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Cartridge thoughts

N

neilm

pfm Member
Hi All,

my little project to get my Dad's old 301 / SME 3009 back up and running has almost finished, however was wondering if anyone has some views on good cartridge choice. Current front runner is a Goldring but before I take the plunge just wondered if there were any other ideas I should be considering

thanks in advance

Neil
 
Which type of 3009? The standard Series II is good for a range of MM and MC models plus can balance out quite heavy carts, the Series II Improved is lighter, less versatile and more a MM thing, and the fixed-shell Improved very low mass indeed and really only suited to high-compliance MMs. Stick to the correct context for the arm and you'll get decent performance.
 
I use 3009 imp on 401 with grado gold also the platinum wood bodied one and they sound fantastic not hyped or hifi just good Music
 
Shure V15 mk5, Ortofon SPU G classic's
Not sure if the Denon 103 will work with the 3009

Alan
 
Check the arm lead. The SME cable has 220pF ceramic capacitors inside the RCA shells at one end. These were to make the capacitance match Shure cartridges and way too much for any modern cartridge. Just snip them off if present
 
davidsrsb said:
Check the arm lead. The SME cable has 220pF ceramic capacitors inside the RCA shells at one end. These were to make the capacitance match Shure cartridges and way too much for any modern cartridge. Just snip them off if present
Click to expand...

That's not the case with any 3009 I've seen and I've got four of them! I assume it must have been an option or modification.
 
Tony L said:
That's not the case with any 3009 I've seen and I've got four of them! I assume it must have been an option or modification.
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Probably not Tony, but they were present in the plugs of the SME Lead as supplied with my old Series III. Not a mod by the looks of it but possibly an option.

Regards

John R
 
As Tony says re arm matching, though I would think a medium compliance MC like an AT or Dynavector 10 would be fine in the detachable S2 Imp. The effective mass is about the same as a Rega RB.

John R said:
Probably not Tony, but they were present in the plugs of the SME Lead as supplied with my old Series III. Not a mod by the looks of it but possibly an option.

Regards

John R
Click to expand...

My old SIII had them too.
Probably to raise capacitance to suit the older Shure and Ortofon VMS models which were common at the time.
 
oooh, its not easy is it!
really appreciate your comments and thoughts. I have rewired the arm with a new kit from SME so comfortable there is no additional bits and pieces in the signal path.
 
Robert said:
As Tony says re arm matching, though I would think a medium compliance MC like an AT or Dynavector 10 would be fine in the detachable S2 Imp. The effective mass is about the same as a Rega RB.
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DL110 should be viable too I guess.

One of the irritations of the Improved is that the outrigger weight and bias arm are only calibrated up to 1.5g and the arm itself is only designed to balance out fairly light body carts with the standard counterweight. Obviously one can get around this with stylus scales and a heavier bias weight, but as I say, an irritation. It seems happy enough with most typical MMs though. The Ortofons such as the OMs, 2Ms 5x0 etc seem fine. I've got a 540/II in the fixed-shell Improved on my £30 auction Technics SL-120 and it works great, very solid tracking.
 
Tony L said:
DL110 should be viable too I guess.

One of the irritations of the Improved is that the outrigger weight and bias arm are only calibrated up to 1.5g and the arm itself is only designed to balance out fairly light body carts with the standard counterweight. Obviously one can get around this with stylus scales and a heavier bias weight, but as I say, an irritation. It seems happy enough with most typical MMs though. The Ortofons such as the OMs, 2Ms 5x0 etc seem fine. I've got a 540/II in the fixed-shell Improved on my £30 auction Technics SL-120 and it works great, very solid tracking.
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DL110 definitely - it's light too at 4.8g.

You'd have to fiddle with the VTF though to get the 1.8g it likes.
Pushing the main counterweight forward just a tad to get that extra 0.3g isn't going to be an issue though.

There you are Neil, sorted (if you want MC) :)
 
They were a standard fitment on all the series lll arms to suit the ortofon range.ortofon also made a little unit you could clip on the back of there carts called a cap 210
 
Tony L said:
I've never owned a Series III, so that would explain why I've never seen such a thing.
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There's still time; I have a real soft spot for the Series 111, the problem was essentially changes in fashion...not changes in technology. It's been effectively 'written out' of SME history...if you go to the factory in Steyning, the other arms are on display, but no Series 111.....
It has a nice, gentle, sound and is surprisingly versatile, if a bit fiddly. Not a 'classic' like the 3009/12 but a fine arm, which has been unfairly dismissed.
They are not expensive, go on, why not treat yourself.
 
Have ordered Cartridge, but before the big reveal want to see how I get on with it and the renovated turntable first, will keep you posted, but thanks again for your thoughts...

Neil
 
paskinn said:
There's still time; I have a real soft spot for the Series 111, the problem was essentially changes in fashion...not changes in technology. It's been effectively 'written out' of SME history...if you go to the factory in Steyning, the other arms are on display, but no Series 111.....
It has a nice, gentle, sound and is surprisingly versatile, if a bit fiddly. Not a 'classic' like the 3009/12 but a fine arm, which has been unfairly dismissed.
They are not expensive, go on, why not treat yourself.
Click to expand...

So do I: I like them with Shure MM carts.

The common belief that SME do not have a Series III in their museum is not technically correct, for in a recent visit filmed (in part 2) by (I think Micheal Fremer) lo and behold they take a late model black arm tubed Series III down from a shelf of many 3009's and proudly proclaim they were using carbon fibre long before anyone else in the arms ;) trade. I was very pleasantly surprised by that!


Regards.

John R.
 
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