SME M2-12

[REM]

Was just fishing round on a.n.other forum and look what I CAUGHT (http://www.gtaudio.com/cuts/SME-M2-12R-W.jpg). Might interest some here, maybe:smoking:.

[hifi_dave]

An excellent arm, been around for a few weeks and at a good price of £1175, all 12 inches of it.

[Barry]

An excellent arm, been around for a few weeks and at a good price of £1175, all 12 inches of it.

That's £100 an inch! Must say it looks the biz. Does this mean that SME will re-manufacture the S2R headshell?

Regards

[Rare Bird]

Think i'd rather put my money into a 3012R..The Yoke & Bias rod section on that arm is horrible.

Looks miles better

http://www.analogerwohnraum.de/uploads/pics/2003_0101Bild0031ProdukteSME30cm.jpg

[Barry]

Think i'd rather put my money into a 3012R..The Yoke & Bias rod section on that arm is horrible.

I guess it depends on whether you want knife-edge or ball-race bearings. Agree with you about the yoke; don't know why the M2 series could not have the far more graceful and elegant 'pyramid' style of the Series II and R models.

I have four Series II arms: three 9" and one 12". The offset transverse balance/playing weight arrangement put a lot of strain on the counterweight decoupling.

Regards

[Rare Bird]

The knife edge was the weak part of the arm, that can now be sorted with a bronze replacement. 'R' version of the arms were improvement over the older in many aspects. For one the decoupling you say, the 'R' is more like the 'S2 Imp' version..

[hifi_dave]

The 3012R is no longer available. The M2-12R is the latest and is a very good arm.

[Rare Bird]

3012R not been available for some time..I've had a 3010R, was a beauty. The 'IIIS' i had aswell was dreadfull

[Barry]

The knife edge was the weak part of the arm, that can now be sorted with a bronze replacement. 'R' version of the arms were improvement over the older in many aspects. For one the decoupling you say, the 'R' is more like the 'S2 Imp' version..

All of my SMEs have metal bearings. The two 'Improved models' (one with a fixed headshell and one with a detachable headshell) were early versions fitted with metal knife edge bearings.

Yes, I agree about the lateral balance/playing weight mechanism. My comments referred to my 3009 II/S2 and 3012 II/S2. Always did covert the 3012-R.

Regards

[hifi_dave]

3012R not been available for some time..I've had a 3010R, was a beauty. The 'IIIS' i had aswell was dreadfull

The SME III was a styling exercise, designed to be made on their newly purchased diecast machinery. It was designed on the drawing board to suit low tracking weight, high compliance cartridges and not tried before being put into production.

[Marco]

Yup, it works very well with the right cartridge (something like a Shure V15), otherwise forget it!

Like Dave says, it was designed to suit a particular purpose at a time when high-compliance cartridges (tracking at extremely low VTFs) were all the rage.

Marco.

[Rare Bird]

Yup, it works very well with the right cartridge (something like a Shure V15), otherwise forget it!

Like Dave says, it was designed to suit a particular purpose at a time when high-compliance cartridges (tracking at extremely low VTFs) were all the rage.

Marco.

You must be joking, i've tried it with a few cartridges sound wooley.gotta be the worse SME arm ever..:)

[Marco]

I defo wouldn't say that it's a great SME arm, but it does work well with a Shure V15 (which it was designed to partner). At the time SME were trying to improve on the 3009. Of course, you have to like how the Shure V15 sounds in the first place! ;)

The next arm I buy will either be a 12" Jelco, Ikeda or Thomas Schick, for my SP10 when I get one next year :)

Check out the gorgeous hand-built Schick arms here: http://www.thomas-schick.com/arm01.htm

There's a rather nice Ikeda for sale on Audiogon, too: http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?anlgtnrm&1260139249

Marco.

[Rare Bird]

I see the SME 'III' in the same short lived light as the Quad '44' both bollox dropped by two respected companies which they had to re think quickly.

[Marco]

I don't disagree, matey. However, it fulfilled a purpose at the time - albeit a rather limited one! :)

Marco.

[Rare Bird]

i bought the original mission 774 John bichet design arm to replace it, was a tons better sounding arm, this is the time i got heavily into low mass arm & a fettish for the unipivots that came after i sold the mission.