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I posted this question to another site, but the path of the thread got derailed by a bunch of nonsense about arm pods and drive systems.
So I thought I would see what Inmates think, and what your experiences are.
I have what I believe is an early generation SME V, no I am not the original owner. It is on a SOTA Cosmos Eclipse and I have a Transfiguration Proteus on it. I have an Ortofon Verismo at VAS getting a new diamond. It is a new acquisition to me so I have not heard it. One of those cartridges will be on this table.
I wonder if there are significant performance gains to be had in replacing the SME? The SOTA arm board layout means I am limited to 9 and 10 inch arms. Tring to figure out if this is worth the effort, or as an alternative have the SME rewired, or perhaps just leave it alone?
Curious to read folks thoughts, experiences, and observations.
As I am a hobbyist of modest means many of my pieces do come from the used market, and I would sell the V to help fund its replacement.
Follow Ups:
See the setup video for the Verisimo on the Ortofon site (TechDas tt with SME V arm).
What would you replace it with? The V is already considered a reference component albeit quite a dated one now. However, it has stood the test of time so there is no reason to question the fundamental abilities of the arm which was used by SME on the Model 30 which in the 90s was considered a reference by many reviewers.
As for rewiring, the benefit of that is also debatable as long as the original clips were not damaged or resoldered by the previous owner.
Obviously you are free to spend your money in what ever way you feel like on this hobby, but my suggestion is to try the system as it is and get used to the sound before making any decisions on upgrades. Otherwise you don't know if the upgrade was worthwhile or not and which component is the weak link. Remember too that in the case of the arm, inaccurate alignment can make the difference between what should be revelatory performance to a huge disappointment. IMO, past a certain price point, cartridge quality and alignment has more of an effect than the arm itself.
I'm more intrigued by your comment about having a Verismo retipped - I'm surprised that the cartridge has logged more than 2000 hours on it already?! Or are you replacing just to be assured of a virgin tip?
What tip are you replacing the original with?
Regards Anthony
"Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty.." Keats
Well two points to consider. First of all A V or IV cannot have the alignment altered significantly because the headshell is not slotted. You can set overhang by sliding the arm in the sled, but you cannot change offset by any large degree, other than what clearance is allowed between the cartridge bolt and the bolt holes in the headshell. Secondly the V is not a continous or even 2 a two-part wire arrangment. The headshell area uses cartridge leads from a set of pins at the end of the arm tube to the cartridge pins. So those can be replaced at any time they have been compromised.As for what to consider as a replacement? That was the idea of the thread. Perhaps a Schroder, Reed, Graham, maybe Triplaner?
I am not the original purchaser of the Verismo. That person had twenty hours on it and managed to snag the diamond with a dusting cloth and pull it from the diamond cantilever. They chose to not have it serviced and part with it at a very affordable price. So its an unusual opportunity for me. To be honest I am quite content with my Transfiguration Proteus and Ortofon MC2000's. But this was too good of an opportunity to pass up.
Edits: 01/17/23 01/17/23
Do you want the system to play 7"s? Otherwise I can't see why you would want to change alignment which is already optimised for LP.
In my opinion, unless you already have an aversion to the SME V, the decision to shift to another arm should be based on a proper sonic evaluation of the system as is so that you can hear what shortcomings (if any) there are when paired with the Verismo. That way you can circle in on the arm that meets all your requirements. Otherwise, I'm sure you'll fetch a good price for the V if you have your heart set on another since SME no longer produce them as "separates".
Certainly sounds like you have been "gifted" a great cartridge - let us know how it sounds when you set it up!
Regards Anthony
"Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty.." Keats
I love the SME V. I think it's still one of the very best tonearms available today. Mine is mounted on a SOTA Millennia Vacuum Turntable . If I were you, I'd contact SME and send it in for refurbishment if they advise that approach.
Good luck!
John Elison
Or call Albert Keyser at smetonearms.com 705-737-6773
I've had really great experiences on a couple of SME arms with him.
I don't know how easy it is to get Funk Firm arms in the States, but I replaced a Series IV on my modified Pink Triangle with a Funk FX-R, and sound-wise the Funk arm is definitely a step up. It sounds more lively than the SME, at the same time as sounding more spacious. It also does "texture" better than the SME.
Now I specifically qualified with "sound-wise", as I'm sure you'll agree that the SME arms are hard to beat in terms of looks, ergonomics and adjustability (apart from azimuth, that is). The FX-R can't escape being a souped-up Rega in that - and only that - respect, but the Funk FX3 is basically the same technology but is a properly finished product, albeit at a much steeper price (though still less than you would have paid for a new SME V).
Alex
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