Which Tonearm ?

[1KW]

I purchased a new Michell Gyrodec SE due to all the positive praise of this table from several people here on AA. I am not sure which tonearm to put on it ? I know rega and the SME 309 are both popular. I am open to suggestions. What a about a carbon fiber tone arm ?

[jdandy]

David.......You might want to PM Jeff (tonepub). He has a used SME arm for sale at a good price. I believe it is the SME Series IV.Vi tonearm. New reatil $3995.00.


http://www.needledoctor.com/core/media/media.nl?id=220&c=ACCT106601&h=8e07ddc05b7955c95939

[metaphacts]

David.......You might want to PM Jeff (tonepub). He has a used SME arm for sale at a good price. I believe it is the SME Series IV.Vi tonearm. New reatil $3995.00.


http://www.needledoctor.com/core/media/media.nl?id=220&c=ACCT106601&h=8e07ddc05b7955c95939


:thumbsup:

[BearCubinNY]

David.......You might want to PM Jeff (tonepub). He has a used SME arm for sale at a good price. I believe it is the SME Series IV.Vi tonearm. New reatil $3995.00.


http://www.needledoctor.com/core/media/media.nl?id=220&c=ACCT106601&h=8e07ddc05b7955c95939

Good memory Dan! I scooped that up from Jeff (more than 2 weeks ago). I'm planning on modding my Gyro SE for a second arm. :D

Reg

[Masterlu]

Good memory Dan! I scooped that up from Jeff (more than 2 weeks ago). I'm planning on modding my Gyro SE for a second arm. :D

Reg

You gear hoarder you! :D

[Puma Cat]

Fergit the carbon fibre tonearm.

I second (or third?) the use of an SME 309, IV.VI, or V arm on this table. The Rega is a good arm, but the SMEs are better and are much easier to set up and adjust. Plus you can always have SME rebuild them if need be to a new specification.

If I were you, I'd snag this SME 309 that just came up on Audiogon today. Act fast, as it will go fast:

SME Model 309 For Sale | AudiogoN (http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?anlgtnrm&1302236117&/SME-Model-309-excellent)

[jdandy]

I have also been doing some reading on the J.A. Michell TechnoArm Tonearm ($1195), a Michell redesign of the Rega RB250 that takes it to a whole new level, including silver tonearm wire the runs unbroken from the head shell to the RCA plugs. It's performance has been compared to the SME309.

Michell Tecnoarm [English] (http://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/tecnoarm_e.html)


http://www.michell-engineering.co.uk/pic/tur/michell_tecnoarm.jpg

[Masterlu]

I purchased a new Michell Gyrodec SE due to all the positive praise of this table from several people here on AA. I am not sure which tonearm to put on it ? I know rega and the SME 309 are both popular. I am open to suggestions. What a about a carbon fiber tone arm ?

Nice David, Welcome back to Vinyl.

[jdandy]

If I were you, I'd snag this SME 309 that just came up on Audiogon today. Act fast, as it will go fast:

SME Model 309 For Sale | AudiogoN (http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?anlgtnrm&1302236117&/SME-Model-309-excellent)

Stephen.......Seller used a fake zip code in his ad. Umm :scratch2:

[Puma Cat]

Hmm....you're right, that is suspicious. Good of you to check.

[Tonepub]

Here's a couple of questions that might help:

First, what are you planning on spending on a cartridge?

Next, how much fiddling do you want to do? Would you like "set it and forget it" or "constantly tweek"?

Secondly, do you see yourself as someone to perhaps get multiple cartridges for different applications? If so, the SME 309 or a vintage, rebuilt 3009 is a nice choice because they both offer removeable headshells, making a cartridge swap easy.

What are your mechanical/setup skills like? Again if you don't want to futz much or don't want to pay much to get it setup, that Rega arm is a great choice. It offers excellent performance at a reasonable price and if you buy a cart in the $500-1500 range it will all make for a very synergistic combination with your table.

The 309 is a better arm with more adjustability, removable headshells and the ability to swap tonearm cables too. But again, a lot more money, even if buying used.

Last but not least, should you go the Rega direction and decide to change your mind in a year, those arms are always popular on the used market and you should be able to sell it rapidly.

[Masterlu]

Stephen.......Seller used a fake zip code in his ad. Umm :scratch2:

The old fake zip code trick... :whistle:

[1KW]

Fergit the carbon fibre tonearm.

I second (or third?) the use of an SME 309, IV.VI, or V arm on this table. The Rega is a good arm, but the SMEs are better and are much easier to set up and adjust. Plus you can always have SME rebuild them if need be to a new specification.

If I were you, I'd snag this SME 309 that just came up on Audiogon today. Act fast, as it will go fast:

SME Model 309 For Sale | AudiogoN (http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?anlgtnrm&1302236117&/SME-Model-309-excellent)

I just put a bid on it :D

[two dot]

I love this place... great advice from the master...

