SME 20/2 SME V or Triplanar VII?

I've lusted after the triplanar for some time. I found the sme 4 at a bargain. No doubt all things being equal I probably would have gone with the triplanar. The SME is so good that only a side by side comparison would cause me to replace it.
SME is not alone in thier beleif that on the fly vta compromises the integrity of the bearing stability.
You can't go wrong with either. The sme is probably a better synergistic match with that table.

Dear Cipherjuris : I agree with Nsgarch and Chadnliz about the SME V: very good tonearm.
Other advantaga with the V is that match great with the 20/2 and this synergy is a plus that the Triplanar does not has.
Btw, if you add a Sumiko Celebration cartridge that makes a great match with that combo: you could be near audio heaven!!!!

+++++ " VTA on-the-fly ...? " +++++

I'm sorry but till today I don't know any single ( comercial. I read somewhere that Towhsend was in the development of something about ) tonearm with a real VTA on the fly. For we really can get one we will have to have a remote control over de tonearm. So, does not exist that " VTA on the fly ", at least not a useful one.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

I think, good as the SME V is, the TriplanarVIIi betters it in every area (sonically, not from built quality).
But honestly, what I would do with this table, I would buy the 9" DaVinci Arm, this one uses the SME drill.
This is an amazing Arm.

You may wish to ring up Brooks Berdan in Monrovia, California. He sells the table and both arms and is a very experienced analog guy. I'm sure he'd have some worthwhile insights for you.

SME? I cannot directly address your question, but would like to relate an experience I had about 8 to 10 years ago. I thought it relevant because some have recently noted that there CD rigs outperform their TT setups. I too think that my Ayre CX-7 is outperforming my Linn LP12 based LP playback system quite easily, though I am having power supply and cartridge issues.

At any rate, the SME 30/2 with their IV.VI arm is easily the best vinyl playback system I have ever heard. This is not to say that it is the best, just the best demo I have heard. It was at a stereo shop trying to sell the used SME setup for a customer who had gone all digital (fool). The shop had purchased a BPS cartridge an inexpensive Creek (or something like that - green lettering on front) phono amp just to demo the TT. The electronics were Krell KRC-HR pre and I think KAS amps (though it may have been KAS IIs' or FPB-600).

For the demo they used a gold CD version and a MFSL pressing of Muddy Waters "Folk Singer." The CD was played on Krell and Theta's best digital rigs of the time and went first. But as soon as the LP was started, we could only look at each other - totally blew away the CD rigs. Certainly my Linn, at least as currently configured, nor any of the VPI's, etc., that I have heard have approached that, even with more expensive cartridges and phono amps. Was this a fluke?