Looking for people who had heard both the Kuzma 4point 9 and the SME V...


I have an SME V paired with Lyra Delos...I like the combo it's super fast and get deep bass...imaging is phenomenal...I do however feel like its always fast and forward and maybe just a bit lean in the mids??  It's an older SME and am kicking the tires on a rewire or new cable..but before I go that route...I was thinking of trying the Kuzma 4 point 9" version...I have used and enjoy unipivots; the kuzma sounds kinda like a best of the gimbal and unipoivot world...Anyone have experience with both of these arms???

Ag insider logo xs@2xkozzmo999

Agree on the cartridge, but my opinion is try some different brand like dynavector or koetsu . 

Hey, I know someone who knows a ton about this. It’s JR at Wally Tools. He has a SME 30 with a Kuzma arm and a Lyra Atlas cart. Before you spend a fortune trying to diagnose this you could fix this for $500-$800 by sending in just your cart. If the head shell is detachable then ask about sending in the headshell. He will set up everything you cannot. I will bet if you do this you will wet yourself once you hear the needle drop on the in groove. At least call him and ask what are your options. 

Hey Charliee,

Sorry for the delay. The first thing is JR will analyze the cartridge to make sure it is within manufacturing specs. Next if you decide to just have the cartridge analyzed without your Kuzma headshell JR will make a special shim to go in between your cartridge and the head shell. Once you receive the cartridge back with all the data to go with it. You install the cartridge using the custom shim that JR manufactures for you to make sure your SRA, VTA, and Azimuth are spot on. If your Kuzma headshell is removable then you can send it in with your cartridge and he will do everything except set the VTF on your tonearm. Plus, once you do it this way you can swap the head shells with different cartridges setup by JR in a few minutes with no setup except VTF. Why spend $7,000-$22,000 on multiple arms. You swap out the headshell and you are playing with a whole different cartridge. If you call or email JR he will explain. You are missing the mids because the cartridge is probably not setup right to get the sound you want from your cartridge.