Upgrade From SME IV to V - Worth It

In the Link there is discussion had on this Threads Topic.

My own experiences had back in another times Halcyon Days, was that the V could not convince me it was a Betterment to the IV.

The IV is still owned today and no longer used.

In recent times I have experienced witnessing individuals moving on from a V as well as know of others who have moved on from their V Models.

V demands great monies in todays used market and the V/12 is escalating in costs. The IV should be enjoying appreciation in value for these same reasons.

 https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/comparison-of-sonic-qualities-of-some-tonearms

It actually depends on the individual specimen. You probably know the V came out first, and the IV followed. The IV is said to be made with unselected parts, while only selected parts go into the V. So if you're lucky, you may get a Series IV just as good as any Series V. There are some small differences in function - there is a VTF wheel on the V, and the thumbscrew on the counterbalance is just used to balance the arm before setting VTF. There is a damping trough by default on the V, and it is an add-on for most IV arms (I think the IV.VI also has the trough standard). Finally, there is a VTA screw to allow fine adjustments of tonearm height whilst the mounting clamp is loosened.

I have one Series V, two Series IV, a 309 and two M10 (a simpler arm made for the Model 10) arms. If I compare the V with the M10, I can certainly hear a difference, but I'd be hard pressed to hear the difference between the IVs and the V.

@dogberry I agree with @ pindac. There will be cartridges that actually work better in the IV, but the differences are minor. Both are very good arms. I think the Tri Planar, the Reed 2G and the Schroder CB would be significant steps up, but again that money might be spent to better effect elsewhere. 

My take on the IV is that it served a few purposes as follows:

1, I was in possession of a TA that was claimed to be competitive with the best from the era it was purchased.

2, There was a pride in having been the owner / user of the TA.

3, I was not shy to make it known I had a IV in use and did not sense the need for many years of ownership to investigate changes that could be made for it.

What changed I investigated upgrading the owned IV, from recollection there was discussions about ADEC 7 or even ADEC 9, as well as reproducing some critical parts from different materials, to be produced to extremely tight tolerances, using a very stable material and polishing this material to not usually produced surfaces finishing.

At the same time I was introduced to a TA, that had been created using a selection of the methods on the table for the IV, following the demo' of the TA compared to the IV, I was immediately convinced the IV was to be superseded, which it was.          

IMO upgrade the phono stage you get much better results

@mgattmch The Gyrodec is a fine turntable. You can not do better without spending insane amounts of money. I know your cartridge well. What I would do is keep the IV and replace the Maestro with a Soundsmith Voice.  The Voice is as good as many highly touted MC cartridges. It is high output so you will have an excellent signal to noise ratio and it's tracking ability is unsurpassed and it is much less expensive to re-tip. 

It depends initially on the period of origin of the IV, initially the V had Abec 5 bearings while the IV had Abec 3 then over time they made improvements to the entire V IV and 309 series.
I would keep the IV replacing only the original wiring with pure silver and investing the money saved in an upgrade of the head or phono.

the V has some more features as standard (silicone damping tank not necessary because if badly adjusted it suffocates the sound) possibility of VTA on the fly, lower tolerances than the IV but not to be heard obvious differences that do not let you sleep at night, VDH cable in silver; according to several enthusiasts who have had the V it seems to sound more  soft compared to the IV but these are nuances.
Changing the head for the better you notice more differences than going from the Sme IV to the V

Many thanks for everyone's input/advice. The general consensus of opinion is; keep the SME IV. Good advice, which I plan to take. The suggestion to replace my Clearaudio Maestro V2 Ebony MM cartridge with a Soundsmith Voice MI cartridge is interesting, will follow up on this.

I recently purchased the Analouge Productions UHQR The Doors LA Woman disc. I honestly don’t know how a 53 year old recording can sound this good on a 33 1/3 vinyl disc, simply mind blowing! Surface noise was non existent, dynamic range was outstanding as was frequency response. Overall, the best vinyl pressing I have ever heard. Also worth mentioning, packaging and associated printed material for the new disc is simply outstanding, as good as it gets IMHO

I recently purchased the Analouge Productions UHQR The Doors LA Woman disc. I honestly don’t know how a 53 year old recording can sound this good on a 33 1/3 vinyl disc, simply mind blowing!

no, it's not amazing, it's analog and that means investing in the components that make up the turntable is very important.
Even on vinyl records from specialized audiophile houses dating back to the 70s, listening to them today you are surprised at how good they sound.
Vinyl has everything you need, the enthusiast just needs to be able to find the way to extract everything that is inside the grooves.
It's a shame that current commercial or audiophile vinyl pressings have reached unaffordable prices.

It is easy to keep the IV, I am keeping mine, at present there is no intention to reintroduce it, but that can always change in the future.

As the owned IV is a Donor Arm to be used, 'when it eventually happens', on a DD TT with a Plinth Design to have Three TA's mounted, ( 1 @ 9" - 1 @ 12" - 1 @ Variable P to S dimensions ). The idea that comes and goes, could be put in place  to show visitors to the Home System the differences between TA's on a TT that can mount Two TA's.

The present plan for the TA, is to watch how the value appreciates as a used sale item. If the IV or V model is entered into the used market today, and the sale is carefully undertaken. The two models are almost on par for being accessible to funds as a ATM.

There is still good experiences to be had, if the footwork is put in to get out and experience alternate devices being used to enable a Cart' to function. One of these experiences may prove to have a profound effect and make the idea of change to  become a unavoidable. A decision may be forced to be made, where one option chosen is seemingly going to be much more advantageous.

Making a decision about the IV, that's how it went for myself anyways.     

Exchanging the VandenHul phono cable for a Graham unit will be an improvement. The IC 70 and especially the IC-90 cables from Graham really add like to the SME tonearms.

Dear @mgattmch  This is what @bigkidz  posted before:

" IMO upgrade the phono stage you get much better results. "

Totally rigth, the phono in the C52 just can´'t do it in the rigth way so you needaway better external phono stage.

 About the IV vsV , no matter what the V is superior ( everything the same. ) If an audiophile prefers the IV over the V is only anecdotic and is what the ears of that audiophile and his preferences likes.

Again, you need a better phono stage. before you spend money in other tonearm or other cartridge.

Regards and Enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,

R.