View Full Version : Adjusting an SME 3009
Lawrence001
11-11-2018, 13:10
I've fitted a new cartridge but I've had a few issues with the VTA. Also, the non removable headshell is not parallel to the record.
I managed to get the arm higher but I'm not sure my hex key is the right size.It's marked 1.5 but if I don't push it in really hard it rotates in the screw, if I push it in hard it gets stuck and its a real pain to get out, and tends to turn the screw back when I jiggle it around so the arm falls back down. It's holding for now but I'd like it a bit tighter. I'm thinking it's a metric vs imperial size issue maybe?
I need to rotate the arm slightly to make the cartridge parallel with the record but don't know which screws to loosen to adjust this. Also I noticed there's one missing when I looked (see pic), are they easy to get hold of? Could this be the cause?
Thanks for any help!https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181111/d374d2b781f2ea632bb13f99ee9503fa.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181111/de29e5ce20e9fefc944945ada151d5ba.jpg
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hi for azimuth adjust - hold the arm and twist the head-shell.
If you have not already done so then get the appropriate manuals from Vinylengine
DiveDeepDog
11-11-2018, 22:34
They're imperial hex sockets, don't ask me the size though:scratch:
The Allen grubs are fiddly little sods but as Mark just said they are imperial size. When I had a 3009 S2 I bought spares direct from SME, friendly and fast turnaround, here's the link to their site https://sme.co.uk/
I had mine rewired and serviced by J7, really made a difference.
montesquieu
11-11-2018, 23:48
Yup the 'twist the headshell' method got me first time I set one of these up.
Plenty of allen key sets on ebay for peanuts.
Wakefield Turntables
12-11-2018, 12:10
Is that 2M black your using? The 3009 is reasonably flexible for cartridge alignment but not the best, the 2M can be a sod to set up and VTA is one of my biggest bug-bears when setting up the "black" series of carts. You may struggle to get perfect alignment but I wish you the best of luck.
Lawrence001
12-11-2018, 22:40
Sounds like I need some Imperial hex keys. It's a Silver, more like the red than the black, or close to a blue depending on who you believe!
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The missing screw on the left-hand side of the bearing block is not essential to the working of the arm, but it would be preferable to contact SME for a replacement.
Regarding the adjustment of arm height and VTA; yes the SME arm is a PITA with the Allen grub screw - the hex key either doesn't fit properly or gets stuck. Best to buy a set of Imperial sized hex keys with 'ball' tips.
Regarding adjustement of azumith, the headshell can be twisted with respect to the arm tube, but you may have to slacken the small screw underneath the arm tube (close to where the headshell joins the arm). After you have achieved the correct azimuth, tighten the screw.
Lawrence001
13-11-2018, 22:28
That sounds good, I was a little concerned at the advice above to twist it without loosening anything.
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337alant
13-11-2018, 22:37
Re the arm Height if a 1.5mm get stuck then the correct one will be a 1.6mm or 1/16" in imperial.
Alan
That sounds good, I was a little concerned at the advice above to twist it without loosening anything.
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Hi. there is a small screw just behind the headshell which allows removal, I have never needed to loosen this to allow adjustment (2 SME arms 3009 and 3009 improved)
I would sugest applying a little pressure and try to rotate. if it moves then you are good to go.
FYI to access this screw you would need to remove the arm.
Mick
Hi. there is a small screw just behind the headshell which allows removal, I have never needed to loosen this to allow adjustment (2 SME arms 3009 and 3009 improved)
I would sugest applying a little pressure and try to rotate. if it moves then you are good to go.
FYI to access this screw you would need to remove the arm.
Mick
Not true, but you do need to lift the arm up as far as possible and use a short screwdriver. (Experience with 5 SME series 3000 arms, however there is some variability as to how much this screw has been tightened by SME.)
Hi Barry, yes you can get to the screw without removing the arm but its fiddley, (the risk of screwdriver in the eye is also high ;o) ) and would probably throw out the setting as you tightened.
Do you adjust your headshell by lossening /tightening or just rotate the headshell?
What do others do?
Hi Barry, yes you can get to the screw without removing the arm but its fiddley, (the risk of screwdriver in the eye is also high ;o) ) and would probably throw out the setting as you tightened.
Do you adjust your headshell by lossening /tightening or just rotate the headshell?
What do others do?
The screw simply clamps the headshell (or headshell socket) to the armtube. Azimuth is adjusted by rotating the headshell, but if the set screw is done up tightly it makes the rotation of the headshell difficult, and as it will probably only need to be twisted by a degree or so, it is very easy to overshoot. So slacken the screw by a quarter turn, adjust the azimuth and then retighten by a quarter turn. Retightening the screw need not upset the azimuth setting.
