SME V and cartridge spacer


Using a Kiseki Purple Heart cartridge, my SME V tonearm occasionally faults on the edge of records so I purchased a spacer from SME. For those who have used this spacer, after accounting for it's added weight during set up, 3 gms, does it effect the sound in any way? 
Thanks...........Jim
jim94025

Showing 4 responses by jim94025

justmetoo has it right. My Kiseki cartrige tip to mounting platform doesn’t have enough depth, similar to Koetsu’s and the SME V arm. The arm faults ( touches the record rim) when the cartridge is the playing inner tracks and when the vinyl isn’t perfectly flat. It doesn’t help that in my system, the Kiseki sounds best with the VTA somewhat down in back. The spacer I purchased came from SME, I believe is made of aluminum.
And for those cynics above.... yes many things will have some, though maybe small, effect on a system’s sound, especially in a sensitive area like phono pickup.
"Most audiophiles don’t know what they hear." Really? Maybe you don’t, but that is a pretty general statement. Sound’s a lot like "all speaker cables sound the same and make no audible difference what so ever" BS.......
Ultimately I will make a determination in my system with my ears , but I was just looking for other’s experiences in using a spacer.
justmetoo...... the spacer weighs 3 gms

As for "Depending on the cartridge's compliancy (cu) it might even be better (or not?) regards the change of the resonance frequency." This is exactly what my question is about.
The cartridge I would use it with is the Kiseki Purple Heart NS. I have never calculated the resonance frequency of this cart and my sme V arm. How does one do that and how would it change by adding 3 gms to the head?
So, justmetoo, by your calculations what would adding the 3 additional grams for the spacer do to the resonance frequency, everything else being the same?
Also, could someone explain what one might hear in ones system, all else being the same, with the cartridge/arm resonance frequency at either ends of the acceptable range, say 7-8 and 11-12Hz?