What is the best cartridge match to SME 3012/II?

[Barry]

I don't recall their being underappreciated.

Nor do I.

The same applies to the Goldring G99 TT.

[anubisgrau]

So would I.

The usual tale is because MC cartridges have a lower compliance than that of MM (fixed coil) designs, more energy is transmitted through the arm tube which can cause the knife edge bearings to 'rattle'. However if one considers the dead weight of the arm, including the counterweight, I would think it impossible that the excess energy would be able to lift the arm off one of the bearings!

As a point of information, Alastair Robertson-Aikman designed the SME arm for his own use to use either an Ortofon SPUG or a prototype EMG cartridge - both moving coil designs.

EMG?

[Barry]

EMG?

Yes, the Expert Gramophone Limited company (which may, or may not, have been connected with the EMG Handmade Gramophone Company).

This is what I wrote in 2016:

And to complete the cachet, track down an EMG moving coil cartridge with an integral SME/EIA fitting bayonet. A couple of these appeared on eBay a few years ago, quite likely the same couple commissioned by Alistair Robertson Aikman during development the SME arm.

To which a correction was made by:

I'm not sure they were EMG Barry, but are certainly right for the period. The Expert moving coil was sold by Expert Gramophone Ltd which had a different registered address to EMG Hand Made Gramophones.

The ones you saw on ebay, 78 & LP versions were supposedly from ARA.

http://www.gramophonemuseum.com/expert-pickups.html







Clearly not to be confused with EMT.

[mbic]

You could contact John Townrow the boss of Five Ways aHigh Fidelity here in Birmingham, see https://www.fwhifi.co.uk/ he is my go to authority on the earlier kit, I have known John for years.

[anubisgrau]

Thanks Barry, amazing writing! Never too old to learn something new on AOS?

Sent from my Redmi Note 7 using Tapatalk

[Barry]

Thanks Gordan - I have a good, but unnecessary memory for 'trivia' (or so my partner tells me!)

But thinking of EMT cartridges for use with arms having the SME/EIA bayonet coupling (the EMT XSD), whilst have I have some samples of the latter, I have only ever listened to them in a 9" SME arm.

Perhaps I really ought to try them out in either an SME 3012/II or SME M-12R arm, both of which I have.