Cartridge suggestions for SME Turntable

Raul, I am not sure people understand the different types of balance tonearms can have and how they affect performance. 
Tonearms either have Neutral or Static balance. Static balance is what you usually have. Balance the arm so that it floats perfectly horizontally. Lift the headshell 1/2 inch and gently let go. The arm will start oscillating up and down looking for the balance point which it will eventually find. 
Neutral balance is more difficult to achieve. The center of mass at both ends of the arm have to be in line with the pivot. Carry out the same procedure as you did with the static balance arm and when you lift the headshel 1/2 inch and gently let go it will just stay there motionless. Anywhere you put the headshell it will stay. This is what you want in a tonearm, much superior warp tracking. Static balance arm bounce on their cantilever and if the warp is bad enough will leave the record. A neutral balance arm will not do this. To be neutral balance with all cartridges you have to have an adjustable counterweight like the Schroder CB or the Reed 2G. I think the Tri Planar is also a neutral balance arm. The SAT arm interestingly is not. It is Static Balance all the way and it's vertical bearing is high above the record another no no. The Schroder CB will outperform the SAT arm all day long. So why does Michael Fremer like it so much? If I had to guess it is expensive and it looks cool. An expensive, very well made poor design. Go figure

Dear @mijostyn :  Yes, that was a kind of explanation with different end subjects.

The other way and the one I'm refering to is the way we set up the VTF where static balance designs makes the job using natural force of gravity and between other advantages this way the tonearm counterweigth will be nearer to the tonearm pivot/bearing/fulcrum.

With that concept the balance way is where the VTF is applied by a kind of spring mechanism that always tend to resonates by it self and where the counterweigth normally is not so nearer to the pivot as the static balance designs. In the balanced design that spring mechanism force/obligates the tonearm to always stays under the determined VTF and this causes severalproblems to mantain VTA/SRA and the cantilever suspension natural movements.

The only balanced tonearm designs with a non-resonant mechanism were the MAX-282 and the Lustre GST-801 both great quality performer designs.

I owned both and even with the non-resonant VTF set up mechanism I always prefered to run it in static way, the same with my SME V, FR and Ikeda samples.

For me make no sense anymore to design today a tonearm with VTF balanced set up way.

R.

latitk,

You have a nice table and arm combination.  A friend has that arm (with upgraded bearings) and it is very good at bringing out the best tracking performance of a the Lyra Titan and Transfiguration Orpheus cartridges we tried in that arm.  I think you have wide-open options on cartridges with which it will work well.  A cartridge that I heard recently that should be added to the long list here is the Audio Technica ART 1000.  It is a very dynamic and lively sounding cartridge that is also sweet and musical.

mijostyn

The Schroder CB will outperform the SAT arm all day long. So why does Michael Fremer like it so much? If I had to guess it is expensive and it looks cool. An expensive, very well made poor design. Go figure

That's an interesting claim. Have you actually ever heard a Schroder arm and compared it to the SAT? Or are you just speculating based on what you read about them?

Mijostyn's description to me is accurate wrt mass alignment which ensures no matter the angle the down force is the same on both ends hence it stays.  Not sure what this sort of spring rauliruegas mentions?

I do question whether it matters once you apply tracking force as that now dominates with compliance of the cantilever, tracking force and tonearm mass dominating mechanical movement. Perhaps it will if your records are really warped but I don't tend to keep those.