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Ortofon 309 vs. SME 3012 for SPUs

I am hoping that people here can compare the vintage Ortofon 309 arms to the SME 3012s for use with G type SPUs.

My question is which vintage tonearm is the best complement to a top flight G type SPU? There are a few versions of the RMG 309 tonearm and also SME 3012s (Series I vs. Series II). It seems that the SME 3012 Series I fetches the highest price. I would like to match one with an AE90 or Silver Meister GM MKII SPU.

latinsamba1

Showing 4 responses by pani

pani
1,220 posts
 
I have not heard the Vintage Ortofon but the SME 3012 lacks resolution significantly.
pani
1,220 posts
 
I did not mean SPU lacks resolution, I meant the SME is not a highly resolving tonearm. I have compared it to a Naim ARO and 47 Labs RS-A1 and both of them showed how much details the SME was lacking.
pani
1,220 posts
 
Ortofon SUT are very good. Secondly a nice SUT in the chain goes a good distance in making the sound more delicate and unforced. Even the very good phono amps introduce some sort of its own distortion and signature when amplifying a 0.3mv signal. It is not readily audible but introducing a decent SUT immediately reveals it.
pani
1,220 posts
 
Dover, you are possibly right, most tube phonostages I have heard uses an SUT inside for the first level of amplification. You possibly mean a full tube amplifier phonostage without any SUT, can you please suggest examples that you think are worth considering ?

Most SS phonostages I have heard, even the good ones sound nice but with a good SUT, gain a certain grace in the sonics.
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