SME 309 for my 1210

[chris@panteg]

OK Guy's

I am getting a 309 for my techie ' from Dave Cawley naturally , which i am going to mount myself .

Now 1st of all i need to explain why i have gone for the 309 to Marco , you see some time ago i was seeking his advice on what arm to go for .

I had or thought i had decided on either of the 2 jelco's and Marco very kindly offered to chat about this over the phone ' i think we must have talked for over an hour or so , and as a result was giving serious consideration to the SA750 .

But the thing is i always regretted selling my SME310 ' and i know they are too much money these day's ? arguably , i thought i couldn't really afford or justify it !
then i managed to raise some money and have been saving like mad these last 4 months ' i sold my much loved Snell type J , but there is method in my madness ' i will explain about that later .

So i thought hell i can have one of these ' this is my final arm on the techie ' not looking to get a IV or V ' seriously no point ' i know its extravagant but i do love these arm's and it will take almost any cartridge .

So Marco ' please don't be offended if i seem to have ignored your excellent advice ' but the kind of presentation and tone i like is quite different to your taste ' at Scalford i heard the Living Voice OBX auditorium's ' (also the Focals were good too ) and realised that this is my preference and much more realistic for my listening room as an example .

I realise the front end's were different ' but its the kind of tone and presentation i am thinking of here.


I can only add that i am looking forward to hearing it ' and will keep you all updated if your interested ' i might do some photo's maybe ? .

Thats all for now :)

[DSJR]

I have a very soft spot for the 309, which, with suitable headshell, took a Troika with ease and even ran fine on an LP12. HiFi Dave has just bought in a 312 I understand - lovely!

[Light Capture]

I'm jealous and sad at the same time. I have a soft spot in my heart for the SME 309. Here is why. In the day (1971) I bought a new Thorens TD125 mkII/SME 309 II improved tonearm/Empire 681EE cart. After owning it for 4 yrs, I gave it to my bro (35 years ago) and he and his kids trashed it over the years and he lost it to a divorce. How do you trash a rig like this? This is my greatest audio regret. Enjoy it until death do you part!!!!!!

[MartinT]

Nice choice, Chris, can't fault it. The SME will give you a fine platform for almost any cartridge of your choice. Are you still running a DL-160?

[Dave Cawley]

There are a lot of us who like AT****/Shelter 50*, SME309/DV***/Jelco250, Focal**/UsherDancer** and fast solid stae amplifiers. Others who prefer, well... other things. They all sound very good, but at the end of the day, it is what you personally like, and can live with.

Regards

Dave

[Marco]

Chris,

Lol - it's not a problem, mate. The decision is yours :)

The solution I've chosen is very much geared around cartridges that like high-mass, but there are other equally valid solutions - one of which you have chosen.

I wish you lots of enjoyment with your Techy and SME 309! :cool:

Hi Dave,


There are a lot of us who like AT****/Shelter 50*, SME309/DV***/Jelco250, Focal**/UsherDancer** and fast solid state amplifiers.


Lots of us too like <whatever> and fast valve amps!! Just speak to Martin about that when I put the copper amp into his system after his 350W.P.C solid-state Chord ;)

Remember too that I've heard your Marantz monoblocks, and indeed also my copper amp, and so can comment on how both perform in the 'speed' department.... ;)

You need to rid yourself of this silly notion, mate, that high-quality properly designed valve amps somehow aren't as 'fast' as good solid-state amps! :ner:

Marco.

[chris@panteg]

Thanks Marco

I just thought it must have seemed odd ' talking about the jelco's then suddenly the 309 pop's out of the hat ' i can be random and unpredictable sometimes lol :).

Martin ' yes i will continue with the DL160 for a time , then well :scratch: i am hoping there will be something interesting at the show this sat .

I was thinking of doing a step by step photo guide of installing the 309 on my 1210 ' would this be useful do you think , its much easier and more straightforward than fitting an arm to the LP12 for example ' and perhaps may encourage other's to have a go .

[chris@panteg]

I'm jealous and sad at the same time. I have a soft spot in my heart for the SME 309. Here is why. In the day (1971) I bought a new Thorens TD125 mkII/SME 309 II improved tonearm/Empire 681EE cart. After owning it for 4 yrs, I gave it to my bro (35 years ago) and he and his kids trashed it over the years and he lost it to a divorce. How do you trash a rig like this? This is my greatest audio regret. Enjoy it until death do you part!!!!!!

