The very substantial IT-407 would seem to demand no less: Its columnar support pillar is fully 25mm in diameter, and while the Ikeda's 10mm-diameter armtube isn't any thicker than average, it is made of stainless steel instead of the far more common aluminum. With its 35gm moving mass and a counterweight that proved too heavy for my 8.5gm Yamamoto ebony headshell—the latter used with any cartridge on hand—this is clearly not a tonearm for owners of high-compliance phono pickups.
The Ikeda is remarkable for more than just mass: Although its physical design appears solidly smooth and pleasantly unfussy, the arm offers more than usual in the way of setup and adjustment features: spring-actuated dynamic tracking force, which is calibrated and easily set for downforces of up to 5gm.
Dynamic balance
388mm
307mm
12mm
+2°～ - 0°35'
0g ～ 5g (in 0.5g step)
31mm
25mm - 60mm
35mm
6g - 38.5g
17.2g
The very substantial IT-407 would seem to demand no less: Its columnar support pillar is fully 25mm in diameter, and while the Ikeda's 10mm-diameter armtube isn't any thicker than average, it is made of stainless steel instead of the far more common aluminum. With its 35gm moving mass and a counterweight that proved too heavy for my 8.5gm Yamamoto ebony headshell—the latter used with any cartridge on hand—this is clearly not a tonearm for owners of high-compliance phono pickups.
The Ikeda is remarkable for more than just mass: Although its physical design appears solidly smooth and pleasantly unfussy, the arm offers more than usual in the way of setup and adjustment features: spring-actuated dynamic tracking force, which is calibrated and easily set for downforces of up to 5gm.
Dynamic balance
388mm
307mm
12mm
+2°～ - 0°35'
0g ～ 5g (in 0.5g step)
31mm
25mm - 60mm
35mm
6g - 38.5g
17.2g
