SME 20/2 SME V or Triplanar VII?

Dear Cipherjuris : I agree with Nsgarch and Chadnliz about the SME V: very good tonearm.
Other advantaga with the V is that match great with the 20/2 and this synergy is a plus that the Triplanar does not has.
Btw, if you add a Sumiko Celebration cartridge that makes a great match with that combo: you could be near audio heaven!!!!

+++++ " VTA on-the-fly ...? " +++++

I'm sorry but till today I don't know any single ( comercial. I read somewhere that Towhsend was in the development of something about ) tonearm with a real VTA on the fly. For we really can get one we will have to have a remote control over de tonearm. So, does not exist that " VTA on the fly ", at least not a useful one.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Doug: +++++ " I'm not sure why Raul thinks a VTA mechanism needs a remote control to be useful. Mine works just fine, and I don't have to stop listening to music to use it! :-) " +++++

Well, you have to stand-up and have to go where the tonearm is for you can change the VTA. A real VTA-on the fly is with a remote control where you ´can compare minute VTA changes in " real-time ": that's my approach.

Any one can do azymuth changes in the SME V, problem is that you don't know in deep those tonearms.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Ed: Before you buy any tonearm my advise is that at the same time choose the phono cartridge, both items: tonearm/cartridge depend one each other and the better you matched the better the quality sound reproduction.

What do you have on mind about?

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Ed: In the case of SME the TT and tonearm complemented each other. No body knows how great is the SME V till heard along with the SME 20/30. Some people here post that the Triplanar ( that is a very good tonearm ) hands down not only the SME V but other very good tonearms too, the problem was that the SME V was not on a SME 20/30 and this makes a huge difference on any SME V test.

The synergy exist, not only on the SME subject but onother audio devices too, it is not only to drain resonances like Doug ( very simple point of view. Btw, the one-piece arm tube like you say is tappered that help a lot with resonances ) post, no the synergy exist for many other subjects: SME design the V not only thinking on the tonearm itself but thinking too on their own TTs.

The V is not for every single TT out there, there are TTs like the Linn ones where the V is really working against it, but there are some other TTs where the V is a must: AVID, Oracle, Sota and of course the SME ones. You already
have the SME 20, why don't ask directly to SME ( are very honest people ) about the V against other tonearms in your SME 20 and with those cartridges?

I really like the SME products not only for the great design and great research around but for the quality build that is second to none.

Now, the V is very good match for the XV-1, btw this cartridge is really hard to beat, certainly not for the ZYX ( that is a very good one too ), the one that came to my mind that is a step higher is the Allaerts MC2 Finish
that works very well with the V too.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Ed: I assume that the price of an audio device is almost no price object to you.

I one of my posts here I speak about the great match ( synergy ) between the SME 20/V with the Sumiko Celebration cartridge ( you can read about on the Stereophile reviews of the 20 and the 30 SME TTs ). The Celebration, in this scene, compete with the Dynavector/ZYX cartridges for a fraction of price, it is that good.
I use it in the SME tonearm with out the stainless steel nuts on the headshel and running the tonearm in a static balanced way instead of the own V dynamically balanced way. Why don't try it?, it is " unexpensive ": 1,500.00 at retail and 1K second hand, you always could sale it if you don't like it.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Flyingred: +++++ " The SME V does sound stodgy in the bass when mounted on turntables of other makes (especially non-suspended designs). " +++++

I agree, because I hear it in my RX-5000 and others one but there is one exception about: Acoustic Signature TTs, when I mounted in my AS TT every thing is fine: no stodgy bass!!!

Regards and enjoy the music.
raul.

Dear Ed: Static balance: you set the VTF using only the counterweight leaving the VTF V device out of work in this manner you by-pass this mechanism that tend to resonate and that put distortions/colorations in the sound reproduction.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Neil: You have very nice audio system: you will hear it, try it.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.