I feel for you there ' thats a damn shame ' the TD125 is a fine deck i had the pleasure of spending an evening listening to one a few years back mounted with the 3009 ' can't remember the cart ' but it was lovely .

[AudiOH!]

Thanks Marco


I was thinking of doing a step by step photo guide of installing the 309 on my 1210 ' would this be useful do you think , its much easier and more straightforward than fitting an arm to the LP12 for example ' and perhaps may encourage other's to have a go .

Hi Chris

I would certainly appreciate such a guide as I am seriously thinking about the 309 for my own SL1210


Regards
Les

[MartinT]

I was thinking of doing a step by step photo guide of installing the 309 on my 1210 ' would this be useful do you think , its much easier and more straightforward than fitting an arm to the LP12 for example ' and perhaps may encourage other's to have a go .

Chris, you do the 309 and I'll do the DV (must remember to take my digital camera down to Dave's) and it'll all go into the melting pot of 1210 help and advice. I can also help with Jelco 250 setup since the user manual is non-existent and you get a set of allen keys with no idea of which one adjusts what!

[chris@panteg]

OK then ' i am more than happy to do this ' attention to detail and good photo's required.

I want to get this right :) .

[AudiOH!]

OK then ' i am more than happy to do this ' attention to detail and good photo's required.

I want to get this right :) .


Good man! :cool:

[chris@panteg]

Just had a phone call from Jill (soundhifi) a very nice lady ' its on its way :)

[MartinT]

Exciting!

[chris@panteg]

OK folks ' an idiot's (that's me) guide to fitting a 309 to the SL1210

Part 1

The deck before with the stock EPA25 arm

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/chrispanteg30/Armtransplant001.jpg

Unplug the deck from the mains (obviously)

Before proceeding ' as i have the Timestep bearing fitted i decided to remove this 1st (it will simply fall out otherwise) if you still have the standard bearing , just remove the platter ' counterweight and headshell.

Leaving the lid on ' turn the deck over .

Remove the screws holding the rubber base ' there are 3 types (important)
don't mix them up ' keep them in 3 separate jars or cups .
http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/chrispanteg30/Armtransplant006.jpg

[chris@panteg]

Ok now you have removed the rubber base

You will see the TNRC Chassis base ' you need to remove this ' it has silver screws (there must be about 5000 screws holding this thing together :eyebrows:) its surprisingly heavy .

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/chrispanteg30/Armtransplant003.jpg

At last after removing the 5000 screws ' you can get to the arm base

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/chrispanteg30/Armtransplant007.jpg

[chris@panteg]

Before removing the arm ' take off base plate and remove the Pitch control earth tag by undoing the 2 circuit board screws ' hopefully you can just make it out in the picture .

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/chrispanteg30/Armtransplant008.jpg

[chris@panteg]

The arm is finally off

Now Dave cawley provides you with 2 options here

You can either fit captive nuts , enabling easy arm swapping ' SME to Jelco or as you wish .

Or a standard and straightforward nut and bolt arrangement ' which is what i decided to use .

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/chrispanteg30/Armtransplant009.jpg



The SME arm plate in place ' note the pitch control earth tag , Dave assures me this is no longer needed but when mounting the arm i clamped it to the base anyway , as a precaution .



http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/chrispanteg30/Armtransplant010.jpg

[chris@panteg]

A top view of the Soundhifi Arm plate ' its a very nicely made item i must say .

It fits perfect !

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/chrispanteg30/Armtransplant011.jpg

[chris@panteg]

Reassemble the TNRC base



http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/chrispanteg30/Armtransplant012.jpg

[chris@panteg]

Mount the 309 ' using the 4 nuts ' washers and bolts provided ' it fits like a glove very snug and simple really ! .




http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/chrispanteg30/Armtransplant014.jpg

[chris@panteg]

Before refitting the rubber base ' you will need to enlarge the access hole using either a Stanley or any sharp knife ' its pretty easy to work with .



http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/chrispanteg30/Armtransplant015.jpg

[chris@panteg]

Refit the rubber base and whatever feet you are using of course


http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/chrispanteg30/Armtransplant016.jpg

[chris@panteg]

And here it is an SL1210 with the SME 309 :)



http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/chrispanteg30/Armtransplant023.jpg

Now setting up the 309 and fitting the cartridge to it ' is pretty easy ' if an old buffoon like me can do it then anyone can ' the instructions SME provide are excellent , you will find the 309 a breeze to set up ' the protractor makes alignment almost foolproof (me again) lol.

it looks out on the pic ' but its just the angle of the shot ' honest !

