Origin Live - Illustrious - tonearm

This tonearm sounds astonishing, compared to Origin Live arms further down the range, and its commercial rivals. The ground-breaking design, and meticulous attention to detail results most noticeably in an improvement of bass performance. However as always, when you go higher in the Origin Live range, every other aspect improves, notably definition, deep, powerful bass, transparency and dynamics.

The result is a tonearm that has been widely acclaimed as a performance benchmark. Both reviewers and enthusiasts love the Illustrious for its outstanding bass power, superb dynamics and consummate musicality. It has supreme transparency too, allowing the finest cartridges to be used. Few designs better this brilliant device.

Illustrious Features

• Hybrid arm tube, composed of 5 materials for superb energy dissipation

• Ultra-low friction dual-pivot bearings for sweet, precise treble performance

• Dual-Pivot floating vertical bearings decouple the armtube from the deck, reducing coloration

• Higher mass Yoke than the Encounter results in a high definition tangible sound, particularly in the bass

• High strength aircraft alloy headshell for increased dynamics

• Superb quality copper conductor plugs eliminate signal degradation

• Integral VTA adjustment

Now in MK4 version, the arm looks similar to the previous MK3C but MK4 arms are easily identified by a slot in the rear stub for the counterweight clamp bolt. Another visual difference includes a more stylish slanted arm clip.

The MK4 version represents a major leap forward in performance through a stiffer arm tube. It also introduces a number of improved decoupling devices within the armtube itself. This included a new interface with the counterweight which is attached differently.  These new features result in significant improvements to: definition, transient speed, dynamics, separation, timing and overall musicality to name but a few.