Good carts with SME V

How could a lowly vintage Shure MM with a crudely shaped stylus profile and a low compliance bulky cantilever made by JICO possibly compete in sonics?

If the suspension is OK and its tracking correctly, then it will. Being a high output cartridge, one would have to pay attention to getting the cartridge loaded correctly as well, since loading affects MM cartridges at or just above the audio passband. I might have to revise my statement slightly as it occurs to me that a low compliance cartridge might be challenged to go up to a very high frequency. But they were getting cartridges to go past 50KHz in the 1970s...

The important thing to keep in mind is that the ability of the tone arm to properly track the cartridge is far more important than what cartridge you actually get. In this regard an inexpensive cartridge will totally keep up with one that might cost 10 or 50x more if the tracking is right (and if any loading requirements that the cartridge or preamp may have are satisfied).

Basically, if its all correct, it will sound like music :)

I had good luck with the SME5 and the Micro Benz cartridges, but that was a while ago. The Micro Benz was a trooper though- the cantilever suspension held up for over 10 years. 

listening to Yes Close to the edge, side B track one with a heavy organ solo, I dont hear any breakup. Where do you hear it? I have a ca second press UK.

That's because you have a UK press which is pretty good :) The American press breaks up and so does the German, to a lessor extent.

The Titan i does make this record sound “sharp”. But was it meant to sound that way? I think, yes. There should be some razor blade to the sound. Now that it is better adjusted, the bass performance is very tight and sounds great. The guitar of Steve Howe sounds more full, warm.

I've been a Yes fan from way back, and also have UK originals for most of their early stuff.
I've not heard any sharpness on Relayer. The only version of Close to the Edge that seems to hold up is the original UK version (the pipe organ does not break up) followed closely by the Mobile Fidelity version. In a number of ways The Yes Album (purple Atlantic label) seems the best recorded...

Please clue me in; how do you adjust the effective mass on a Triplanar, save by the method common to any tonearm, which is to add mass? But, as for most other tonearms, you cannot reduce effective mass below the basic value with no added weight.

@lewm Actually the means is simple. The Triplanar is supplied with a series of counterbalance weights. You can use one, or you can use several and spread them out. The distance from the fulcrum makes a difference on the effective mass, so you can adjust a bit by playing with the different weights.

@o_holter One thing I got taught in spades by the Triplanar is that:
***the ability of the arm to track the cartridge properly is **by far** more important than what cartridge is used!***

If the arm can track two cartridges extremely well, even though the cost between them might be 10:1, the difference between the sonics will be slight if audible at all.

Its when the arm has tracking issues that the more expensive cartridges start to shine. 
I know that many audiophiles won't want to hear this, but that's how it is.

@o_holter IME with the SME5 you need a slightly lower compliance cartridge, as the arm with the cartridge is going to be medium to higher mass.

I ditched the SME5 for a Triplanar years ago and never looked back. An advantage of the Triplanar is that effective mass can be adjusted, on the SME5 you're stuck with what you get, so you have a wider range of compatible cartridges. The bearings of the Triplanar are lower friction, and the arm tube is damped better as well. Its also a lot easier to set up and you can adjust VTA on the fly.