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Ortofon spu.

J

justshoemark

pfm Member
Hi all hope your well.
I have managed to pick up an ortofon spu -T headshell and cartridge.
Dose anyone no much about them as I don't no anything? Many thanks
 
That's the bit I don't no.
How do you tell.
It came with an sme 3009.
There's an old sticker inside the headshell that says spu-t
Dose that help at all.
 
justshoemark said:
That's the bit I don't no.
How do you tell.
It came with an sme 3009.
There's an old sticker inside the headshell that says spu-t
Dose that help at all.
Click to expand...
SPU-T, the T denotes transformer attached and included, the 3009 should be fitted with an extra heavy counter balance weight.

Lovely mc cartridge, lucky find, these ain't cheap.
 
Yes I have an extra weight with the sme arm. Never had an MC cartridge before I will have to set it up and have a listen.
So you say there ain't cheap may I ask what short of money they are normally?
 
Ortofon don't refurbish as such - they replace entire old cartridge generators with new ones. A good service, but you don't get a sympathetically restored classic back, but instead a new cartridge in old clothes.
 
IIANM, none of the SPU that Ortofon list under their repair/rebuild service are original models. Regardless, one could likely sell off an as-is SPU-T for a fairly large amount and subsequently purchase a decent new phono cartridge with the proceeds. Here is an unserviced original that was listed by a used parts dealer out of Yokohama, Japan that was priced at $930.65CAD + $57.27CAD worldwide shipping...

reverb.com

Ortofon SPU-T Elliptical Diamond Cartridge In Excellent Condition #925050 | Reverb Canada

Ortofon SPU-T Elliptical Diamond Cartridge In Excellent Condition #925050 Item Description: This unit is in excellent condition (please see photos). This Cartridge has been checked confirm working perfectly. Shipping Policy We ship the item via economy air with tracking n...
reverb.com reverb.com
 
Thanks you for that mine looks exactly the same as that one. I haven't tried it out yet I need to get my MC phono stage out to try it.
It all so came with a old ortofon headshell fitted with a VMS 20E. It plays very well.
 
Sounds like a lucky find!
As noted above, with the internal step up transformer it should work directly into your MM phono stage.
If you end up feeling that the diamond is worn, it can be serviced for a fairly reasonable price by Joseph Long. He posts his work on Instagram as groovetickler and also posts his services and prices on eBay. His work is very highly regarded.
 
justshoemark said:
Thanks you for that mine looks exactly the same as that one. I haven't tried it out yet I need to get my MC phono stage out to try it.
It all so came with a old ortofon headshell fitted with a VMS 20E. It plays very well.
Click to expand...
What you have is an SPU/GT which is SPU/T in an Ortofon/SME mount headshell. This was Ortofon's first SPU (Stereo Pick-up) model with tracking force range originally specified at a virtually unheard of 1 to 2g back in 1958, however, it is important to note that this was rather optimistic with most running between 2-3g for best tracking. Regardless, with a cartridge of this vintage you'll have to literally play it by ear when it comes to setting optimal downforce, as the suspension will have altered considerably.

If you haven't do so already, you'll want to download the SME 3009 manual for instructions on balancing and setting tracking and bias forces. Most likely yours will be a Series II.

 
Thank you for all your help on this. I will print the instructions off and give it ago this week and see how I do. I will report back.
 
pfbaat said:
I'm sure Ortofon can refurbish their cartridges if they want to.
Its probably a question of price.

A new SPU retails between roughly €800-€3600 according to google.
Click to expand...

ortofon cant rebuild this one, too old.

one address is a well reputed guy in budapest who works for mighty ana sound though not sure if he would be any cheaper than ana service. but you can try. he only works with older ortofon and koetsu. i had a chance to hear one of his rebuilt 15SL, it was okay but i had no point of comparison. what is sure is that he has good ears - i had 2 koetsus rebuilt by him, clearly sounding better than the original ones - yes, different, but better, less usual troubles as with the original black /more open upper mid/hi, less muddy upper bass/. a friend has a direct contact so if you want me, i can ask.

the other address is well know berlin guy - thomas schick, who is one of the leading worldwide experts on old ortofons. he is basically stripping the cartridge from resonating plastic body, converting it into lyra-like nude body type. rumour is he knows how to preserve the original spy sound and improve it to modern standards. i havent been lucky enough to hear it though. i may have his email address somewhere.

this may be a useful link

A short history of early Ortofon pickups [Archive] - The Art of Sound Forum

A short history of early Ortofon pick-up cartridges History The Ortofon company started life as ‘Fonofilm A/S’, founded in 1918 by Arnold Poulson and Axel Peterson, initially manufacturing equipment for the film industry. In 1948 they introduced the first monophonic moving coil pickup...
theartofsound.net
 
Don't overlook groovetickler (Joseph Long). Check his ebay account. I have a mono SPU and this morning I noted his price for replacing the diamond starting at $150. That depends on condition of the cantilever. But he also can repair suspensions.
 
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