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Kusma and SME tonearms

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Posted on June 28, 2010 at 19:45:21
Mungo
Audiophile

Posts: 72
Joined: December 27, 2001
 Hi, would any one have a view if a Kuzma 313 reference or a Kuzma 4 point tonearm would be a significant step up from a SME 309? I use a ZYX Atmos
thanks
Mungo

 

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RE: Kusma and SME tonearms, posted on June 28, 2010 at 20:29:06
JoKath
Manufacturer

Posts: 1505
Location: Ontario
Joined: March 20, 2006
 On what table?
Dan Santoni

 

RE: Kusma and SME tonearms, posted on June 28, 2010 at 20:51:45
Mungo
Audiophile

Posts: 72
Joined: December 27, 2001
 Acoustic Signature Final Tool, cheers

 

RE: Kuzma and SME tonearms, posted on June 28, 2010 at 22:43:44
Brian Walsh
Distributor or Rep

Posts: 10768
Location: IL
Joined: December 6, 1999
 I am a Kuzma dealer.

I am not sufficiently familiar with the SME 309, but one of my clients has the same turntable and replaced his Triplanar VII with a Kuzma 4Point; he also had been using an SME V, which I know well, having owned one several years ago. He uses a ZYX Universe cartridge.

His almost immediate reaction to the 4Point as soon as I finished setting it up was very positive compared to the other arms, performing exactly the way he hoped. I recently aligned the cartridge using the Feickert software, which took the performance up a significant notch. He's very happy. I love that.

The Kuzma Reference 313VTA offers many of the benefits of the 4Point at lower cost: long effective length, easy precise azimuth adjustment, separate VTA tower enabling fine adjustment even during play.
Brian Walsh

 

RE: Kuzma and SME tonearms, posted on June 28, 2010 at 23:31:50
Mungo
Audiophile

Posts: 72
Joined: December 27, 2001
 Thanks Brian, In your opinion is the differences between the 313 reference and the 4point significant, can you describe them? Thanks a million
cheers
Mungo

 

RE: So was it the Kuzma tonearm..., posted on June 29, 2010 at 11:04:02
Ivan303
Audiophile

Posts: 48887
Location: Cadiere d'azur FRANCE - Santa Fe, NM
Joined: February 26, 2001
 Or was it the Brian Walsh/Feickert software and setup that made the improvement?




First they came for the dumb-asses
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a dumb-ass

 

RE: So was it the Kuzma tonearm..., posted on June 29, 2010 at 11:39:04
Brian Walsh
Distributor or Rep

Posts: 10768
Location: IL
Joined: December 6, 1999
 A valid question. After initial installation the alignment was not completed, yet the client's comments about the 4Point's performance were as described. Several months elapsed before I had the opportunity to go back and perform the alignment, which yielded noticeable improvements. Phase error between channels at 1 kHz was reduced from about 90 degrees to virtually nil, crosstalk reduced by about 5 dB.
Brian Walsh

 

313VTA vs. 4Point differences, posted on June 29, 2010 at 14:20:50
Brian Walsh
Distributor or Rep

Posts: 10768
Location: IL
Joined: December 6, 1999
 First of all, compared with the standard Stogi Reference arm, the Kuzma Stogi Reference 313VTA has notably less distortion due to the greater arc length. The 313VTA shares a lot with the standard Reference arm with its quick, dynamic sound and provides punchy, hard hitting bass.

By comparison the 4Point is sweeter sounding, has a slightly gentler perspective akin to sitting a few rows farther back in the concert hall yet has bigger dynamics. More refined and well balanced, the 4Point has less bombastic, more tuneful bass with more realistic feel and texture. The result is more relaxed listening.

The above comparisons are based on the 313VTA with its stock copper wiring and the 4Point with its stock silver wiring (Crystal Cable). The 313VTA is available with the silver wiring as an added cost option.

All of that said, the 313VTA is a heck of an arm, and at about sixty percent of the cost of the 4Point, quite a value.
Brian Walsh

 

RE: 313VTA vs. 4Point differences, posted on June 29, 2010 at 16:14:34
Mungo
Audiophile

Posts: 72
Joined: December 27, 2001
 Thanks Brian , that is the best analysis of the two arms I have been able to gather, cheers (PS Think i'll get a 4point)

 

RE: 313VTA vs. 4Point differences, posted on June 30, 2010 at 16:22:09
Mungo
Audiophile

Posts: 72
Joined: December 27, 2001
 Hi Brian, if i was to go the 313 Reference path, do you think the crystal cable over the cardas would have a different sound? Thanks
Mungo

 

RE: 313VTA vs. 4Point differences, posted on June 30, 2010 at 16:46:57
Brian Walsh
Distributor or Rep

Posts: 10768
Location: IL
Joined: December 6, 1999
 Yes, the optional wire may likely make the sound sweeter, but I haven't heard a comparison.
Brian Walsh

 

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