Origin Live
Origin Live Onyx MK4 Tonearm
Length
Origin Live Onyx MK4 Tonearm
Black / 9 inch (Linn Geometry)
22 Saint Kilda Road
22 Saint Kilda Road
Suite 2.02
St Kilda VIC 3182
Australia
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Onyx Tonearm Mk4
The Onyx Tonearm gives you supreme value with a performance that exceeds many £3000 arms. With its superior low friction gimbal bearings, you will expect to hear greater transparency and separation in the sound, giving you a clear defined mid-range. You’ll hear contrast and detail between instruments and vocals giving you an immediate, coherent sound.
Sonically, it marks a significant step up from any budget tonearm tonearm, with improved resolution, clarity, dynamics and fluidity – and indeed from most tonearms on sale. It comfortably outperforms the original Origin Live Silver MK1, which was thought to be one of the best arms on sale at its release. Indeed, it still outperforms many arms in the £3,000 region.
The Onyx was designed as an affordable performance benchmark – a tonearm that would flatter any budget or mid-price turntable and still be happy on a high-end deck. The Onyx was only possible thanks to Origin Live’s decades of tonearm design expertise. It’s difficult to design a great high-end arm, but harder still to do a brilliant budget product. Knowing where to spend the money in the overall design is why Onyx sounds so good, and that knowledge doesn’t come easy.
Features
Arm Tube
is a single piece, made from high-grade aircraft alloy. Stiffness is critical to provide a stable platform to hold your cartridge steady and reduce movement caused by resonance. The results are better dynamics and tight bass performance.
Superior Yoke Design
encompassing precision bearing fit. This results in an incredibly transparent arm with superb tonal balance.
Bearings
Are highly researched and purpose made to meet our specifications. These bearings are used in both the horizontal and vertical axis.
Integral VTA Adjuster
consisting of a threaded top nut above arm-board and clamping nut underneath arm-board.
Falling Weight Side Bias
Tests show this to be the highest performing method of achieving side bias. It has lower friction, better constant force and lower resonance than other alternatives such as magnets, springs, levers and twisted threads.
Internal Wiring
is high-grade copper Litz wire, Cryogenically frozen to reduce discontinuities in the conductors. This allows great transparency, detail and freedom from artefacts.
1 Meter Upgrade External Cable
(6mm diameter) Low resistance cable with high conductivity Gold plated RCA plugs to fit directly into your phono-stage or amplifier.
Reviews
“Sounds more human, more analogue, and more musical… represents excellent value for money and comes highly recommended… offers a relaxing, expansive and musical sound hitherto unavailable at its modest price point.
…the Onyx Tonearm immediately sounded very enjoyable. Tonally full, with sonorous and powerful deep bass, rich and colourful midrange and fluid, open and relaxed treble. This was exactly what the doctor ordered! On top of this, it had excellent tracking and has looked like its costs a lot more than it does. The reviews weren’t wrong: this arm really is very good indeed.
With the SME arm and this cartridge, there was always a lack of midbass presence, making only the most powerful recordings sound balanced but with the Onyx almost every LP sounds like a powerful USA release! Dynamics and speed were now impressive, gone was the former tardiness, replaced with cheerful, upbeat music, but importantly, while retaining smoothness and tonal fullness. On top of this, timbre had also improved massively.”
– Read the full review >
Hi-Fi World
“The Onyx is a great looking product. All parts appear to be made by Origin Live including the armlift, something only a mere handful of manufacturers will do these days… Even when fitted to a relatively humble deck and carrying one of Ortofon’s most affordable MC cartridges, it never fails to let the music speak for itself. This high class but friendly priced tonearm is equally elegant in appearance and performance. Handmade in good old Blighty by a devoted company that knows a thing or two about getting good vibes from vinyl, the sonic performance the Onyx delivered in the context of a modest but carefully adjusted setup can be conveyed in three words: unforced, organic and airy. My conclusion needs but one word: recommended.”
– Read the full review >
Killian Bakker
Effective Length
239mm
Overhang
17.24mm
Offset Angle
22 degrees
Mounting Distance (Platter Centre to Arm Hole Centre)
222mm
Diameter of Mounting Hole
23 - 24mm
Size of Base Mounting Nut
32mm across flats
Maximum Armboard Thickness
27mm
Length of External Cable
1m
Capacitance and Resistance
150pF % 0.4 ohm per channel
9.5" Counterweight Mass
165g (20mm x 40mm dia)
Effective Mass
12g
Weight
570g
Packed Weight
1650g
Stylus Force Gauge
Not Included
Threaded VTA Adjuster
Built-In