ct01517 Thank you for your six items a tonearm should address. My modified SME IV falls short on ability to adjust Azimuth (shims only where necessary) and VTA (sprung up or down, difficult to achieve but once set, lock it in). So, the SME IV can achieve great results but is more difficult to use than some of the other arms mentioned. I thought I would replace it someday with a Tri-Planar which is more easily adjustable but a friend told me that VTA is more critical for big differences such as for 140 versus 200 gram records. The SME IV doesn't appear to be so finicky for wide VTA differences, or am I just missing some of the music/can't tell?
I still use an Ultracraft AC 400 for my 78s on a VPI 19-4 but I like the sound of my SME better (especially the bass) and ease of use.
I still use an Ultracraft AC 400 for my 78s on a VPI 19-4 but I like the sound of my SME better (especially the bass) and ease of use.