Impressions from the Moerch DP-8 Tonearm
Following my earlier post on this forum regarding the Transrotor ZET-1 and Glanz 10B tonearm (https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/transrotor-zet-1-and-glanz-10b-tonearm.39270/), and my quest to put together a $10K turntable that competes graciously with today’s high end TTs, I tested the Moerch DP-8 tonearm. As you may recall, one of my key requirements was the ability to have a removable head shell. The DP-8 is a little different by providing a removable arm tube instead. Moerch manufactures arm tubes of different mass for better matching with the used cartridge and comes in 9 and 12 inch lengths.
I received the DP-8 arm well packed and was surprised to see how well organized all its parts were in their box. The instructions were excellent, apart from some language idioms that required deciphering with the aid of the visuals within the accompanying manual. There are a couple of YouTube videos that helped as well. When I took out the tonearm, I was stunned by how beautiful it was. Definitely jewel level!!
On the set up, it is very similar to all well designed arms with the addition of the side weights, for which there are clear instructions on how to set up properly. Otherwise, all adjustments were straightforward. The arm base was a special order from Transrotor and it added about $1,000 to the overall cost of the solution.
The sound
The DP-8 is a very relaxed sounding tonearm. The soundstage was formed well behind the speakers and it was wide and deep. The timbres were outstanding and the DP-8 appears to allow the qualities of each cartridge to come out unobstructed. It certainly has dynamic and deep bass and very palpable highs. The midrange was excellent and mostly influenced by the cartridge’s sonic signature. Compared to the Glanz 10B, the 10B formed the soundstage just behind the speakers and had similar soundstage dimensions as the DP-8. Listening to Lauryn Hill’s Unplugged 2.0 and Patricia Barber’s Cafe Blue, the DP-8 rendered the music as if the musicians were part of a gathering, playing for a group of friends after dinner in your living room. The 10B made you feel as if you were in a small club sitting close to the stage. I enjoyed both performances!
Associated equipment
Turntable: ZET-1 base deck with M-1 Reference power supply; Simon Yorke S9Tonearm: Glanz 10B with ZET-1 armboard; Tri-Planar U2 Mk VII Classic with carbon arm tube
Cartridges: Shelter Harmony; Accuphase AC-6; Ikeda 9xx and SAI; Lyra Skala; VDH Frog, Transfiguration Orpheus
Head-shells: MSL, Ikeda, Ortofon and AS Arche
Phono Amplifier: Accuphase C-47
Preamplifier: Ypsilon PST 100 Mk 2
Amplifier: Accuphase A-80
Speakers: German Physiks HRS-130 and PQS-302
Attachments
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