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SME 20/2 tonearm suggestions

kwmason

Won Ton On
Hi all,
I'm looking for suggestions for tonearms that partner well with the SME 20/2 turntable. The obvious suggestions are the SME V/IV so lets forget these as they don't seem widely available 2nd hand.

What arms have 20/2 owners tried? what experiences have they had? any to avoid?

Cartridge will be either my Lyra Delos or DV 17D3.

Cheers

KWM
 
Neither the IV nor V are that difficult to find second hand and dealers quite often get them in. You sometimes see the Graham arm fitted.
 
As someone who has a SME 20/2 I would try and get a 309/IV or V, Unique audio is the obvious first stop as he has lots of stock of SME arms although not all listed on his page.

When I got mine I couldn't afford a V straightaway so ran a Audiomods(Rega mount) using the Origin Live SME mount adapter. It was very good but a SME V was much better.
 
When I got an SME 20/2 without arm a few years ago, every dealer I contacted suggested SME V (or IV or 309 if I was too impoverished).

I would agree with flapland try Unique Audio if you are looking for secondhand. I did not buy from him in the end but he did have a good choice of SME arms at the time.

I found a dealer prepared to offer a very decent discount if i was prepared to wait for SME to make the arm... nearly three months waiting having paid 100% up front - requires a lot of confidence (and patience).
 
The Four and Five are natural partners (but they would be) and, as aforesaid, fairly common used. However, this does give a very very neutral presentation.

I'm familiar with the Five, as is my friend who got a 20/3 not so long ago. Even though he's still got his Five, the Phantom which came with the deck is a much better partner in terms of musicality, tone, whatever. So much so that he can't be bothered to even try his Five on the 20/3. Oh yes, that's with Helikon. He'll mount his Titan i soon and rest the Helikon but he's enjoying the status quo too much !
 
As an SME20/3 owner (ie with a V), I've thought about the Helius and Audio Note arms. But, frankly, at this level, it's really just aesthetic preference. The V remains an awe-inspiring piece of kit, especially if you've lived with things like RB300s and Ittoks....
 
Give Kevin at Definitive Audio a call, he seems to have SME V's in very often, I got a minty one from him only last month and there was a choice etc...

Regards;
Peter
 


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