Illustrious Tonearm Mk5

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 result 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.

Features

Yellow stars denote new features not present on lower models.

Higher Strength Arm Tube

The high-grade aircraft alloy tube is reinforced using a long rear stub sleeve which is carefully interfaced to provide maximum energy dissipation and minimal reflections. This frees up your cartridge to perform as it should, away from the colouration and disruption caused by resonance and reflected vibration.

A Sleeved Rear-Stub

with larger diameter, higher strength and improved energy dissipation. This improves counterweight stability in vibration – thus enabling the arm tube to hold the cartridge more steadily.

A Rigidly Attached Counterweight

The counterweight attachment has been carefully engineered to hold the armtube more rigidly for cartridge stability whilst at the same time decoupling itself to minimize energy reflection back down the tube.

Counterweight Fine Adjuster

allows you to easily set the tracking force with a high degree of accuracy.

Headshell

features improved de-coupling and lightweight finger-lift.

Dual Pivot Bearings

For vertical arm movement the bearings consist of Ultra-hard tungsten carbide points sitting in hardened and burnished steel cups. This combination not only delivers incredibly low friction levels but is also much more robust than jewelled bearings which tend to shatter under stress. The results are incredible transparency, fluidity and retrieval of fine detail.

Precise & Accessible VTA Adjuster

VTA can be adjusted precisely and infinitely using a large diameter calibrated dial. A further advantage is that all adjustments can be carried out above the arm-board (unlike lower arms in the range which demand access below the arm-board).

Azimuth Adjustment

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 wire allows great transparency, detail and freedom from artefacts.

1 Meter Upgrade External Cable

(6mm diameter) Low resistance cable with high-grade Gold Plated RCA plugs to fit directly into your phono-stage or amplifier.

Awards

Reviews

“The best tonearm I’ve heard to date… brilliantly detailed yet utterly musical, this arm is set to join the ranks of the all-time greats. Wholeheartedly recommended.”
—Read the full review >
David Price, Hi Fi World

“The winner is the Origin Live Illustrious, a pick-up arm that is quite simply breathtaking…”
—Read the full review >
Albert Lee, Hi-Fi World

“The Origin Live Calypso Mk4 with Illustrious tonearm is flabbergastingly good! Tonally neutral, it has absolutely no coldness or hardness or any other sonic clue that can sometimes be attributed to a technically extremely well-executed reproduction.”
—Read the full review >
Hi-Fi Advice, Christian Punter

“Combining the sonic virtues of both unipivot and gimballed bearings in a fuss-free package, it should work exceedingly well with a wide variety of cartridges and turntables. It is certainly the best all-around tonearm I’ve ever had in my own system. Highly recommended!”
—Read the full review >
Bruce Kinch, Positive Feedback