Super jumbo jet Lenco, what a hoot! I'm working on getting access to high-speed internet and a high-speed computer out here in the country, as soon as I've done this I'll once again be able to post photos, and I REALLY want to do this, if only to snicker at current high-end drivers sitting next to vintage high-end drivers ;-)!!
I've just set-up the SME IV to the 100-pound Super Jumbo Jet Lenco, and mounted my Monster Cable Sigma Genesis 2000 to that, and heard a significant darkening and dynamic flattening of the sound as compared with the same cartridge on both the stellar JMW 10.5 and the stellar RS Labs RS-A1. Now, as context, the Monster Cable kicked the ass of the Denon when set up on the RS-A1, jury's still out on the JMW, as it sounded great with both the Denon and the Monster (and the fab Ortofon Jubilee, which I mistakenly sold....I'll buy another one soon :-)). So, disappointed, I remembered my experience a while back with a SME V I had the opportunity to play with (thanks Bob!), which I wrote about at that time: I found there was a special synergy between the SME V and the humble Denon DL-103 (mine having an elliptical tip from phonophono in Berlin). I figured this would also apply to the nearly-identical SME IV, and mounting it, I found that the Denon now kicked the ass of the previously-superior Monster Cable, in every single audiophile area as well as in musical terms. There was more detail (on other tonearms the Monster was always significantly superior to the Denon in this sense), MUCH better, deeper and tighter bass (on the RS-A1 the reverse is true) and MUCH MUCH more musicality, PRaT, gestalt and overall dynamics! As I wrote back then on a completely different system, the Denon DL-103s, likely in all their iterations, are waiting for the SME IV/V to show just how good they REALLY are (and musically-speaking, vice-versa, the SME IV/V are wating for the Denons - AND idlers - to show just how POTENT they are!)), this match-up being one of those unbeatable synergies, like the air-bearing MG-1/Dynavector 17D MKIII, or the JMW/Decca combinations. For the better off, I say it makes sense to match up a $4K-$5K tonearm to a two hundred dollar cartridge (plus 80 euros for retipping), as this particular cartridge is in many ways one of the best, and on these tonearms even in audiophile terms becomes something much much more (as do the SMEs in question, actually)!! To the less well-heeled, I say the SME tonearms usually go for between $1400 and $1800 used, and with the Denon still comes to less than the price of a currently "reasonably-priced" high-end MC!! I was thinking of selling this tonearm after the Showdown, but now I think I'll keep it. The Ultra Lenco is a two-tonearm Lenco, and the second for now will be the RS-A1/Monster combination.
With the RS-A1 we have a similar story, but in reverse. In this case, the Monster LOMC usually sounds a bit dead and lifeless in comparison with Deccas and Denons, and the RS-A1 can sound too exhuberant. But, the Monster becomes extremely musical, and preserves its super-detail (a high-end MC with a micro-ridge stylus) to become a great combination, having amazing bass, great musicality/PRaT and amazing dynamics to boot! So, there will be a flexibility of options to go against the SME 30!! It's all unexpected synergies fellows, excepting for the universal and across-the-board improvements wrought in every system when a high-mass idler-wheel drive is inserted!! Have fun all!!
