Tonearm/Cart Matching Assistance - SAEC 407/23

Dear travis: I own/owned SAEC tonearms, last ones the 506-30 and WE-8000. The 506 is similar in many ways to the 407, where the 407 is a short version and the 506 a long one between other " differences ".

I have the opportunity to mount several and different compliance/weight cartridges, between them: Ortofon 7500 ( 11grs and 13cu. ), Koetsu RSP ( 14grs and 10cu ), XV-1s ( 13grs and 12cu ), Accuphase ( 8 grs and 12cu ), Ikeda REX9 ( 16grs and 4cu ), Ortofon MC2000 ( 10 grs and 18-20cu ). No one of these cartridges and other ones that I try with the 506-30 performs bad, some of them are not the best match ( effective mass/compliane ) but performs good.
These SAEC double-knife bearing design are really good and its ceramic build headshell help in good way to permit that different cartridges can/could run ok.

I don't know with which cartridges do you want to try it but the best answer is what you will hear with those cartridges.

About VTF there is no precise limit, this depends on the headshell/cartridge weight ( the headshell is 18grs. ) and how much you have to carry the counterweight to the pivot for balance it and from there how much space leave forward to the counterweight. Of course that you can try it with different headshell weight to change ( lower ) its effective mass trying to get a better cartridge match. Very good tonearm indeed.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Antslappy: About the anti-skate: first you put the tonearm at the very outside of the record/LP position, then put the sting weight in the anti-skate " bayonet " ( that has a nut to tight it: turn-around counter-clockwise. ) at the desire value and finally you move forward/backward the bayonet till the string make a 90 degrees with the AS scale, then turn-around the nut clock-wise and that's it.

The effective length is 233mm and overhang 12mm.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

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.