What cartridge for SME 3009 arm?

[Peterson Chong]

I recently acquired an old Kenwood 500 (marble) turntable with an SME
3009 (series 2) arm. Does anyone know what cartridge goes well with
this TT/arm combo? Is this SME a low or high mass arm? Should I
partner it with a high or low compliance cartridge? Should I stick to
a cheap cartridge in view of the vintage of the TT/arm?

Pete

[Stewart Pinkerton]

Peterson Chong <oe...@po.pacific.net.sg> writes:

The 3009 is a low-mass arm and is therefore best used with
high-compliance cartridges. Low-compliance high-energy moving coils
will (quite literally) make the knife-edge bearings rattle!

I'd try something like a Denon 110 for starters, if still available.

--

Stewart Pinkerton | If you can't measure what you're making,
A S P Consulting | how do you know when you've got it made?
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"I canna change the laws o' physics" - the other Scotty

[Phillip Chance]

In article <5b3rc8$5...@agate.berkeley.edu>, pat...@popmail.dircon.co.uk
(Stewart Pinkerton) wrote:

> Peterson Chong <oe...@po.pacific.net.sg> writes:

> >I recently acquired an old Kenwood 500 (marble) turntable with an SME
> >3009 (series 2) arm. Does anyone know what cartridge goes well with
> >this TT/arm combo? Is this SME a low or high mass arm? Should I
> >partner it with a high or low compliance cartridge? Should I stick to
> >a cheap cartridge in view of the vintage of the TT/arm?

> The 3009 is a low-mass arm and is therefore best used with
> high-compliance cartridges. Low-compliance high-energy moving coils
> will (quite literally) make the knife-edge bearings rattle!

> I'd try something like a Denon 110 for starters, if still available.

Are you sure about this? I recall having an EMT XSD15 which sounded
wonderful in either the 3009 or the 3012 tonearms. Can't swear whether
the knife-edge bearings rattled or not. Will take your word on that I
suppose.

Phillip Chance

[Nils Christian Framstad]

Stewart Pinkerton wrote:
> The 3009 is a low-mass arm and is therefore best used with

Is it? I use it myself, and if I am not wrong, it is a quite heavy,
metal S-shaped thing!?. Are you sure you do not mean the 309? (Mail me
if I have got something completely out of reality here!

> high-compliance cartridges. Low-compliance high-energy moving coils
> will (quite literally) make the knife-edge bearings rattle!
>
> I'd try something like a Denon 110 for starters, if still available.

Myself, I use Ortofon MC30. Haven't tried many others, I admit.

ncf

[JJeff65418]

Pete,

The SME 3009 series 2 Tonearm is a universal platform for most low to
medium mass cartridges. I used this same model arm for 15 years with a
trio of cartridges; Ortofon, Entre and Grace, which all sounded good.
I upgraded to a 3009 series 2S which I am currently using with the
Grace. Unfortunately this cartridge is no longer available so I am in
the same boat as you. Having decided to limit my budget to what I
consider the best value for my buck (about $150), I will be buying a
Shure V15VxMR which WILL work well in any SME arm. How does this
arm/cart combo sound? - V E R Y S M O O T H!

Hope this helps you

John Jeffery
jjeff...@aol.com

[Stewart Pinkerton]

cha...@CHOP.EDU (Phillip Chance) writes:

>In article <5b3rc8$5...@agate.berkeley.edu>, pat...@popmail.dircon.co.uk
>(Stewart Pinkerton) wrote:

[ cut -- rgd ]

>Are you sure about this? I recall having an EMT XSD15 which sounded
>wonderful in either the 3009 or the 3012 tonearms. Can't swear whether
>the knife-edge bearings rattled or not. Will take your word on that I
>suppose.

I've never used the EMT but I DID use a Denon DL103 in a 3009 II and
it did cause the bearings to break contact momentarily on certain
severe transients (Telarcs 'showpiece' discs were a nightmare!).
Fitting the additional mass of an ADC magnesium headshell seemed to
help this quite a bit, as I recall - we're going back about fifteen
years here!