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/chrispanteg30/Armtransplant020.jpg

[The Vinyl Adventure]

nice! ... sound any good?

[chris@panteg]

The 309 has a sliding base which enables you to move the arm forward or back.
Just loosen the 2 clamping bolts .


http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/chrispanteg30/Armtransplant021.jpg



Arm height is also very easy to adjust ! just lift up or push down gently



http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/chrispanteg30/Armtransplant022.jpg

[Marco]

Hi Chris,

Nice one - great pics and thanks for sharing! I'm sure that many people will find that step-by-step guide useful :)

I hope the 309 sounds excellent - I'm sure it will... Keep us posted :cool:

Marco.

[chris@panteg]

nice! ... sound any good?

Hi Hamish

Not bad ' i can live with it ;)

[The Vinyl Adventure]

Hi Hamish

Not bad ' i can live with it ;)

Jolly good :)

it does look pretty good, as much as I know very little about it the mechanical aspect of these things does fasinate me!

[chris@panteg]

Hi Chris,

Nice one - great pics and thanks for sharing! I'm sure that many people will find that step-by-step guide useful :)

I hope the 309 sounds excellent - I'm sure it will... Keep us posted :cool:

Marco.

Thanks Marco

I wanted to do something useful for the forum as well as for my own enjoyment .

But to try and encourage other enthusiast's ' who perhaps like me have never tried to do anything like this , its obviously preferable if Dave can fit and set it up ' for peace of mind , but its not always possible and for some enthusiasts its actually enjoyable :).

[chris@panteg]

Guy's as to how it sounds

I am going to give it a week before posting any comments ' but so far 1st impressions are very good indeed ' it sounds very very different from the Techie arm ! that's all i will say about it sonically for now .

[MartinT]

Well done, Chris, nice storyboard that anyone could follow and great photos. The SME is a beauty, that's for sure. I'm sure it does sound different knowing my SME IV of old.

[Stratmangler]

Great series of posts Chris.
I'm looking foward to hearing some needledrops done with your new arm - some repeats perhaps, so as to have a frame of reference ?

[REM]

Nice one Chris, I know how much it means to you and I think fitting it yourself will give even more pride of ownership in the years to come, well done:).

[DSJR]

How times change - I've set up a number of SME's in my day including a small number of Series V's and a 309, but looking at these arms now I'm scared sh*tless I'd damage the wonderful finish if I ever got my hands on one again :(

Just be careful of spoiling the arm-tube where it is "gripped" by the rest - a mate had his arm replaced by SME back in the early Series V days and they added a tiny roller shortly afterwards.

Bloody expensive, but hey - what a lovely piece of engineering to behold and use.......:)

[chris@panteg]

Thanks ' Guy's

Its quite something to behold ' and amazingly i never felt that nervous setting it up .

Dave ' SME have modified the rest , it fits slightly loose ' i remember the 310 being quite tight .

This is a keeper that's for sure ' and its made in England :) about the only item in my system that is ' quite shocking really .

Its marvelous .

[chris@panteg]

I almost forgot

What tools did i use ' well i have an original ' Sonic Screwdriver given to me by some chap wearing a huge long scarf ' when i was a kid its all i needed :)

[chris@panteg]

Great series of posts Chris.
I'm looking foward to hearing some needledrops done with your new arm - some repeats perhaps, so as to have a frame of reference ?

Hi Chris

Yes i will do ' probably next week i want to give the wiring and cable some running in and re check set up ' at the moment its sounding pretty good ' can't quite believe i got it right 1st time :scratch:.

[Stratmangler]

Hi Chris

Yes i will do ' probably next week i want to give the wiring and cable some running in and re check set up ' at the moment its sounding pretty good ' can't quite believe i got it right 1st time :scratch:.

Looking forward to the needledrops.

I love the built in ease of setup that SME arms have - that sled arrangement is the mutt's nuts for setting overhang. Other arm makers should have taken note.

[pure sound]

Nice work Chris, I expect that'll sound rather good.

