Tonearm/Cart Matching Assistance - SAEC 407/23


Has anyone used this tonearm? Can you tell me whether it is suitable for high/medium/low compliance cartridges?
Thanks, Travis
t_bone

I had the Saec ceramic headshell back in the 80’s using it on a Saec 407/23 and 506/30. These were on my Micro Seiki RX-1500VG table. I tried the Saec ceramic headshell on several MC cartridges including Highphonic, Saec and others back in the day. I could never get a good sound with the ceramic headshell for some reason.  Always seemed too bright and hard sounding.  Always a bit too edgy. 
I got out of vinyl for many years and just a few years ago got back into vinyl and man I’m so happy I did. Really loving it again! Now I have a Micro Seiki BL-99V with the Saec 407/TM and a Technics EPC-205C mkIV (compliance 12µm/nm).  Bought a Jico SAS stylus for it and loving the sound! The 407 is a medium mass arm and likes low to medium compliance cartridges. I just picked up an old Stanton Epoch II HZ7S cartridge which is a low compliance cart. (compliance of 18µm/nm). Haven’t received it yet, but I hear they sound wonderful. Hoping it comes close to my Technic’s sound as I’m looking for a cartridge that I can slightly tweak sideways in the head shell a little bit to get better alignment whereas the techniques is an all in one headshell/cartridge. From what I’ve read a cartridge with a compliance below 20 would be best with the Saec 407 arms and probably no higher then 25µm/mn.

Dear @harpo75 : The 205CMK4 is a superb quality level performer ( I owned. ) its compliance at 10hz ( not 100hz as japanese specified. ) is around 19cu that made it a border high compliance cartridge.

In those times I owned around 20 tonearms ( mainly japanese ) 3 SAEC in between and were not good enough for the Technics top MM/MC cartridges even with out the beautiful made and way resonant ceramic headshell.

Btw, Dr. Sa Win said in his operation manual, well in reality you can read as an Alert: please don't mount the cartridge in knife bearing tonearms and the SAEC is double knife. I owned the Sao Win LOMC cartridge, very good too but not in the SAEC.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTOTIONS,

R.

@harpo75  : It's really weird SAEC tonearms ( at least the 407/506/8000 ) that were made with an exceptional quality building levels choosed knife bearing, unfortunated for say the least.

 

R.

Very interesting!   I had never heard this.  I’ll have to research that. 
Hoping the Stanton Epoch II HZ7S cartridge performs well in the 407/TM.  

So I’ve been looking for information on this Dr. Sa Win and the manual you speak of.  I am not able to find anything on Dr. Sa Win or what you speak of about knife edge chatter.  Could you refer me to this information please.  I’ve also never heard of the Saec arms having any issue like this.  Thanks!