View Full Version : New tonearm cable for my Gyro/SME V
Morning chaps,looking for a new tonearm cable for my Gyrodec/SME V/ Denon DL103, looking for a full,smooth and musical cable up to around £300 ish- thanks:eek:
Ali Tait
23-09-2014, 07:51
Yannis would be the way to go methinks.
Wakefield Turntables
23-09-2014, 08:20
YANNIS!
What's 'wrong' with the stock SME/VDH cable? I've compared this with at least a dozen more expensive cables and can detect no difference..neither could anyone else who listened with me. And this is over a period of years.
The origin of the ''SME cable is poor'' stuff is quite simple. The cable is the only part of the package that can be 'upsold'. Dealers soon realised they could make more profit on a 'better' cable than on selling the arm itself. What did you expect to happen then? In no time, audiophiles were repeating what they had been told, and it became one of those 'facts' everyone knows. But try to put what you 'know' out of your head, and just have an honest listen. Get a friend to change cables while you are not looking. Can you reliably tell?
Bet you can't.....but dealers can tell how much profit they make on a 'special' cable.
One other point, the SME cable is specifically made to be light and thin, so as not to interfere with suspensions, or transmit vibration into the deck and arm. If you change it for a thicker, heavier, cable you might well hear some difference...but only because the isolation of the arm is being bridged, not because the cable itself is better.
This is one of those few occasions when listening 'blind' is very 'educational.' Could save you money better spent elsewhere. And if you find I am wrong...then you can buy with renewed confidence!
Wow common sense lives on , well put Peter .my findings replicate Peters exactly,
wiicrackpot
24-09-2014, 15:32
Wow common sense lives on , well put Peter .my findings replicate Peters exactly,
+1,
I just don't get this constant knocking SME gets regarding their arm and need to change cable,
Well set up it's an arm that let's you hear what your cartridge is doing,
nothing added and nothing taken out, don't like this sound,
Look to the source or buy an arm with flavour, don't knock it please,
Wish I could afford the V.
I changed the cable on my Micro Seiki arm because the connector kept slipping out of the socket and I was losing a channel occasionally so I replaced the cable with a cheapo from Yiannis (I believe) via ebay for about £55 and the difference was huge, the Mirco cable was by far the best sounding but the Yiannis cable is a bit 'bassy' but then again that's what it was sold as so I can't complain.
The Yiannis cable is an excellent fit though and is well made.
Tony
The Audio Origami one 'sounds' very good indeed and has a proprietry mini DIN on the end. The rest is very recognisable to those having gone the Van Damme route :) :respect: Mine was originally used on an SME IV the seller told me.
Wakefield Turntables
24-09-2014, 17:51
What's 'wrong' with the stock SME/VDH cable? I've compared this with at least a dozen more expensive cables and can detect no difference..neither could anyone else who listened with me. And this is over a period of years.
The origin of the ''SME cable is poor'' stuff is quite simple. The cable is the only part of the package that can be 'upsold'. Dealers soon realised they could make more profit on a 'better' cable than on selling the arm itself. What did you expect to happen then? In no time, audiophiles were repeating what they had been told, and it became one of those 'facts' everyone knows. But try to put what you 'know' out of your head, and just have an honest listen. Get a friend to change cables while you are not looking. Can you reliably tell?
Bet you can't.....but dealers can tell how much profit they make on a 'special' cable.
One other point, the SME cable is specifically made to be light and thin, so as not to interfere with suspensions, or transmit vibration into the deck and arm. If you change it for a thicker, heavier, cable you might well hear some difference...but only because the isolation of the arm is being bridged, not because the cable itself is better.
This is one of those few occasions when listening 'blind' is very 'educational.' Could save you money better spent elsewhere. And if you find I am wrong...then you can buy with renewed confidence!
Have you owned/tried a V with the original SME wiring?
Have you owned/tried a V with the original SME wiring?
I think that's at least implied in the first line of his post.
I have a mixed bag of cables, a Yannis one (the inexpensive van Damme wired one), original vdH, one of J7's jobs, a custom silver thing from Canada, a red Jelco and some other unidentified ones. Can't say I've done any sensible comparisons though. I think the Yannis cables are clear winners at the low end of the price scale. I think the Yannis cable is the one on my V at the moment.
Wakefield Turntables
24-09-2014, 19:41
I think that's at least implied in the first line of his post.
