I'm planning to order the Modi with non-metallic platter and clamp. Johnnie said he can do them both in Delrin. My question would be: is there any overwhelming sonic reason to go for the Odin instead of Thor?
OK, I found a few differences between the Odin and Thor arms
(1) The Odin arm has individual vertical supports at either side of the sliding rail and air-tube assembly
(2) To adjust VTA, users are required to adjust the levels on both sides of vertical support
(3) Additional height supporting parts on the Odin => higher metallic counts
(4) The part where headshell comes into contact with the cartridge is flat on the Thor arm, and is ridged (inverted u-shape) on the Odin arm
Can anyone explain why a ridged (inverted u-shape) headshell is better than flat?
I cannot vouch for the Odin, but I have happily been using the Thor for a year. My main reason was the flat head, which works better with Ortofon cartridges, which have a ridge on the head. I’ve changed to Hana recently.
VTA is very easy to adjust and can potentially be done on the fly. Cleaning inside the sleeve is simple as the arm can be removed, this also helps with swapping cartridges off the turntable. Tracking is easily done on the fly using a record with no grooves.
For me it’s a much easier arm to work with. I may borrow an Odin later to see if there is any sonic different, but my brief experience with one was it was much more difficult to set up.also, think about phono lead, I believe these are not included. I have an Atlas Custom build balanced phono lead.
I have gone with 5 pin DIN to XLR. The arm did not come with a cable but has a small 5pin DIN to connect your choice of cable to. Similar to SME arms.
So I have DIN from the tone arm to XLR balanced into my active phono stage. It’s something that just seemed logical as I have an active balanced phono stage and this would cut down any potential noise.
The only comparison I have had to compare is the DIN to RCA I got with my SME 309 tone arm. In my limited experience it was a much cleaner sound.
If you are going with a SUT this may be more of a challenge to find one with XLR, although they are in theory balanced by their nature.
Your dealer may incl a phono cable. I had a moan and mine were kind enough to supply me with the Atlas Arran Ultra balance phono cable.
I have had two Odin toneaarms on different tables now, one came with 5 pin DIN and the other (current) with RCA, so presumably you might be able to specify when you order?
Delrin platter and clamp sounds really interesting. Out of interest, why? What sort of mass difference is there likely to be in the materials? Please put up some photos when you get it.
I'm ordering the Thor. To me, it sounds like it is going to be problematic if I have to adjust both the left and right support in order to raise or lower vta.
I got the reply that the tonearm I'm ordering only comes with DIN output, so presumably only the Odin comes with choice of output, but not for the Thor?
I personally prefer the Thor for usability, the Odin VTA is difficult to adjust as you have to turn both screws equal amounts.
With the Thor You can easily remove the arm and clean for dust (which is very important for smooth tracking)
Johnny has told me that he can produce Odin with a flat head if requested. This helps out with Ortofon cartridges but the arm just feels overly complicated.
This is the Modi I had on loan with the Thor arm. Eventually it got replaced with the Galder and vacuum platter.
I'm ordering the Thor. To me, it sounds like it is going to be problematic if I have to adjust both the left and right support in order to raise or lower vta.
I got the reply that the tonearm I'm ordering only comes with DIN output, so presumably only the Odin comes with choice of output, but not for the Thor?
Sounds good to me, I'm sure that you can't go wrong whatever combination you decide on. andI imagine that they both sound good, certainly I'm very pleased with mine. I didn't have any issues with setup, although my second table was set up by Johnnie Bergmann himself in my home, so I was very lucky in that regard and extremely pleased to meet him!
