From the Stereophile review of the ODYSSEY RP1-XG TONEARM:
"Beautifully crafted and finished in 24ct gold-plated brass and satin anodized aluminum, this exotic looking tonearm is a real attention getter. When was the last time you flipped out over the appearance of a tonearm? Most can be accurately described as business-like and functional in appearance. The Odyssey, by contrast, with its beautiful finish and gracefully curved tube, is an object d'art! And incredible as it may sound, it was actually designed by a Scotsman (John C. Gordon) and is entirely made in Scotland. I don't mean to cast aspersions on Scottish engineering, but my impressions of their audio design have been, perhaps unfairly, predicated on the not-too-suave execution of the Linn Sondek turntable and its related acoutrements.
The Odyssey tonearm is of the "fixed-pivot" variety and so at least on
theoretical grounds gives up something in tracing geometry accuracy to the linear tracking designs. The arm, however, combines several design features which make it unique. Hemispherical terminations for the arm tube and pillar are used to damp standing waves. The ball bearings are located in the plane of the stylus to improve tracking stability. The counterweight's center of gravity is also at stylus height for the same reason. The headshell is fixed (non-detachable) and is made out of a solid chunk of metal to minimize vibrations and ensure efficient transfer of energy from the cartridge to the arm tube. From a visual standpoint, the arm definitely impressed me. "If only it could sound as good as it looks!" I wishfully thought as I prepared for the chore of mounting the arm on my reference table---the Pink Triangle. And that was when I encountered my first problem with the Odyssey.
The arm tube is located a good inch or so above the plane of its bearings,
so in order to allow for proper VTA adjustment range, the arm mounting board needs to be about 1/12 inches below the disc surface. Pushing the Odyssey's base pillar as far as it would go into the Pink Triangle base still left the arm 1/4 inch too high, relative to the disc.
I complained to Odyssey. They provided me with a thinner mounting board that gave me that extra arm height adjustment I was looking for. But that did not solve the installation problem. Now there was inadequate
clearance between the arm base and the tabletop under the turntable. In order to clear the tone-arm cable, I had to prop up the base of the table on 1 inch thick pieces of wood.
Needless to say, I do not recommend this arm for the Pink Triangle. It is,
however, compatible with the Michel Gyrodeck. That's the table it was demo-ed with at CES. According to Odyssey, the arm should also work with the Linn Sondek and SOTA tables, but I can't personally vouch for that.
There are a couple more small criticisms. The first one is really minor and
concerns the lead wire connection at the arm pillar. To facilitate arm tube
interchange, (3 tubes are available of high, medium, and low mass) the lead wire exits the arm tube and clips onto four pins on the arm pillar. I found the clip-on connectors to be rather loose-fitting, and would like to see a better connection scheme used here.
The second and potentially more serious problem concerns the arm's
non-provision for proper torsional alignment. The arm's specifications list a
+/- 5 degree torsion adjustment range, and I fail to see how this could be
accomplished. The arm tube is fastened to the pillar with a single screw in
such a way that no twisting motion is possible. I was in luck, in that the
torsional alignment was right on, but you may not be as lucky. (And personally, I hate using shims to adjust this parameter.) I've contacted Odyssey about this and I hope they can shed some light on the problem at a later date. (They have not responded as yet.)
There is actually a happy ending to this story. When I finally got to listen
to it, the Odyssey turned out to be an excellent arm. To date, I've tried the
arm with the signet TK10ML, Promethean Green, and Win cartridges. Overall the arm's sound character is very neutral, with rock-steady imaging and excellent focus. The attacks and decays of musical transients are clean and unfettered by overlying fuzz. It excels in conveying a sense of solidity even through complex orchestral passages. Its clarity and fine transient-tracking behavior mean that inner detail and ambience clues are superbly resolved.
Clearly, the Odyssey is in the top rank of today's tonearms, and is easily the best pivoted arm I've used to date. I don't think, though, that it's any better than the Eminent Technology air bearing arm I reviewed not too long ago, and may in fact not quite equal the ET in dynamic contrast capability. Neither is it the bargain that the ET arm represents. But the Odyssey has the advantage of being able to partner a wider range of cartridges than the ET arm, including high compliance cartridges when the various arm tubes are used. On the basis of looks alone, no other arm comes close (although the new Shure Series V [SME V] may outdo it there, if one can judge from photos.) An arm of this high caliber deserves the best cartridge and table money can buy. But be sure to verify table compatibility"
Dick Olsher
"Without having either seen the Odyssey or heard it in action, I cannot comment on either of these points. But I am distinctly worried about the arm's compatibility with most high-quality turntables. The Pink Triangle is lower in profile than most, but not by much. The fact that it had to be lifted by an inch in order to accommodate the arm means that similar problems are going to be encountered with a lot of other turntables, and I am not convinced the arm is good enough to offset the amount of botheration that will be involved in installing it."
Fair enough, you might think.
Or you might think he would at least have had a listen before being convinced the arm wasn't good enough.
Or found out if it was a "botheration" to install it on other decks.
Or even asked me about it.
Well, the old bugger had indeed seen it - and heard it - and could have asked me - at the CES in Las Vegas mentioned by Olsher in the review - in a room with a very nice system - Kiseki Agate; custom GyroDec; Burmester pre; EAR and Burmester power amps; Perkins speakers; and Peterson interconnects.
He repeatedly returned to the room with the comment that it was a garden of delights, a haven in the storm etc... Make of that what you will.
In other words, take reviewers' comments (especially technical ones) with a pinch of salt, and decide for yourself.
My response, from a letter to Larry Archibald of Stereophile:
"I received a copy of the RP1-XG review and would like to clarify a couple of points regarding sizes and compatibility.
Since last year, the minimum height required has been reduced such that for a cartridge of average height, a mounting board to record surface distance of 31mm is sufficient.
Clearance below the mounting board is consequently increased, and mods to internal parts have helped. The main pillar protrudes 35mm below the top face of the mounting board and problems with clearance are more to do with the lead than the arm itself because of the long connector used. This is currently being revised and will save some 15 - 25 mm, depending on the final decision. In some cases, the connector's flexing section can be snipped off and the leads tied back with a cable tie so saving space in tight situations as well as improving performance. The little connectors are in the process of being replaced with machined pins and sockets of better quality and more reliable supply, this having been a problem in the past. The original sockets can be gently crimped to improve the connection should they become loose.
With regard to torsional adjustment of the cartridge, there is sufficient clearance in the mounting arrangement of the arm tube to-enable a few degrees of adjustment. The screw is 6BA (0.110") and the hole is 5/32" which gives around 20 thou clearance each side which translates to approximately 5 degrees or so of tilt. Even allowing for manufacturing tolerances in the arm, any cartridge which requires more than a couple of degrees of adjustment will not be performing at its best anyway.
Thanks for all the nice compliments..."
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