SME V arm: dynamic VTF or straight weight

Dear Peter: Maybe the today SME dinamicaly balanced design already fix ( through damping ) that string vibration/self-resonance and this can be one of the reasons why some SME owners can't hear any differences even than the counterweight in the static way is close to the pivot and that in very tiny way that improves a better moving mass control and very tiny too change in the tonearm effective mass.

About the theory of dynamic against static way ( letting out the string resonance subject ) there are some interesting things: if the record is totally flat the cartridge performance is almost the same and certainly extremely difficult to say which is one, but the perfect world does not exist so in real conditions both tonearm designs suffer of almost the same " problem ": changes in VTF due to the gravity force, that's why between other things is so important/critical the bearing quality design in any tonearm.

It is almost imposible to make a bis a bis ( same tonearm/cartridge combination and same everything but the dynamic/static subject design. ) shoot-out in our own systems to find out what we like it ( that at the end is a subjective an unique opinion ) and even if we can/could do it there will be several different opinions.

This whole dynamic/static tonearm design subject is something like the one " geometry tracking distortions that we all analize through other hreads " that when some ask about the threshold where the tracking distortions could be hear/heard and we can't had an absolute and precise answer.
If we make the distortion measures ( in a scientific way ) and kind of it and where happen and translate those measures to what we hear this could be great but IMHO even if we can do it it will be extremely dificult to co-relate those single distortions with what we heard because it is almost impossible to have over control all the factors that are involve in the record playing exercise.

I think that in the tonearm case a critical factor is the quality execution ( between others. ) of the tonearm design it is here in the quality excecution where there are more important differences between different tonearms than in the dynamic/static subject. IMHO both approaches/designs could and can work with exeptional precision and great results even with its each differences/trade-offs.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Axel, 12" to 9" in dynamic balanced status - well, there a a few points to be taken into account. First of all the 12" tonearm is - due to his higher mass and to the longer lever - more stable (= his tendency to leave balanced mode is slower.....). One the other hand the counterweight has either to be heavier or has to be moved further away from the bearing. I have compared my FR-64s, MAX-282, MAX-237 and FR-66s for their behaviour in static vs. dynamic balanced mode. All were used with 3 different FR-cartridges (FR-702, FR-7f and FR-7fz). All were aligned with the Denessen tractor which does result in more effective length on all 4 tonearms and the 2 zeros fairly wide spread and the 2nd zero close to run-out-grooves.

I personally do prefer the dynamic balanced mode due to a more relaxed sound and a more stable soundstage. The sound has a kind of "inner ease" compared to the static balanced mode. The static balanced mode gives however - on brief listening - a sense of more excitement, more dynamic sound. This is uncovered after a few record sides rather as "exaltation" and "over nervous". In a system with rather low efficiency speakers this may however be desired and will add some "life" to the sound of the system.

If your music-system is already rather on the "fast side of life" (= high efficiency speakers etc.) the dynamically balanced mode will show its sonic virtues.

To my ears the sound of the dynamic balanced mode does support the theoretical background.

Have a nice evening,

Daniel H. Kurt

Dear Daniel: Like I posted: different persons/systems different opinions.

I made the same with the Micro Seiki ( with out damping ), FR, Ikeda, Dynavector, SME and Lustre tonearms and with several cartridges ( one cartridge at the time ) and I prefer the static way, but like your opinion mine is not an absolute one only an additional one. All tests in different times but with the same recording tracks.

What I find, overall, were a more natural and balanced tone with less " spark " over the high frequencies and less/lower distortion " feeling ". In the Micro Seiki the differences were at minimum along the Lustre. Different tonearms different level/range results.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear friends: I wonder why Daniel, I and some other people ( there are posts elsewhere on Dyna and SME owners where they state that hear differences. ) can hear differences and some of you did not.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Raul, guess it is rather a matter of how deep you dive into the subject (here: how much time and effort (you can..) spend to really evaluate the differences) and whether the comparisms are really done in a strigend way (only one variable - all others constant (which is VERY hard to maintain...the tracking force for instance, behaves different in static vs. dynamic balanced mode)).

I made my comparism in a 2 day run on one table, in one system and each of the 3 cartridges went through all 4 tonearms in both modi.
The tendency was clear and in all 4 tonearms it went in the same direction. Also the tendency was more obvious in the MAX compared to the FR. It was NOT a matter of tonearm length. Wheter 10" or 12" - it showed the same tendency. (2 other people joined the sessions - we all 3 agreed on the results)

There are differences between the two modes - whether you judge them positive or negative is a matter of point of view and the surrounding system and its sonic tendency. The theoretical advantage is clear, but the practical conclusion is a matter of taste and personal sonic preferences.

So Raul, - we agree on the topic.

Hope these comments are of any help to others. But I think everyone has to evaluate this for himself. And should again do so, after any significant change in any other part of his high-end chain. Results once evaluated are void if the circumstances under which they were found do change in a significant way (in simpler words: new speakers? new preamp? new amplifier? new TT? new cartridge? - try again - the results under new conditions may surprise you.....).

Cheers,
D.