Sound Origin SO-ONYX Onyx Wireless On-ear headphones

Origin Live Onyx MK5 Tonearm — High-End Analogue Performance at an Accessible Price

The Origin Live Onyx MK5 is a precision-built tonearm engineered to bring high-end analogue sound quality to mid-range and budget turntables. Designed and manufactured in Britain, it pairs a single-piece aircraft-alloy arm tube with purpose-made low-friction gimbal bearings to deliver transparency and dynamics that reviewers have compared to arms costing several times more. The Onyx MK5 is the right choice for vinyl listeners who want more detail and musicality from their existing turntable without committing to a flagship-priced upgrade. Its flexible mounting system makes it a drop-in replacement for Rega, Linn and SME armboards, opening the door to a meaningful sonic upgrade on almost any quality deck.

What Sets the Onyx Apart in Its Class

Two design choices set this tonearm apart from typical budget offerings. The arm tube is machined from a single piece of high-grade aircraft alloy rather than soft castings or carbon-fibre composites, giving the cartridge a far more stable platform and translating into tighter bass and better dynamics. The side-bias system uses a falling weight on a thread — a method Origin Live's listening tests have shown to outperform magnetic, spring and lever alternatives in terms of lower friction, more consistent force and reduced resonance.

Technical Specifications — Built for Real-World Vinyl Playback

The specifications below reflect the engineering decisions that shape the Onyx's sound and were validated through extensive listening rather than purely by measurement.

• Effective Length: 239 mm (9.5-inch standard, also available in 229 mm Linn geometry, 254 mm and 309 mm versions)
• Arm Tube Material: single-piece high-grade aircraft alloy — stiffness reduces resonance and improves bass control
• Bearings: purpose-made low-friction gimbal bearings on both horizontal and vertical axes
• Internal Wiring: cryogenically frozen high-grade copper Litz wire for transparent signal transfer
• External Cable: 1 m with nickel-plated RCA plugs (gold-plated RCA upgrade available)
• Mounting Compatibility: Rega, Linn and SME armboards via threaded base or adaptor plates

Who Should Choose the Origin Live Onyx

The Onyx MK5 is aimed at vinyl enthusiasts who already own a quality mid-price or budget turntable and want to unlock more performance from their existing cartridge. It suits owners of Rega, Linn LP12 and SME-mounted decks particularly well, since the standard 9.5-inch geometry drops directly into Rega armboards with no modifications required. Listeners running moving-coil cartridges from Ortofon, Goldring, Dynavector or Lyra will find the tracking ability and transparency a substantial step up from typical stock arms. The integral VTA adjuster and falling-weight side bias make it practical for anyone who likes to experiment with cartridge setups, while the 5-year warranty reflects Origin Live's confidence in long-term build quality.

Origin Live — British Tonearm Design Since the 1990s

Origin Live is a privately owned British company with what they describe as a "fanaticism to reproduce music as played originally, live" — hence the brand name. All design and manufacturing takes place in-house, allowing tight control over materials, bearing tolerances and assembly quality. The Onyx was conceived as an affordable performance benchmark, and Hi-Fi World magazine described it as offering "a relaxing, expansive and musical sound hitherto unavailable at its modest price point."