SME 312S versus SME V-12

Sébastien,

I agree about the price difference between the two tonearms.

Other than the removable versus solid head shell and tracking force applied by spring there is little difference, assuming V-12 also has additional breaks between cartridge to DIN.

Still, I wish I knew how much more performance the V-12 offers, it would likely require a side by side comparison.

I'm aware of the 2juki offering on Ebay, I had a bad experience with him selling me counterfeit goods. Cost me quite a lot to get it straight with PayPal.

If another (trustworthy) party had the arm at that price I would likely buy.

Hello Albert,

I apologize for the late response. I just confirmed by looking at my V-12 that indeed it has removable cartridge leads. I wish SME would dispense with these but I assume it is an attempt to save the customer some money if he breaks them at the cartridge connection, ie saving him the trouble and expense of an entire arm rewire.

I really am not sure of the sonic differences between the two arms. I assume the bearings and internal wiring is the same. I do prefer the dynamic balance as I've mentioned in that other thread. The one-piece headshell is presumably more rigid, but you loose azimuth adjustability. You could try contacting Sumiko or one of the dealers. The British reviewer, Ken Kessler?, I think, in HiFi Plus has heard most of the SME products. You could also try contacting him.

Hi Albert,

I must be as curious as you to heard the differences between these two arms. For sure, the side by side comparison is a necessity.

Regarding 2juki seller, you already told me your bad experience with him and I confront him before the purchase of my Micro-Seiki CU-180 regarding the fake one he has sold in the past.

I already bought from him one SME 312S, two Denon DL-103R, one Micro-Seiki CU-180 and a second headshell for my SME 312S. I had only good experiences with him like more then five thousands eBayers. unfortunately, you are in the x percent with a bad experience...

Sébastien

Sébastien,

Good to hear my experience was not the norm. While you were considering that purchase I checked the photos of the Cu-180 to verify for you, correct?

I looked at his items for sale, the majority are not super high priced goods, so much less exposure for those buyers than this more than $4K SME.

Peterayer

I apologize for the late response. I just confirmed by looking at my V-12 that indeed it has removable cartridge leads. I wish SME would dispense with these but I assume it is an attempt to save the customer some money if he breaks them at the cartridge connection, ie saving him the trouble and expense of an entire arm rewire.

I thought that same thing, it's easy to loose a headshell clip or break a wire and shipping back the arm would indeed be a major hassle. Still, I was hoping to reduce connections, that could be a performance advantage.

I do prefer the dynamic balance as I've mentioned in that other thread.

Your comment on that subject is the primary reason I'm chasing the V12. I'm still pursuing the dream and will decide after I get some quotes and look over my finances.