Reviews

"a new benchmark for musical communication, natural detail and timbral truth. All at a price that, considering the quality of its performance, can only be called a bargain."
STEREO TIMES MAGAZINE 2003

Preference Audio used this arm at a large show in Vienna and were awarded "the best sound at the show award". The decision was made using voting forms handed out by the show organisers to all members of the public attending the show. Against very stiff competition such as Linn, JM labs, Kronos, Audio Physics etc this vote says a great deal.
VIENNA SHOW

“I have owned about 60 different tonearms so far, including Immedia, Wheaton, SME V, Forsell, Mission Mechanic, Linn Ekos, Naim Aro, the above mentioned Audio Note and many others. And what counts more: it [the Encounter] is the best conventional (gimballed) one in that classs, and the best UK tonearm, too......At it’s price point I consider the Origin Live a best buy”
TNT AUDIO (square bracketed text added by origin Live for clarity)

“One of the truly special products I’ve reviewed in the past 18 years....Overall the Encounter’s look, feel and fit’n finish are exceptionally high for it’s modest price of $1495”.
STEREOPHILE

“There’s a lovely airy quality about the treble. It’s very clean too....The bottom end is tight and clean. Low frequencies ...when they’re present, boy are they present... A gorgeous tonearm”.
Hi Fi +

The Encounter builds on the specifications of the Silver in the following respects:

  Completley revised yoke with higher rigidity and inertia
  Higher specification bearings
  Improved materials and bearing decoupling in arm pillar and yoke
  Stylish arm rest plate

 

Michell TecnoArm "If your musical priorities are excellent control of both frequency extremes, without analytical sterility, the TecnoArm is more than good enough, especially with its combination of accurate but powerful bass. If low coloration and evenhanded tonality is your priority, the arrival of the Michell TecnoArm means you no longer have to save for a SME series IV or SME V". Mark Wheeler www.tnt-audio.com	Origin Live Silver "the Silver is...the very best tonearm I've ever heard…awsomely tight bottom end...the midband - glass clear, incredibly liquid, fantastic image precision, walkaround soundstaging and incredible timbral realism...the treble is shockingly open and airy up top...the £599 price tag is laughably low...could probably charge 5 times this amount...words can’t express how good this is - one of the designs of the decade." Hi-Fi World, March 2002
SME Series V Series V sound has an almost startling dynamic range and neutrality enabling high levels to be enjoyed. It escapes the 'LP' sound and demonstrates that structural resonances in pick-up arms are responsible for much that makes vinyl records readily discernible from master tapes.	Origin Live Illustrious mk2 and the winner is... the Origin Live Illustrious, a pick up arm that is quite simply breathtaking. It's ability to display a three dimensional stereo image is above critisism, as is it's transparency and lack of artifice. It also has amazing tonal accuracy, which lets the "flavour" of each instrument or voice flood out of the speakers. This is the respect in which it is most obviously superior to the SME.... on any deck ... this is surely the best. Albert Lee - Hi-Fi World 2004 Group comparison test of 7 tonearms
Brinkmann 10.5 "This arm bears a striking resemblance to that once made by Breuer of Switzerland, right down to the restrictively shaped headshell." - HiFi + extract	Origin Live Enterprise This arm is packed with radical new thinking and technological advances, to significantly elevate toneram performance beyond anything that has gone before. Rather than list the features of this arm, we invite those who want to experience ultimate performance to simply listen. The most obvious aspects of this arm are it's sheer speed and realism that is approaching live music. The tightness and depth of bass is a revelation and will expose you to your records in a totaly new light