[DSJR]

Other people did use the SME mount (Acos Lustre, Mission 774 etc) AND THEN LINN's ITTOK CAME ALONG!!!!!

Says it all really :(

[chris@panteg]

Nice work Chris, I expect that'll sound rather good.

Thanks Guy ' your SP10/V/IO is a bit of an inspiration for me ' SME arm's seem to have a natural synergy with these Technics DD's ' .

[pure sound]

They do make the most of the decks' bass capabilities in a way that less substantial arms perhaps can't.

[chris@panteg]

Indeed ' all i need now is your 2A3 amp and a suitable pair of speaker's :)

[The Grand Wazoo]

Other people did use the SME mount (Acos Lustre, Mission 774 etc) AND THEN LINN's ITTOK CAME ALONG!!!!!(

..............which used the Audio Technica mount. No?

[DSJR]

Quite possibly, but like SME and their S2 headshell fitting, Linn seemed to all but take it over..... a bit like the "Rega" mount I suppose..

MY kenwood KD750 tonearm has a Rega length (pivot to stylus) fitting with three screws to lock it in place and a lovely "chuck" style of pillar clamp. i'll have to get it to johnie at Audio Origami for a re-wire and re-build as apart from lateral friction issues on the 'Choice test, it did seem very well behaved..

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q8/DSJR_photos/KenwoodArm2.jpg

[Alex_UK]

Well done Chris, great thread (we do love a thread with good pictures) hope you are very happy together, and lovely that a great British institution is still making such great items of precision.

[chris@panteg]

Thanks Alex

Its a thing of beauty ' and quintessentially British ' which i am proud to own .

And it does sound rather good on the Techie :)

[MartinT]

Always loved SME and their engineering values. I'll never forget when I sent them my 3009-II for repair because the damped cueing had failed. It was well out of warranty. They repaired it, fully upgraded it with several new parts, sent it back to me and asked for £1 to cover postage costs!

I'm quite pleased I have two British components in my system: Chord & Whest.

[chris@panteg]

Ok some thoughts 1 week on

Well i expected an improvement of course :rolleyes: but i know the arm very well and was confident it was going to be a good match for the 1210.

Now 1st of all i am aware of some criticism leveled against the supplied Van den hul cable , but it doesn't seem to hold back the performance in the least.

It took a few days to settle down ' didn't sound quite together at 1st , but it does now ' its a much more dynamic presentation with a deeper and broader soundstage ' PRAT is excellent with a very neutral balance .

On some familiar recordings like ' jazz at the pawnshop ' there is a lot more energy and a better sense of a live performance , if you like Jazz this is a must have for your collection :).

But the Bass OMG:eek: has tremendous visceral impact and underpins everything ' Dissidents ' is a total contrast to the techie arm , but at the same time a feeling of total control and strength , marvelous .

There is a sense of far more low level detail with the 309 ' i can pick out individual backing singer's now , where as with the Techie arm they tended to blur together .

The combination as a whole is a ballsy punchy performer but with the required finesse i am looking for , this is no shrinking violet that's for sure .

I think i am probably getting the best out of the DL160 ' but i think it can be improved on ' but that's going to have to wait .

To recap ' how much i have spent here is a breakdown .

1210 £320

Isonoe feet £90

Soundhifi Mat £80

Timestep psu £300

Timestep bearing £150

DL160 £73


SME 309 with Armplate £949


So quite an investment ' but an important point ' is the 1210 deserving of such an amount of money thrown at it ' i say Yes ' its as good as anything around the £1500-£2000 mark and could get better;) .

[Dave Cawley]

Don't believe what people say about the very nice and very expensive cable supplied as standard. Many an arm would die for such a cable upgrade, the 309 has it out of the box!

Regards

Dave

[chris@panteg]

Hi Dave

When i got my 310 back in 99 i actually didn't use the supplied cable ! and paid £200 for some bespoke Living voice cable .

I wish hadn't bothered ' its perfectly fine with the supplied cable :)

[DSJR]

Going back even further, I think SME themselves were a bit non-plussed about the internal and external wires for their top arms. i think Siltech was the cable of the year at the time and this was offered as an "extra." I'm afraid my listening regarding these arms was with the supplied cables.

For us poor people, are the M2 models so inferior that noone wants to know? I mean, is the Jelco as good as these, or do the M2 models bridge the gap?

