Dear Doug: The changes that the people of SME do on the V were to do their tonearms more accesible, in price to everyone, that's why exist the IV: that has the same one piece contruction but different quality bearing ( ABEC 5 instead ABEC 7 for the V ) and that the IV is statically balanced and with no oil damping. SME don't change the design.
" arms just because the original version has been enhanced? "****** Doug, the SME V was not enhanced ( in his design ) never.
The SME issue is a good one because this company is not only a very serious tonearm designers ( turntables, too ) but they are top rated in the world manufacturers for weapon items and space/aeronautic items and many more.
Can you explain why in more than 20 years that they design the V, they don't do it any up-date to it?.
Well, I think because the V is a truly finished design. It is perfect?, certainly not. There are some things that can do on the V for it will be more user friendly, but for a better performance I don't know.
I think that many tonearms designers have not the 100% know how about all the tasks of the tonearm and how to reach it and I think that not all tonearm designers are so critical and strict on testing their designs before they put on sale.
***** " Raul's beloved Moerch DP-6 (a fine arm by all accounts) has at least two obvious weaknesses: it has breaks in the wire and its... " *****
Doug, everything in this world is a trade-off. One of the heavy advantages of this tonearm is that you can change different effective mass arm wands, I can't imagine ( I would like ) how to do this with out breaks in the wire.
When anyone is in the design of anything, he is in a complex process where he has to think in any single point that affect his project for the best or for the bad. The development of a project ( a serious one ) is a hard task where you have to know all the rules for to have success. This success have to be reflected on the time, like the SME V.
The Breuer, Ikeda, Dynavector and Audiocraft ( I think ) tonearms are still on production with out changes.
I'm not saying that I'm against " changes ", no I'm not. I dislike the unfinished products because I feel that this unfinished design it can't give me the 100% of performance till it will be up-dated again. That's all.
Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.
" arms just because the original version has been enhanced? "****** Doug, the SME V was not enhanced ( in his design ) never.
The SME issue is a good one because this company is not only a very serious tonearm designers ( turntables, too ) but they are top rated in the world manufacturers for weapon items and space/aeronautic items and many more.
Can you explain why in more than 20 years that they design the V, they don't do it any up-date to it?.
Well, I think because the V is a truly finished design. It is perfect?, certainly not. There are some things that can do on the V for it will be more user friendly, but for a better performance I don't know.
I think that many tonearms designers have not the 100% know how about all the tasks of the tonearm and how to reach it and I think that not all tonearm designers are so critical and strict on testing their designs before they put on sale.
***** " Raul's beloved Moerch DP-6 (a fine arm by all accounts) has at least two obvious weaknesses: it has breaks in the wire and its... " *****
Doug, everything in this world is a trade-off. One of the heavy advantages of this tonearm is that you can change different effective mass arm wands, I can't imagine ( I would like ) how to do this with out breaks in the wire.
When anyone is in the design of anything, he is in a complex process where he has to think in any single point that affect his project for the best or for the bad. The development of a project ( a serious one ) is a hard task where you have to know all the rules for to have success. This success have to be reflected on the time, like the SME V.
The Breuer, Ikeda, Dynavector and Audiocraft ( I think ) tonearms are still on production with out changes.
I'm not saying that I'm against " changes ", no I'm not. I dislike the unfinished products because I feel that this unfinished design it can't give me the 100% of performance till it will be up-dated again. That's all.
Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.