Origin Live Conqueror MK5 Tonearm

Conqueror Tonearm Mk5

One of the very best tonearms on sale at any price aptly named the Conqueror. Yet, this isn’t an overblown or showy performer – it’s not voiced to impress some of the people, some of the time. Rather, it’s exceptionally even-handed and balanced in its presentation and sounds sublime across a wide range of music. An immensely high resolution measuring instrument, it is nevertheless consummately musical and organic sounding. A real ‘fit and forget’ product, no matter what you play, it just dissolves away.

Compared to more affordable Origin Live tonearms, there’s an obvious increase in transparency, and with it a heightened sense of realism. Music sounds more natural and less processed as if a bright light has been shone on the recording and it’s there in front of you, in all its glory. Yet it confers an uncanny smoothness on the music, too; there’s a wonderful sense of ease and rhythmic ebb and flow. Bass is yet more powerful and defined than Illustrious, which is no small feat. Vocals shimmer with natural timbre and stereo imaging is almost holographic.

Features

Yellow stars denote new features not present on lower models.

Higher-strength Arm Tube

The high-grade aircraft alloy tube is further stiffened with carbon fibre. It is also 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.

Sleeved Rear-stub

with a 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.

Rigidly Attached Counterweight

The counterweight attachment has been carefully engineered to hold the arm tube more rigidly for cartridge stability whilst at the same time decoupling itself to minimize energy reflection back down the tube. The results are clearly heard in improved dynamics and a sense of power and control in the bass.

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.

Silver-plated Headshell Clips

At such low signal levels, electrical interfaces can be heard and silver marginally outperforms gold.

External Cable is 1m Silver Hybrid

At such low signal levels, electrical interfaces can be heard and silver marginally outperforms gold.

Rhodium-plated Single Point RCA Plugs

After testing numerous high-end RCA plugs these were selected for their outstanding performance. Single point contact has the advantage of reducing eddy currents and Rhodium with it’s ultra-smooth surface seems to provide a better interface in electrical joints.

Reviews

“It builds on a very accomplished design and takes it – probably – about as far as it can go. The result is a wonderfully easy, open and even sound that has the uncanny ability to pull you into the music rather than tell you how good it is in microscopic detail.”
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Hi-Fi World

“I have bought the arm sent for review and am now in a seventh heaven of completely rediscovering my substantial, well looked after music collection.”
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Chris Breunig

“It merits the highest of recommendations and is the obvious choice for Most Wanted Component of the Year. Simply, the Conqueror is in a class by itself.”
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Stereo Times

“Stunning. Space prohibits me from detailing every improvement I spotted over the Illustrious, and every difference I heard against the SME Series IV, but suffice to say that this is one of the very best tonearms yet made by anybody.”
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Hi-Fi World

“Having definitively surpassed what many consider to be the best tonearm in the world, I expect the Conqueror to be in permanent residence in my reference system.”
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10 Audio

On Saturday I collected the Conqueror arm and installed it to the Oracle. I have never heard one of your products before and I hoped that it will be slightly better than my SME V (as promised in some reviews).

But it was a shock to find out that the years with the SME were lost years. Your product betters the SME in each aspect. It is outstanding! Because of this experience, I will go to Mr. Schmitz (Munich) to hear your decks next time. Read more owner comments >
Andreas Winter – Bochum, Germany, Owner Comment