[Dave Cawley]

M2? A Jelco is better, but a 309 with AOS discount may be the last arm you ever buy?

Dave

[chris@panteg]

I had a good listening session today .

I had to adjust the HTA as it was slightly out ' also changed the settings on my Phono stage , Dave mentioned to me that the supplied Cable and internal wiring needs about a week to settle in .

My Goodness me he was right ' its really come on song this is a tremendous upgrade for me.

And a word of advice for anyone still using the stock arm ' yeah you can tweak it with the fluid damper , better wiring and cable and so on ! but i have to say this ' its just pissing in the sea ' .

You don't have to go for the 309 like me ' but if you can afford it you should , otherwise either of the 2 Jelco's :) would be excellent .

[chris@panteg]

I thought i would do an update to this thread, although its not quite what i would have expected to be honest but i have to report that i am sending my 309 back to SME.

Its been sounding great but the arm has a fine scratch where it meets the rest ? .

Now this is puzzling to me as i never had this problem with the 310 i used to own, so could it be my fault / i have tried to careful with it, but i am at a loss to understand this.

I have contacted SME and they have been very helpful and have suggested sending it back for inspection and repair ' i couldn't ask for more really .

[DSJR]

Back in the very early days of the Series V (a VERY long time ago), SME used a solid U shaped clip to hold the arm in place at rest. My mate was EXTREMELY fastidious and careful with his kit, yet after six months, there were marks on the tube. SME practically demanded the arm back and replaced it without question and shortly after, they modified the clip to have a little roller in it. Even so, my mate manually teased the clip open to extract the arm tube to prevent this happening again.

I love the 309 and wonder if the huge extra cost of the IV and V are really worth it. Perhaps not in absolute terms, but the cachet and esteem gained by owning the latter are priceless I suppose...

[chris@panteg]

To be honest Dave i have always lusted after the IV and especially the V , but listening to my 309 i really couldn't justify the extra cost i honestly don't need it to be any better .

Also despite the high quality cable it comes with! i have read reviews using an upgraded silver lead and it pushes the 309 very close to a standard V .

Food for thought .

i am going to be as fastidious as i can with mine ,its only a very fine mark but i know its there and as the finish is so exquisite its bugging me.

[MartinT]

Interesting, Chris. My old SME IV had the u-shaped rest and it developed a mark on the tube over the years that I could not clean off. I didn't complain about it but perhaps I should have. I remember SME servicing being impeccable when my even older Series II developed a fault with the cueing. They not only fixed the problem but upgraded the arm to latest spec for me, and it was well out of warranty. Fabulous customer service.

[Rare Bird]

I've never liked the way the headshell fixes on that arm in which case i would opt for the Series IV instead..

[chris@panteg]

Yes Martin ' Brian Laker is the service engineer and has been quick and positive in reply to my emails .

I guess i could live with it as i have no intention of ever selling it ! period, but i have only had it less that 2 months if it was say after 5 years i wouldn't be that bothered .

[chris@panteg]

I've never liked the way the headshell fixes on that arm in which case i would opt for the Series IV instead..

Hi Andre its not the Headshell , its the arm rest scratching the tube .

I have no problem with the headshell .

[REM]

Hi Chris

I thought the rest had marked my arm tube as well, not actually a scratch but a definite mark. Until the other week I had only lightly cleaned it with a dry cloth but for some reason I tried wiping it with a cloth dampened with, wait for it, some window cleaning spray, the clear stuff, off came the mark without any rubbing, looks good as new.

Glad you're liking the arm, certainly do sound 'right' don't they, hope they don't take too long sorting it out.

Cheers.

[chris@panteg]

Hi Ralph ' its defo a scratch very small but noticeable , the mark you are referring too is the imprint which does indeed wipe off very easily .

Yes i do love the 309 its much improved over the original ' the 310 i had before had an Ali arm tube, this one has a magnesium tube as in the series V .

[Rare Bird]

Hi Andre its not the Headshell , its the arm rest scratching the tube .

I have no problem with the headshell .

You misundertood, it's the way the headshell fixes to the arm i'm not keen on.. this alone is the reason i would opt for the next model up. I thought i was the only one that would loose sleep over a mark..I've sold mega expensive power amps in my time over a mark in the paint finish :lolsign:

:sofa:

[chris@panteg]

Well if SME accidently send me back a series IV instead i won't mind a bit:rolleyes:

[MartinT]

The silver IV would look good on a black Techie :eyebrows:

[DSJR]

I've never liked the way the headshell fixes on that arm in which case i would opt for the Series IV instead..