The screwdriver I use came with one of the cartridges I had, and is 85mm long. If you need a short small-bladed screwdriver, I would recommend one obtainable from an optician, used to tighten spectacle screws. They're not expensive.
mine is left so that it can be adjusted but wont adjust itself. not difficult to find a point where this works.
mine is left so that it can be adjusted but wont adjust itself. not difficult to find a point where this works.
mine is the same, I find that adjusting the arm height also effects the azimuth,
I am not sure if this is normal or something isn't true on my deck
mine is the same, I find that adjusting the arm height also effects the azimuth,
I am not sure if this is normal or something isn't true on my deck
For some strange reason SME decided not to place the bearing axis (for movement in the vertical plane) at right angles to a line running through the headshell and cartridge cantilever. This means that as the arm rides up and down the stylus will 'roll' anti-clockwise as seen from the front. You can easily see this happening when you lift the arm.
It therefore follows that lifting or lowering the rear of the arm to adjust VTA will, in theory, affect azumith - though given the small amount of adjustment at the rear of the arm, I would have thought the effect it has on azimuth would be a tiny fraction of a degree, probably within the alignment tolerance of the generator assembly within the cartridge body.
It ought to be possible to calculate the effect, and if I had the time and patience I would.
Hi Barry thanks for the info, that reasures me that its not just my deck at fault,
but has made me realise that both the azimuth and the VTA will change with vynle height / warps when using the sme
mine is the same, I find that adjusting the arm height also effects the azimuth,
I am not sure if this is normal or something isn't true on my deck
No, that's normal
I have been thinking a bit more about this, and believe I can put some numbers to the effect.
If the arm has an offset angle φ, and the arm is altered from being parallel to the record by an angle θ, then the change in azimuth Δθ, is:
Δθ = tanφ . sinθ ,
and since θ = asin (Δh/L), then
Δθ = tanφ . Δh/L ,
where Δh is the amount the arm has been raised or lowered and L is the effective arm length.
So for the SME 3009, φ = 22.6º (early versions) or 23.84º (for later versions) and L = 231.2mm, then
Δθ = 0.43 . Δh/231.2 = 1.86 10-3 . Δh.
Now let us assume Δh is no more than 5mm, then Δθ = 0.0093 radian, or 0.53°. This will be just about detectable if you use a mirror to set up azimuth.
Will this make an audible difference? The channel imbalance due to a deviation from true azimuth of Δθ is
20 log((cos Δθ – sin Δθ)/(cos Δθ + sin Δθ)),
which, since Δθ is small, can be readily approximated by
20 log((1 – sin Δθ)/(1 + sin Δθ)).
So with Δθ = 0.53º, the imbalance will be ~ 0.15dB.
To put this into perspective, the typical cannel balance for most cartridges is 0.5 – 2.5dB, though there a very few with a claimed channel balance of 0.2dB. I don’t believe you would hear this difference.
I have been thinking a bit more about this, and believe I can put some numbers to the effect.
If the arm has an offset angle φ, and the arm is altered from being parallel to the record by an angle θ, then the change in azimuth Δθ, is:
Δθ = tanφ . sinθ ,
and since θ = asin (Δh/L), then
Δθ = tanφ . Δh/L ,
where Δh is the amount the arm has been raised or lowered and L is the effective arm length.
So for the SME 3009, φ = 22.6º (early versions) or 23.84º (for later versions) and L = 231.2mm, then
Δθ = 0.43 . Δh/231.2 = 1.86 10-3 . Δh.
Now let us assume Δh is no more than 5mm, then Δθ = 0.0093 radian, or 0.53°. This will be just about detectable if you use a mirror to set up azimuth.
Will this make an audible difference? The channel imbalance due to a deviation from true azimuth of Δθ is
20 log((cos Δθ – sin Δθ)/(cos Δθ + sin Δθ)),
which, since Δθ is small, can be readily approximated by
20 log((1 – sin Δθ)/(1 + sin Δθ)).
So with Δθ = 0.53º, the imbalance will be ~ 0.15dB.
To put this into perspective, the typical cannel balance for most cartridges is 0.5 – 2.5dB, though there a very few with a claimed channel balance of 0.2dB. I don’t believe you would hear this difference.
Hi Barry, That is some cool math, I'm impressed.
I use a spirit level to check Azimuth, and i can tell by listening when the head-shell is out of position.
The imaging sounds wrong. I check and reset and it fixes things.
The channel balance for a Linn Troika (Not mine) when tested was
"Channel balance at 1kHz was spot on at around 0.05dB difference, while crosstalk was both superbly low and symmetrical, measuring -34dB at 1kHz, left-on-right, and -35dB, right-on-left"
See https://www.stereophile.com/content/linn-troika-mc-phono-cartridge-measurements
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