Not THAT master ... the TT master....

[1KW]

Here's a couple of questions that might help:

First, what are you planning on spending on a cartridge?

I would like to get my feet wet with a $1000 or less cartridge preferably a MC

Next, how much fiddling do you want to do? Would you like "set it and forget it" or "constantly tweek"? Set it forget it

Secondly, do you see yourself as someone to perhaps get multiple cartridges for different applications? YesIf so, the SME 309 or a vintage, rebuilt 3009 is a nice choice because they both offer removeable headshells, making a cartridge swap easy.

What are your mechanical/setup skills like? Good Again if you don't want to futz much or don't want to pay much to get it setup, that Rega arm is a great choice. It offers excellent performance at a reasonable price and if you buy a cart in the $500-1500 range it will all make for a very synergistic combination with your table.

The 309 is a better arm with more adjustability, removable headshells and the ability to swap tonearm cables too. But again, a lot more money, even if buying used.

Last but not least, should you go the Rega direction and decide to change your mind in a year, those arms are always popular on the used market and you should be able to sell it rapidly.

What is the difference between the SME309 and IV ?

[jdandy]

What is the difference between the SME309 and IV ?

David.......Here's a good starting point. A couple of differences are the 309 has an aluminum arm, and the IV has a magnesium arm. Also, the 309 has a removanble head shell, the IV does not.

SME - Pick-up arms (http://www.sme.ltd.uk/content/Pickup-arms-1308.shtml)

[metaphacts]

David.......Here's a good starting point.

SME - Pick-up arms (http://www.sme.ltd.uk/content/Pickup-arms-1308.shtml)

Some differences

SME IV.Vi - Better bearings, fixed headshell, damping trough, upgraded wiring

SME 309 - detachable headshell, 5% lower effective mass

[jdandy]

The old fake zip code trick... :whistle:

Ivan.......I don't see any reason for a seller to be intensionally misleading about anything in an ad. I immediately discounted his credibility. He may not even be in this country.

[1KW]

I can't take back my offer according to audiogon. If he accepts than I will do a local pick up and meet him somewhere public like a bank as they have camera's.

[jdandy]

I can't take back my offer according to audiogon. If he accepts than I will do a local pick up and meet him somewhere public like a bank as they have camera's.

David.......Bank of Hong Kong? :lmao:

[BlueChiaro]

The ad calls for local p/u in NYC, actually...HSBC, perhaps? :)

[Tonepub]

What is the difference between the SME309 and IV ?

As listed here, all correct, but the newer 309's also have a magnesium tube I believe. The biggest diff is the bearings, the fixed head shell and the better internal wiring.

However, after having the 309, the iV.Vi and the V all on the same turntable can comparing them with the same cart on each, as good as the iV.Vi and V are, the 309 is definitely the bang for the buck. It's surprisingly good for half the price. And if you decide you do need the damping trough, it can be added to the 309 for about $450. It works better on some tables rather than other and when overused (i.e. too much silicone goo in the trough) can lead to rather wooly, overdamped bass.

SME arms and tables have gotten a bit of a bad reputation for this, but it's not the table or the arm, it's improper setup.

The 309 is definitely not a bad arm to have. It's probably one of my favorites.

If you are running a mega high end analog front end with a $5000 cartridge, the iV.Vi and V have a bit more bass weight and more inner detail than the 309. But if you're putting the arm on a $5000 table (Oracle, Mitchell, Raven, etc) and using a $1000 - $2500 cart, it's not all that noticeable.

[1KW]

David.......Here's a good starting point. A couple of differences are the 309 has an aluminum arm, and the IV has a magnesium arm. Also, the 309 has a removanble head shell, the IV does not.

SME - Pick-up arms (http://www.sme.ltd.uk/content/Pickup-arms-1308.shtml)

I just found out the 309 has a magnesium arm.

[jdandy]

David.......You are correct. I picked that up on a fact sheet somewhere, but I stand corrected. I shoud have read all the information about the 300 series in the link I provided. It is all right there.

Have you made a decision on the tonearm for your new Michell Gyro SE?

[cmalak]

Didn't Jeff (A/V Solutions) just list an SME-309 for sale recently? I thought I saw it and I went looking for his post in the "Selling" forum and I couldn't find it. :scratch2:

[Masterlu]

Didn't Jeff (A/V Solutions) just list an SME-309 for sale recently? I thought I saw it and I went looking for his post in the "Selling" forum and I couldn't find it. :scratch2:

Gear in the "For Sale Forum" move very fast as we continue to grow. :yes:

[jdandy]

Didn't Jeff (A/V Solutions) just list an SME-309 for sale recently? I thought I saw it and I went looking for his post in the "Selling" forum and I couldn't find it. :scratch2:

Cyril.......That was snapped up almost immediately.