Actually Andr'e, having that break there may actually improve things, as any resonances from the cartridge would be broken up by the join. That shell is so bloody tightly clamped anyway (even with correct lowish torque on the Allen key) you needn't worry - honestly :)

I'm about to collect an SME 3009 "Improved" fixed shell arm with the usual headshell broken wires/tags. I can do a cheapo fix apparently as there's a knot up behind the headshell/pipe "join," bit if I sent it to SME, I reckon I'd get a "new" arm at trade - over £200.. I'd love to be proved wrong on this though.

[Rare Bird]

I'm about to collect an SME 3009 "Improved" fixed shell arm with the usual headshell broken wires/tags. I can do a cheapo fix apparently as there's a knot up behind the headshell/pipe "join," bit if I sent it to SME, I reckon I'd get a "new" arm at trade - over £200.. I'd love to be proved wrong on this though.

Yes there is a Knot in the wire that stops it pulling through the headshell. Dave the 3009 are so easy to re-wire, fit one of the Phono conversion kits (Same as the 'III'/'IIIS') scrapping that terrible strip connector in the process. O & JA Michell cartridge tags are the best tags i ever used.

[DSJR]

Yes there is a Knot in the wire that stops it pulling through the headshell. Dave the 3009 are so easy to re-wire, fit one of the Phono conversion kits (Same as the 'III'/'IIIS') scrapping that terrible strip connector in the process. O & JA Michell cartridge tags are the best tags i ever used.

Thanks for that Andr'e.

No doubt I'll be crying for help in choosing the internal arm-wires etc when I get it - Cardas??? I'll use the Pro Patch mic cable phono to phono as Audio Origami do for arm to amp.. My soldering may now "just" be up to fitting tags on the ends without breaking 'em..... At least I can vary the soldering temperature and use tiny bits if necessary.

[Rare Bird]

If you do choose the J.A.Michell tags bear in mind the heatshrinks you get free with them are Blue, White, Red & Green, be best to buy wire of these colours or it may look a bit daft. I always use Wondersolder aswell being low melting point on delicate work.

http://www.thehomeofhifi.com/michell_spares-1.html

You can buy this by the foot/meter some places:
http://store.haveinc.com/p-52058-wonder-solder-ultraclear-fat-050-16ga-1-lb-spool.aspx

[chris@panteg]

Well the 309 is on its way back to SME :(:(:(.

They have been excellent about it of course , i know many of you reading this must be thinking its down to my cack handedness ' but i simply can't believe that is so :scratch:.

You see i have owned a Linn Ekos for 9 years and it was sold looking as good as when i bought it .

An SME 310 for 6 years and it looked mint .

But i also cannot believe SME quality has gone downhill :scratch: so i am seriously doubting myself .

So no Vinyl unless i press the SLQL1 into service ' now that could be interesting, as i have not used it in my main system .

[chris@panteg]

A question for Ralph (REM)' if you are reading this, are there 2 grooves on the end of your arm rest?

[REM]

Hi Chris

No 'grooves' that I can make out, just a miniature roller clip thing on the top of the rest.

HTH regards,

[DSJR]

Maybe your roller fell out - ooh err Matron..... :D

I did mention the roller fitment regarding my mate's replacement Series V....

[chris@panteg]

Hi Chris

No 'grooves' that I can make out, just a miniature roller clip thing on the top of the rest.

HTH regards,

Ahh that's it there is no roller clip , i thought something was missing and i am pretty certain nothing has fallen out .

Well i am astonished at this :scratch:

[REM]

Well I never, in fact the tiny pin that holds mine in keeps trying to pop out (do behave DSJR) but so far I've noticed in time and pushed it back before the roller bit fell off.

How long did SME reckon it would be to get your arm sorted? I might call them myself next week and see what they have to say, wouldn't want to get that fantastic finish marked.

I think you should call them and see if they will give you a free upgrade to the fancy internal wire as a bit of compo for all the aggro, no harm in asking!!;)

Cheers

[chris@panteg]

Hi Ralph

I think the roller guide may have been in place when i got the arm ? i cannot say for sure but looking at my pics it looks to be in place , if its popped out ? i never noticed it.

