No more SME arms!

[Birdseed007]

I too have finally jumped in and bought an SME IV to complement my Gyrodec and AT-OC9. I've lusted after an SME IV since the original Hi-Fi News review in 1987 when I was a mere 18 (which I still have somewhere in the loft!!) It's rather nice making a teenage dream come true, even if it has taken 32 years to achieve it!!

Now pondering if my turntable is outclassing the NAC82 MC boards in the amp and what I really need is a Trichord Dino and NC supply!! If anybody has views on the Dino I would be grateful.

Birdseed007

 

[TheDecameron]

I too have finally jumped in and bought an SME IV to complement my Gyrodec and AT-OC9. I've lusted after an SME IV since the original Hi-Fi News review in 1987 when I was a mere 18 (which I still have somewhere in the loft!!) It's rather nice making a teenage dream come true, even if it has taken 32 years to achieve it!!

Now pondering if my turntable is outclassing the NAC82 MC boards in the amp and what I really need is a Trichord Dino and NC supply!! If anybody has views on the Dino I would be grateful.

Birdseed007

Have you haft chance to play and adjust the arm yet? They’re an amazing jump in ease of set up compared with most conventional arms

 

[Birdseed007]

Have you haft chance to play and adjust the arm yet? They’re an amazing jump in ease of set up compared with most conventional arms

Decameron,

You are right the set-up and instructions are superb but I had to stop last night as had a 4am start today. After work today I was at a Cara Dillon concert so while the arm is mounted it isn't yet aligned. I can't wait to try it tomorrow!

Birdseed007

 

[Birdseed007]

Have you haft chance to play and adjust the arm yet? They’re an amazing jump in ease of set up compared with most conventional arms

Decameron,

Not yet - was at a Cara Gillon gig on Fri night after a day at work! Going to be starting on the alignment Sat morning and cannot wait to hear it on the Gyroodec!

Birdseed007

 

[Roger Adams]

Even 10-15 years ago a certain german TT manufacturer's turntables blew the doors off the SME 30, and it was a third of the price and just as well made.

I'd just say that a good friend of mine, who was in the hifi trade and prior to that, was a studio engineer, had a SME 30. I forget the cartridge he used. I never heard his but he, and anyone else I spoke to who actually had heard it, simply referred to it as the best source they had ever heard bar the master tapes - and he actually said that (living with it) it was very close to even those.

I would doubt that any real money has been spent on improving the performance of turntables since the turn of the Century.

 

[ssimon]

simply pointed out that vinyl resurgance is not going to continue.

Many owners of these records don't have the means to play them, so Linn are not helping, as an arm is the the most likely item to be damaged when buying second hand.

 

[I.D.C.]

I'd just say that a good friend of mine, who was in the hifi trade and prior to that, was a studio engineer, had a SME 30. I forget the cartridge he used. I never heard his but he, and anyone else I spoke to who actually had heard it, simply referred to it as the best source they had ever heard bar the master tapes - and he actually said that (living with it) it was very close to even those.

I would doubt that any real money has been spent on improving the performance of turntables since the turn of the Century.

Have owned a LP12 / Orbe SE and now SME model 10A with two V arms. All were great turntables with their own signature sound. For me SME throws out the wider sound stage and a bass not over exaggerated. The detail I hear on the 10 is the best of the three decks that's what I love about the 10. The reason I went for the 10 could add two V arms and put two high end carts on them raising the sound of the 10.

 

[Mike Reed]

I've lusted after an SME IV since the original Hi-Fi News review in 1987 when I was a mere 18........ It's rather nice making a teenage dream come true, even if it has taken 32 years to......

Didn't realise the 4 came out so early. I bought the 5 with my Orbe/Clavis in '95 and the 5 had been out some time, but did it precede or succeed the 4? That is a heck of a long time to achieve dreams, but more's the surprise that in 32 years your dreams didn't expand in scope.

I had the 82 before the 52 before the 552, and whereas the Naim boards are (or were, for their time) very good, you might get a shock if you got an outboard stage; especially a valved one like the inexpensive E.A.R. ones. I've gone down this road albeit at a higher level, and it wouldn't be just your dreams expanding !!!!!!. You could do a lot better than the 82, whether you have 1 or 2 HiCaps on it. Maybe an E.A.R. pre with built-in stages?

There are lots of alternatives to the 82 nowadays both s/s and valved but you don't mention your power amp(s); if Naim, they'll be fine with a better pre. apart from the DIN termination hassle.

 

[Wine Man]

Mike.. showing my age here! The Series V came first, HFN reviewed it in June '86 with the headline 'an arm for an arm and a leg'. The IV came next and was reviewed by HFN in July '87. The V was around £1200 on first release, the IV £675.

