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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
pani
1,218 posts
 
I have not heard the Vintage Ortofon but the SME 3012 lacks resolution significantly.
prcinka
366 posts
 
if you do search the forums, there are some threads about it already....it all depends how far you want to go with the system...if you want to hear the SPU cartridges at the best... you should look for Ortofon tone arm. If you want more flexibility and maybe more "modern" sound you can go for SME. I would rather have 2 or 3 arms for that, means one of them for sure would be the Ortofon RMG......
stephenred
1 posts
 
I have both an SME 3012 S2 and a 3012 S1. Lack resolution with an SPU? I don't think so! The S1 is my favourite, and is used on a Commonwealth turntable in a massive 40kg+ ply plinth. Magnificently musical. Can't comment on the Ortofon arm, though have had EMTs which are related.
latinsamba1 OP
74 posts
 
It seems that both arms work very well but I am definitely interested in having the arm for exclusive use with SPUs (I already have an outstanding TW 10.5 arm for modern cartridges).

Does anyone know what the differences between the RMG 309 and the RMG 309i version are? I heard an RMG 309i paired with the SPU AE90 on another system using my same turntable and thought it was an outstanding combination. How does the older RMG 309 compare sonically?
pani
1,218 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.
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