The thing is i have had the 309 for less than 2 months so SME must surely be at fault here.

If you do contact SME ask for Brian laker ' he is the service Engineer , he is out until Tuesday .

Its strange though i had the 310 for 6 years and no such problem ?.

I might just ask cheekily for the silver wire:rolleyes: , great idea Ralph.

[chris@panteg]

A thought just occurred to me ! Dave C you must be reading this and shaking your head in disbelief and wondering whats going on.

But i am now 100% certain this is whats happened , i was looking at the scratch and the rest and thinking WTF' is going on and noticing the strange grooves on the rest end ! and i am afraid to say the penny didn't drop:scratch:.

Dave DSJR already suggested it and then Ralph and then :doh: .

[DSJR]

SME make so much money out of their products and certainly, in the past, gave such truly excellent service, I'm sure they'll sort it for you to your satisfaction :)

[chris@panteg]

Hi Dave

I am certain they will:), sorry for going all bonkers about this :mental:

[chris@panteg]

A quick update as i feel its important to promote awareness of just how good an investment it is when you buy SME.

They repaired my 309 in double quick time.

And SME were brilliant about it , a special mention for Brian laker' service manager , they replaced the whole arm tube and rest , and all returned within a couple of days , service of the highest standard as one would hope for .

Its still very strange what happened , Brian seemed to think i was incredibly unlucky , but the main thing i need to stress is how marvelously they dealt with it , i recommend SME to anyone ' yes you pay quite a bit more but i believe the 309 the IV and V are amongst the finest arms available with back up and support 2nd to none.

And made in England .

As a footnote to anyone taking an interest in trying a 1200/SME combo ' i believe it to be a devastating match with the bearing and psu , just choose your cartridge

[Stratmangler]

Good to hear that SME came through with the goods, Chris.
What exactly had happened with your arm ?

I only have experience of their 3009 arms, and I like them a lot - partnered with the right cartridge they can still give amazingly good results.

[chris@panteg]

Well Chris ' its odd but the roller guide fitted to the rest seemed to have come away and was scratching the arm ! quite badly too .

As Brian stated it was a one in a million slice of bad luck or misfortune , but now all is perfect and i am being even more metticulous than ever .

[DSJR]

That's brilliant!!!!! :champagne::surf:

I may be needing SME's help myself shortly, depending on the state of the 3009 II fixed head tonearm I have waiting for me.

I think it was Brian whom I dealt with when we had our 309 on dem (and who also had the arm-tube replaced on my mate's old Series V when the original rest scratched the finish - one of the contributions to the revised rest with roller).

Wonderful tonearms for those who can afford them..

[chris@panteg]

Hi Dave

Brian would be more than willing to help i believe :)' email him via the sme site ,
as i recently made some inquiry's about the 3009 i had .

One of the aspects of the SME sound i have grown to love is the totally neutral and unforced way it presents the music to you ' some describe it as grey and bland ! but to me its so refreshing not to have the music thrown at you with a very pointy in your face clarity .

[DSJR]

You know my stance on vinyl in general... I still feel that many people want something from the "sound" of their LP's that may not really be there. I loved the 309, as it sounds so "right" to me, even with a Troika on an LP12, and I feel it gives little away to the Series V except in the ease of setup and internal cabling.

[pure sound]

Superb products & a well earned reputation.

I might dabble with other arms now & again but I'd never sell my Series V.
21 years young and never a problem.

[Techno Commander]

The Technics looks absolutely superb with the SME on it. Good to hear how SME responded to your dilema as well. There arent many companies that value customer service so highly. You dont get that support with a Chinese arm from ebay. :)

Maybe one day I will be able to afford one. :)

[DSJR]

That far eastern arm from ebay (or SoundHiFi) may be just the thing as a huge step up from the supplied arm though ;)

[Techno Commander]

No doubt, but break it at your peril. :)

[DSJR]

Tell me more......... ;)

[REM]

Great news Chris.

You can't put a price on good old fashioned service, what it says about a company and how they value their customers speaks volumes too.

Cheers:cool:

[Light Capture]

Before refitting the rubber base ' you will need to enlarge the access hole using either a Stanley or any sharp knife ' its pretty easy to work with .
http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu82/chrispanteg30/Armtransplant015.jpg

Even if it doesn't show I'd use a router or rotozip to enlargen the hole for a clean professional look, but I'm picky that way.