Upgrade fever has struck, but i need a bit of guideance.

[Yorkshireman]

I have been struck by upgrade itus on my turntable,

I currently use the following

Acoustic Signature WOW XXL turntable,
Acoustic Signature TA-700 tonearm,
Acoustic Signature MM3 cartridge,
Acoustic Signature PS-1 Linear psu.


I have been considering a tonearm and cart upgrade, and was thinking about an Origin Live Encounter, with a Koetsu Rosewood Standard

but I have come across a used SME 20/2A turntable whith an SME V arm, its 9 years old and in near mint condition with box and all accessories.

my quandry is so do i go for the upgrade or do i go for the SME and keep my MM3 to use on it, until my bank account comes out of cardiac arrest.

so wht do you guys think

[Ammonite Audio]

Asuming that the SME 20 is well priced, intact, and with correct suspension damping oil still contained where it should be, I reckon it’s a good choice - good engineering and design in a surprisingly compact package. The SME V would not be my choice of arm, but it’s very saleable. A chap who lives near here recently bought a freshly serviced SME 20 and had a new Origin Live Silver arm fitted, and it sounded very good indeed. I suspect that with an SME IV or V fitted the 20 would be more ‘HiFi’ but not so musical (others may disagree, of course). So, my feeling is that an OL Encounter would probably be a rather good partner for the SME 20, costing somewhat less than the second value of the SME V tonearm.

[Yorkshireman]

Hugo,

Thats an interesting option, I may see if the seller wants to split it.

thanks

Mark