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Your Thoughts on Origin Live

L

Lowgroove

pfm Member
I am in the very fortunate position to be looking to upgrade my turntable. I retired recently so this is likely to be my last turntable upgrade. I am looking for a dual arm turntable and my search has narrowed down to a shortlist.

Origin Live is on my shortlist because it meets all of my technical requirements, has good availability locally for me and has good reviews (although not too many). Not sure yet on model but likely to be either a Resolution or Sovereign deck with Enterprise of Conqueror arm.

I don't see Origin Live mentioned much in forums, hence this post. I was keen to get the views of people who have owned (or have friend who own, so they get to listen to regularly) their turntables. Keen to get all feedback - both those who love them, but also those who have had niggles, concerns or just could not live with them (and why). This is not a cheap upgrade and I want to be well informed before I take the plunge.

One of the others in the shortlist is an SME 12A Twin. It is another deck which on paper meets my requirements, has OK availability for me and is well reviewed. Any thoughts on the comparison between these?

Note sure of main cart yet - but top contender is a Hana Umami Blue (I am using the Hana ML now and love the sound of the Hana cart).
 
What do you have now? If you love it, why change?

Do you have room for two turntables instead of one which takes two arms? The turntable itself really defines the sound so having two decks would let you have two very distinct listening experiences.

At any rate, you really want to hear the options at home if you can. Been burned by this before. Products which get great reviews, everyone loves then I get them home and find I don't like them.
 
I had a OL Resolution TT around 10 years ago and wasn't very impressed. It sounds ok but to me just didn't have a great deal of fun or boogy to it, sort of just did a job IYKWIM. Think I bought it with the OL Encounter arm and then swapped for the AN Arm 2/II

Personally for the same money I'd forget the dual arm and buy the Voyd that Jag is selling, think he may be a member here. It's probably one the best examples of a Ref out there.

https://www.ukaudiomart.com/details/650074131-voyd-reference-3-motor-turntable-amp-power-supply-only-very-rare/
 
I have an Origin Live Illustrious tonearm on my Michell deck. It's a very well made arm allowing micro adjustments to tracking weight, VTA etc. and supports heavier MCs. Side bias setting is more approximate compared to dials on, for example, SME arms but works perfectly. I've also had great service from OL on the occasions when I've contacted them for help so overall I'd definitely recommend their arms. There is a good set of documentation on their website for setting up turntables/arms if you want to get a feel for the ease/difficulty of that. To be fair most (but not all) arms require similar set-up to make the cartridge perform at its best.

Ultimately the build quality of my Illustrious is certainly on a par to SME IV/V arms in my opinion.
 
I have recently added an Origin Live Onyx tonearm to my PTP L75 deck and I am massively impressed.
Considering it is the current entry model I'm now intrigued as to what the arms higher up the range might offer and am seriously considering trading up. However that would then beg the question of a better cartridge etc and the snowball would continue... !

Personally I think they are very low risk purchase - build quality, support and performance all appear to offer great value at any of the levels in the range.
 
I've had the Aurora Gold mk2 (fore runner of the calypso) a great tt I thought, no problems with it at all. Have also been through 3 arms, Encounter 3C, Conqueror 3C and now 12" Enterprise Mk4 on a Brinkman Bardo, each arm was a significant step up in SQ to my ears.
I will be selling the Enterprise and Bardo in the coming weeks, nowt wrong with either, I've just been de-investing across the board with system 1 to a position where everything is good enough, instead of chasing the SQ dragon.
 
I have an Onyx. I don't think it offers anything over a decent Rega arm. Build quality is nothing special TBH. The good thing is they don't have a particular sound & My 740ML performs well. I will probably move it on soon.
 
P270 said:
I have an Onyx. I don't think it offers anything over a decent Rega arm. Build quality is nothing special TBH. The good thing is they don't have a particular sound & My 740ML performs well. I will probably move it on soon.
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I think the build quality has improved over the years, from what I've heard anyway. Never seen one in the flesh. The early products had a reputation for being poorly made but I've heard a lot of reports saying the later stuff is better.
 
My only experience with their products was the "Motor Upgrade" package for the LP12. This utilized a DC motor along with a 'controller' box. Honestly, it was terrible - the speed drifted constantly (it claimed to use current sensing feedback) and it was quickly sold on (along with the rest of the LP12 shortly thereafter I might add).
 
I may be wrong here but I rather think O.L. stuff is sold direct from factory, as I haven't come across them on dealer lists. Maybe just me though.
 
Hi, if i was looking for a TT, i would look at used, with people selling their TTs, for a fraction of their value, you can't go far wrong,

by the way what is your budget,

www.ebay.co.uk

SME 75th-Anniversary-Diamond-Series-Model-12 | eBay

Pure mono-crystal silver conductors in miniature format. • High Mass and Small Footprint. • Natural, Open and Dynamic Sound. Ex Demonstration in immaculate condition, Limited Edition 75th-Anniversary-Diamond-Series.
www.ebay.co.uk
 
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