Tonearm/Cart Matching Assistance - SAEC 407/23

Raul, thanks. I last posted to the thread five and a half years ago. I have found that I prefer heavier-weight, lower compliance carts with the 407/23. I still use it quite a bit. I do not have the SAEC ceramic headshell. Mine didn't come with it, and they go for a pretty penny. Maybe I should get one anyway. In any case, I use a Yamamoto ebony headshell which is a bit lighter, and perhaps one reason why I prefer heavier carts.

I have two SAEC ceramic headshells. Yes they are (were) expensive ($100.00 each) and beautifully made. Gorgeous! I have one in white pearl ceramic and the other is gray ceramic. However, I don't use either one now. I use a high compliance cartridge that tracks at one gram.

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.