EMT 927 vs. Micro Seiki 5000 or 8000 - different?

Thuchan,
Thanks. I am not familiar with a SAEC 1000 model among the "higher" numbers, just the 407, 506, and 8000. I will have a think about this. It would make sense to run wire all the way from cart pics to phono stage but that would require knocking out two parts.

T_bone,
I think he ment the WE-8000ST.
Thuchan,
I'm waiting for the courier to deliver it within the week.
This model WE-308SX has about half of the required offset angle in the armtube and so, I have to twist the cartridge on the headshell.
But I was advised by Dertonarm that :
"If the line of your aligned cantilever is off-line compared to the offset angle of your tonearm (or a fixed offset angle in a fixed headshell ( SME V for instance )) then you have another - an additional - breakdown torque moment in the static force model of your tonearm.
In most cases it will result in an increased skating force - resulting in higher unlinear distortion figures".
I'm sure the 407/23 & the 8000ST are having the right angle.
In my case of 308SX I really don't know how to proceed differently & I have some thoughts of changing the armtube.
After Derto's advice, I'm reluctant to twist the cartridge on the headshell & I'm thinking about this drastic modification. A interesting & highly experimental project, that requires some skill & knowlege & I'm not qualified for.
If I had a chance I would trade the WE-308SX arm with the WE-8000ST but unfortunately all this info comes to me after my purchase. Anyway maybe something good & inspired arise from this uncomfortable situation.
Do you mind to comment about the SAEC in general? The 308SX have the ruby bearings as the higher numbered models, but I don't know anything about the level of performance in the models that the cart twisting is a must : (308, 317, 506)
Do you have any idea about the matching with Decca Ref or the EMT JSD5 ?
Thank you in advance.

Geoch,
As far as I know, the only SAEC arm with remotely normal offset angle is the 8000, with the 317 coming next. I too would trade the 317 for the 8000 any day of the week, but I don't know of any 8000 owners who would make the trade. The 8000 is the most sought-after SAEC arm I know of. FWIW, the 407/23 does not have the 'right' angle for anything other than SAEC's special geometry, but it does sound nice - especially with the SAEC headshell.

The 407/23 is manufactured especialy to hit the market outside the Japan, after Allen Wright's recommendation when he was the SAEC's importer for Australia. The 23 is refered to the offset angle that indeed is the right equivalent of the arm's eff. length by the Baerwald alignment.
But what about the other models of the SAEC's geometry ?
How one can align the cartridge & what cartridges are accepted in general ? Have you ever notice any problems with resonances or whatever the Dertonearm has refered ?

Geoch, that is interesting. I am not sure it is completely accurate. The 407/23 was offered in Japan for a couple of years before Allen Wright became the Australian distributor, and I see far fewer 407/23s outside of Japan than in Japan. I am almost certain it was not specially manufactured for non-Japanese markets. It is possible that the '23' came from Allen Wright, but I am not even sure of that. Perhaps it had the name 407 (without the 23) when it was first sold. I do not know and the only way to confirm that would probably be to check an old copy of Stereo Sound.

Personally, I had always assumed the 23 was for ~23cm length (the way the 506/30 has a ~30cm length). It is true that at 233mm, to get Baerwald alignment, it almost has to be 23 degrees offset angle, but that won't get you the cart straight in line with the headshell. And there is no way that the 506/30 is going to have a 30-degree offset angle...

I am not sure of your question. You can twist the cart in the headshell on all the SAEC arms (and it might make more sense to change the mounting distance too) to bring them to Baerwald. All but the 317 have original mfr geometry specs which are more aggressive than Stevenson alignment as far as I remember.

I have not had the problems Dertonarm has mentioned. I can understand the concept, but I think that the change in resonance from setting the cart off-line in the headshell is going to be substantially less of a problem than one's choice of headshell, one's cart match, and/or the resonance inherent in the arm itself.