SME 20/2 SME V or Triplanar VII?

Raul, re using only static balance: Are you saying that with an SME V, for instance, you should set the spring balance dial to zero, and then set the VTF using only the counterweight? That's very interesting. Does the spring really cause so much resonance around the bearing? Can you hear it, or is that simply a theory? Using the counterweight alone to set VTF would be quite tedious, but not impossible, I suppose.

While on this subject, I wanted to mention here that supposedly, the SME IV.V is designed more with MC cartridges in mind. It has ONLY counterweight VTF adjustment, and the internal tonearm wiring uses coated ribbons (a la Magnan) which supposedly allow even smoother bearing operation and better electrical performance than the silver litz van den Hul wiring.

SirSpeedy: On what basis do you make your judgment of the Grand Prix?

I challenge anyone to actually 'hear' a difference between a statically or dynamically balanced V. Dynamic balancing was introduced by SME for use on very warped records. From what I understand, the IV.V is specially produced by SME for Sumiko alone and the people at SME do not think it measures up to the V with MCS150 internal wiring.

Hi Ed,

I haven't been on the forum in about a week, and someone pointed me to this thread. The owner you'll be visiting is running a couple of cartridges - a Van den Hul and one other (Denon DL-103R?) riding on a Micro Seiki MA-505 Mk III tonearm.

The Micro is serving him until his Schröder Reference arrives. I'd rank the Micro in the general area you'd slot the Moerch DP-6, but being perhaps a bit more rolled off in the upper frequencies - especially when compared with the newer Moerchs.

A note to Dan_ed ... I've been playing with the loading on the XV-1s - dropping it from the 110 ohms you heard it with, down to 35 ohms. It loses some of that "edgy" quality at this loading while still having all of the speed you'd ever want.

While Raul's advice about choosing the phono cartridge makes sense from the perspective of compatibility, I'd turn this problem around - to try to audition a tonearm for compatibility with a range of cartridges. I look at a cartridge as a "consumable" item - hopefully one that gets "consumed" very slowly (grin). You will ideally own your tonearm for the rest of your life, and for this reason, I'd bias the purchase toward the tonearm.

Now, as far as compatibility issues are concerned, you're always at the mercy of the demo, and I sympathize with your plight.

You should walk away from any demo experience knowing that if it sounds good, that you have some sort of synergy going on. Pinpointing the exact synergy can be a problem of course. Alternatively, if it sounds bad, it may lie in a suboptimal setup and not flawed compatibility. I realize this last bit of information doesn't help you much - other than to leave you open to additional information.

You will hopefully walk away from auditions having heard a few working combinations.

I can tell you that my most extensive experience with the Triplanar has been with:

(1) ZYX - Universe and Airy-3
(2) Benz LP
(3) Dynavector XV-1s
(4) Denon DL-103R

All five of these cartridges have had an inherent charm and I was left with the impression that I was hearing the cartridge's characteristics shine through - that the arm did not color what they were doing.

As far as Cello's preference for both the Lyra and the Universe over the XV-1s, I am a bit puzzled.

I'm very familiar with all three cartridges and well aware that my buddy Frank Schröder ranks the Lyra and the Universe above the XV-1s. This Fall, I plan on showing Frank what my several month long experiment with the XV-1s has turned up.

In a strange way, I consider both the XV-1s and the Universe to be far closer to each other than the Lyra in one very critical respect - their ability to convey the emotional content of the music. This is not insignificant

Now, the Lyra and the XV-1s are kissin' cousins in one respect - their blazing speed. I can envision a continuum - with the Universe at one extreme, the XV-1s in the middle, and the Olympos at the other. Realize that in my saying this that all three are very fine cartridges and I can envision someone choosing any one of them in the right system.

Of course, I have no commercial interest in saying the following, but the Benz LP should not be ignored in comparison with the above 3 cartridges.

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier

"Please, leave the political musings for elsewhere. Most consider it bad manors."

Maybe most consider it bad manners (not me, but I'm notoriously uncouth), however only those still waiting for the Republicans to fully repeal the estate tax consider it "bad manors" ;^)