I have a mixed bag of cables, a Yannis one (the inexpensive van Damme wired one), original vdH, one of J7's jobs, a custom silver thing from Canada, a red Jelco and some other unidentified ones. Can't say I've done any sensible comparisons though. I think the Yannis cables are clear winners at the low end of the price scale. I think the Yannis cable is the one on my V at the moment.
OK. My Yannis tonearm cable replaced this http://www.audioaffair.co.uk/nordost-tyr-tonearm-cable on my V, it has now been demoted to my Garrard 301 / SME 3012. Yannis cables may be "cheap" but they displace cables costing far more.
OK. My Yannis tonearm cable replaced this http://www.audioaffair.co.uk/nordost-tyr-tonearm-cable on my V, it has now been demoted to my Garrard 301 / SME 3012. Yannis cables may be "cheap" but they displace cables costing far more.
I agree. Probably says more about how much the price of cables is "padded" after a certain threshold based on materials cost.
Looks like Yannis then, thanks chaps.:cool:
before you go Andy...
I had my Technoarm on my deck rewired by Audio Origami.
BIG improvement over standard Michell silver tonearm cable, I mean big.
they use Van Damme silver/ofc copper mix cable and great quality non foo plugs, sounds fantastic.
Lots of SME owners have had their arms rewired by the guy and are very happy.
Customer feedback:
http://www.audioorigami.co.uk/customer-feedback/
Wakefield Turntables
29-09-2014, 16:51
aNDY,
If you go down the route of rewiring the V, try either Kondo or Ikeda silver rewire. I've had me V and 3012 done and dont regret it.
Johnnies yer man for that...
http://www.audioorigami.co.uk/tone-arm-rewires/
Not at the moment rewiring inside of the arm, just the exit cable chaps.
Wakefield Turntables
29-09-2014, 18:34
Not at the moment rewiring inside of the arm, just the exit cable chaps.
Fair enough but a word of advice from someone that had copper intrinsic wiring and pure silver tonearm cable. I HATED THE COMBO!!!! OK, you could be different but I have a feeling you may well want silver intrinsic/extrinsic rather than copper intrinsic/silver extrinsic. Anyway, just a thought..... ;)
Not at the moment rewiring inside of the arm, just the exit cable chaps.
Exactly the same scenario I had with my Technoarm.
Silver internal, silver/ofc copper external.
sounds great.
Spectral Morn
30-09-2014, 14:37
Have you owned/tried a V with the original SME wiring?
Yes
I don't use the SME cable, VDH is opaque and lacking in air and space. I use a Graham IC70 with mine.
Regards Neil
Ali Tait
30-09-2014, 14:42
You could go down the route of hard wiring the arm all the way from the cart to the phono stage plugs in one go, removing a connector from the signal path. That is how my Tecnoarm is wired. Bought it like that though, so dunno what difference it made.
Johnnie7
01-10-2014, 21:03
get a AO super ofc lead on FREE Demo and see if u like it !!!
get a AO super ofc lead on FREE Demo and see if u like it !!!
Though if you do you'll end up buying one - been there, got the cable
Though if you do you'll end up buying one - been there, got the cable
:popcorn:
get a AO super ofc lead on FREE Demo and see if u like it !!!
PM sent John.
get a AO super ofc lead on FREE Demo and see if u like it !!!
Well l do like it and you are not having it back Johnnie:lol:
Thanks for everybody who replied to my post, J7 arm cable installed and sounding very nice indeed.:cool:
Johnnie7
28-10-2014, 23:25
Dickinsons real deal was, i send Tarzan the cable on free demo :)
and if he likes it or not ---- he does a write up on the plus and minus sort of thing over his last cable...with a little detail of how its better/worse thingy
:)
bw
j7
Dickinsons real deal was, i send Tarzan the cable on free demo :)
and if he likes it or not ---- he does a write up on the plus and minus sort of thing over his last cable...with a little detail of how its better/worse thingy
:)
bw
j7
Whats not to like......Origami rules..:D
...I'll sent u the bill:eyebrows:
Johnnie7
28-10-2014, 23:55
heheh :)
Johnnie did the business rewiring my technoarm.
Big step up from the standard Michell cable.
What is it they say...buy with confidence? :)
Rush2112
12-11-2014, 12:59
Sorry but I am with Peter on this one I use the V with the standard cable and have over the years heard or tried a number of other options none of which persuaded me to part with my cash ! However for some time I have been running the whole system in balanced configuration and this may well have negated some of the issues mentioned.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.3 Copyright © 2026 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.