rock like solidity if it is to accurately extract the microscopic information contained within your record grooves.
In strategic components rigidity is essential to reduce microscopic bending and give in the tonearm structure. The exact reasons why this is so critical go far beyond superficial explanations such as reducing movement or resonance.
The truth is little understood and would require a book to explain due to technical complexities.
Soft alloy castings and carbon fiber tubes (using fishing rod technology) are commonly used in tonearms but are wholly inadequate for high grade performance.
Origin Live arms avoid these cheap alternatives and as you might expect the music benefits immensely from the improved rigidity.
Gone is the soft, woolly, haziness and muddle that so many arms are responsible for producing. Instead notes have greater impact, dynamics, speed. This gives their arms their outstanding reputation for realism.
High Grade Materials for Turntables Tonearm
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 its programmed to.
Understanding the physics of what makes one voice more preferable to another would probably take more than a lifetime. For this reason Origin Live 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 their Platter Mat (offered as an accessory) upgrades 99% of turntables on the market.
The same is true for their 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 their turntables.
Technical Specifications
Origin Live 9.5 (239mm) Standard Tonearm Specifications (same as Rega Geometry)
Origin Live 9 inch (229mm) MK4 Tonearms with Linn Geometry
Origin Live 10 inch (254mm) MK4 Tonearms
Origin Live 12 inch (309mm) MK4 Tonearms
Manufacturer Site