 

[poco a poco]

Mike.. showing my age here! The Series V came first, HFN reviewed it in June '86 with the headline 'an arm for an arm and a leg'. The IV came next and was reviewed by HFN in July '87. The V was around £1200 on first release, the IV £675.

That's interesting. So the price of the SME V was only increasing well below until the recent final increase. I bought mine in 2011 for £2,000 and the inflation price should have been £2770. The 2018 inflated price should have been £3,316, but the price before separate sales stopped jumped to £5,200.

 

[Mike Reed]

I bought mine in 2011 for £2,000 and the inflation price should have been £2770. The 2018 inflated price should have been £3,316, but the price before separate sales stopped jumped to £5,200.

Yes, the price jumped almost directly after the take-over, and I do wonder if this enormous hike was a deliberate precursor to a decision already taken to phase out separately sold arms. An engineering exemplar as the Five is, it is a product of its time with its low mass, silicone damping and tricky and convoluted two-handed (ish...) VTA process (okay to raise but tricky to lower). Pity about the SME sled system; brilliant in concept but a pain inasmuch as it requires another different arm-board. Okay, this goes back to the sixties (?) when there weren't that many alternatives and stereo hifi was relatively in its infancy.

Had mine for 14 (?) years on Orbe so not knocking it at all; just that there are better, simpler and certainly cheaper (i.m.o.) arms out there. I remember the silly cult of removing the bridge for better s.q. I did, reluctantly and eventually. It was worse !!!!!

 

[Darren L]

Even more strange,in SME's statement of ceasing production and supply of tonearms they state that the Model 15, 20 & 30 turntables are available with or without tonearms.

 

[I.D.C.]

That's interesting. So the price of the SME V was only increasing well below until the recent final increase. I bought mine in 2011 for £2,000 and the inflation price should have been £2770. The 2018 inflated price should have been £3,316, but the price before separate sales stopped jumped to £5,200.

I paid just over £3,000 in 2015.

 

[GT]

Update and confirmation...

 

[sq225917]

This will be the death of them. You simply can't put a price on the value that comes from the thriving sme arm market and the constant mentioning of the brand that this brings. Cut out 80% of your customer base and you've just created a huge hole in you marketing and market presence. If the arms weren't making money for them they should have improved production and increased the price to cover it. Of course having an extra middleman in the chain makes that pretty hard to do.

Sad days

 

[I.D.C.]

This will be the death of them. You simply can't put a price on the value that comes from the thriving sme arm market and the constant mentioning of the brand that this brings. Cut out 80% of your customer base and you've just created a huge hole in you marketing and market presence. If the arms weren't making money for them they should have improved production and increased the price to cover it. Of course having an extra middleman in the chain makes that pretty hard to do.

Sad days

Not saying the decision was right. Maybe they see the full turntable package as the way to go thinking it will increase sales. I'm glad I got my V arm when I did.

 

[Tony L]

I find it so far beyond bizarre I've still no idea where to start! The most famous and respected tonearm company on the planet earth since 1959 no longer sells tonearms other than a part of a niche-market high-end deck? WTF?

PS Regarding the 'OEM' thing, I assume that is the Linn Ekos SE? Do they OEM for anyone else? They do the Keel too IIRC.

 

[hockman]

Regarding OEM, I assume they are referring to the supply of their arms to certain turntable manufacturers. Transrotor of Germany uses SME arms (and branded as SME) on their tables as the higher end alternative to Transrotor reworked Jelco arms.

 

[Tarzan]

I too have finally jumped in and bought an SME IV to complement my Gyrodec and AT-OC9. I've lusted after an SME IV since the original Hi-Fi News review in 1987 when I was a mere 18 (which I still have somewhere in the loft!!) It's rather nice making a teenage dream come true, even if it has taken 32 years to achieve it!!

Now pondering if my turntable is outclassing the NAC82 MC boards in the amp and what I really need is a Trichord Dino and NC supply!! If anybody has views on the Dino I would be grateful.

Birdseed007

Had the Dino with the big PSU ( not NC) and found it too bright an Arkless turbo beat it hands down, however the Dino has plenty of features.

 

[Rug Doc]

This really does smack of orders from above and furthermore from those that know nothing about hifi or who spends the most money on it!.. I’m very confused and I bet those on the shop floor are just as confused.

There was room in the market to develop a more expensive, limited edition “super arm” surely? And now they’ve handed this opportunity (as well as the one to become the best aftermarket arm manufacturer) on a plate to the competition right in the middle of a turntable revival. Crazy.