Good discussion on this topic.
I recently installed an SME 309 on a Technics SL1200GAE (not my own turntable BTW, so no expectation bias involved). It sounded noticeably better than the stock arm - especially in terms of top end refinement.
Comparison of sonic qualities of some tonearms
I’m relatively new to the world of vinyl, listening seriously for probably only 2 years. Of course, many big picture items (e.g. turntable, phono stage, cartridges) are discussed extensively on this forum, but I haven’t seen much discussion comparing different tonearms. I would be interested to hear about different people’s experiences with different tonearms, mentioning the audible advantages and disadvantages of each tonearm, realizing that there is no perfect sound, although from what I read about others’ experiences, SAT tonearms may come closest, albeit at a very high price.
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@yoyoyaya I have heard the SME 3009, but not for a few years now, the one I used to be able to be demo'd in use after my own very long period of not using one, was a model that had been stripped back and all parts that were an interface, having been honed to a very high level of finish. I was demo'd this TA in use with MC's and a few MM's, I can't fault its presentation with a MM, from recollection there was much on offer to be attracted to. I do recollect with the MC, the presentation was reigned in a little more to what I know the MC Model could usually present as. |
@pindac - apologies. Typo in my post which I've corrected because I meant the 309 - economy version of the Series IV/V. It was partly a freudian slip because I have very recently been listening to a very nice SME 301 with a completely rebuilt 3009 exactly as the one you describe above and it sounded absolutely wonderful. |
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