SAEC WE 506/30 incoming. Anybody here with any experience with this arm?

I have just seen this thread, and have used WE506/30 for several years now. As you now know it does require around 4 degrees extra twist in the headshell. We sell a laser engraved template for this if you need one..

https://zaxisaudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/saec-506-printer-template.png

 Once set up, it is a fantastic tonearm, the ceramic headshell is ok but can do better, Oyaide CF is good, as is Nasotec swing, this is what I use. Fonolab do a good arm lift mech too.. Not necessary to stay with low compliance carts, we have used from DL103 to My Sonic Labs eminent to Signature, AT Art 9, Aidas Panzerholz, through to Aidas Mammoth gold mkii, which is simply amazing. It is a bit strange with the offset, but the arm is too good to dismiss it purely based on this aspect.. 

tkr,

Good to hear you have and are enjoying the WE506, it certainly is quite a statement on any TT, both visually and of course sonically. It is worth some experimentation of the set up, you may actually prefer the Stevenson alignment after all, my view on tonearm geometry has been 'radicalised' by using a straight arm recently, so no offset, no sideways forces on the stylus tip, and of course no counteracting force (anti skate). Actually, in the arm I am using now there is also no bearing, so by all accounts, it should sound a mess! BUT, no, it is phenomenal, all across the LP side, absolutely no discernible difference in any passage from start to finish, no tracing distortion can be heard.. The arm is the ViV Labs FR9, with Aidas Mammoth Gold Mkii cartridge. So my thoughts would be to not get too hung up on reducing tracing error to the minimum, but to reduce the sideways forces on the cantilever as much as possible, this may bring the best result, and one which I will aim to do with my 506 over the coming month..

Rgds,
Paul

R,

Perhaps you misunderstood my post, I encourage tkr to experiment for best results, using whatever geometry sounds best to his ears.

To my ears with 40yrs analogue experience, the straight, zero offset ViV Labs RF9 tonearm sounds better than any other arm I have owned including the wonderful SAEC, not different, but BETTER..

Rgds,
Paul 

R,

Sorry, I'm not sure what your agenda is but ViV Labs are sold in the UK by Definitive Audio / Living Voice, it seems that you may be getting confused..!