Time to update this thread.
The Schroder CB-9 arrived a month or so ago, and was installed on my PTP Solid 9 along with the cartridge I am currently using, an Ortofon Jubilee. (I still prefer the Jubilee to my Windfeld Ti.)
The Schroder lasted a couple of weeks, and I ended up returning it to the dealer, who was very helpful and accommodating.
Unfortunately, the Schroder arm did not work out. It was a combination of ergonomics, installation issues and, ultimately, sound quality which resulted in my returning it.
Aside from the bearing, on which I cannot comment, the design of the arm seems a bit odd. The mounting collar is held to the armboard by a single bolt, which means that the arm can rotate on that bolt, no matter how tightly it is installed. The counterweight is quite large and heavy, and its shape means that not only do you need to position it correctly along the shaft to get the correct VTF, at the same time you need to keep it perfectly vertical which is very difficult in practice. The weight of the counterweight means that setting VTF precisely is extremely difficult, since small changes of around 0.25mm can result in overshooting by at least 0.5g in either direction. So getting the correct tracking force as well as ensuring the counterweight is perpendicular is far more laborious and time consuming than it needs to be.
There is no finger lift or arm rest (although there is an arm lift) which means that handling the arm is a little bit more awkward than ideal. It was said that this was for sound quality reasons, but it could just as easily because it would have been difficult to incorporate these into the design.
Cartridge set up is also a challenge. My Ortofon cartridges are far from unusual in their dimensions, but I could only get the cartridge close to accurately installed using my Feickert protractor by having it extended in the headshell area as far as possible, and rotated as much as possible. Even so, it was a fraction of a milimetre and a fraction of a degree short of perfect. (And, yes, I did check that the pivot to spindle distance was correct, which it was. In fact, I re-installed the arm at least 3 times to see if I was doing something wrong.)
All of these factors could be forgiven if it sounded amazing. Which it didn't. It wasn't so much that it wasn't the improvement over my Audio Origami arm that I was looking for. It actually sounded worse than my AO arm. The sound was somewhat thin, noticeably coloured and lacked dynamic impact and density. On the plus side, bass was deep and it sounded fast. But it was a distinctive sound which I didn't care for.
Having owned a number of good arms over the years - an SME IV, Morch DP-6, Kuzma Stogi Ref, 313 VTA and 4 Point, all versions of the Linn Ekos (including the SE) and a number of others, as well as my current Audio Origami - the Schroder was the outlier in terms of sound character. I even preferred my Rega RB2000 when I briefly installed it after the Schroder.
In retrospect, I am not sure why I was looking to replace the Audio Origami arm. It is a superb arm. I preferred it to the (much more expensive) Kuzma 4 Point. It is easy to set up and sounds excellent. I was probably just going through one of those moments of boredom when we become fixated on the idea of replacing a specific component, even though it is perfectly fine or, in this case, excellent.
In fact, after reinstalling the Audio Origami arm and spending some more time optimising the cartridge set up, and then replacing the tubes in my Nagra VPS phono stage with some NOS Tung Sols, I am getting the best vinyl sound I have ever had in my system, so in that sense the journey has been worth it.
Thanks to all who contributed to this thread. While this particular change didn't work out, I appreciate all the help and suggestions, and hearing something different and having the opportunity to re-evaluate what you already have is always a valuable experience.
--no measure in promoting an Arm you cannot obtain anymore-fair enough he is entitle to his opinion.
