Which turntable to keep.

[johnN]

Any advice please, as before I shuffle off this mortal coil I would like to sell on at least one turntable and arm, otherwise I can see my offspring skipping it !.

At the moment I am using a technodec/technoarm/DL103 and have been happily using this for the last 10 years.

For the previous 20+ years I had been happily using a Thorens 125/Rega RB300/DL103.
I still have the Thorens and the armboard is cut out for a rega so the technoarm could easily be fitted.

I also have my late fathers SME3009 S2/V15-3 and am tempted to have it rewired by Audio Origami and have it mounted on a new armboard on the 125. A new Russ Collinson plinth also appeals for the 125. However I am not sure the expense is warranted unless I keep the 125/sme/v15.

Are there any members familiar with both of the above cartridges who can comment on the likely difference, and any views on which of the above combination others might prefer would be welcome.

I suspect the sensible option is to sell on the 125/sme/v15 as is.

[walpurgis]

I suspect the sensible option is to sell on the 125/sme/v15 as is.

That would be my choice. Arm and cartridge sold separately though.

And I'd keep the Technodeck.

[DSJR]

The DL103 is one of those old relics that just won't die. Not sure how a 103 is matched well enough in this Rega derived arm though.

I loved the TD125 when I had mine (with R200 and Audio Origami exit cable). Being a turntable bodger by trade for years, I kind of readily identified with the 125's set-up needs and found much to enjoy, although I believe reviewer 'beobloke' disagrees with me here...

The V15 III came back into its own when Shure did the HE and MR stylus for it. Sadly, not for long and now they've stopped cartridge making altogether I gather. An original good elliptical stylus sounds a bit relentless these days in an SME and even the headshell gunk or neater, a little oblong of card table baize, doesn't take this slight hardness away as this seems to be more the stylus-build choice than the body. I remember the VN35HE stylus added some much welcomed 'air' and 'space' to the proceedings - lovely!

Would a new Rega 6-Neo with AT540 cartridge better the lot I wonder? Just askin'

[graham67]

Leaving aside SQ, IMO as an investment the SME (and Thorens in original plinth) will continue to appreciate, as they are iconic items in a way the Michell will struggle to emulate. So if you hang on to them long enough (you or your heirs) will be grateful!
Whereas the Michell is of course still fully supported and makes a good daily drive.
Are you able to stick the Thorens and SME back in the (dry) loft and sell down the track?

[Beobloke]

I loved the TD125 when I had mine (with R200 and Audio Origami exit cable). Being a turntable bodger by trade for years, I kind of readily identified with the 125's set-up needs and found much to enjoy, although I believe reviewer 'beobloke' disagrees with me here...
'

I do I’m afraid - I’ve owned two 125s and was underwhelmed by both of them. But this is a side issue...

Personally, I reckon the Thorens/SME/Shure combination is a classic, as already mentioned, and this will maintain it’s value no matter what. It should also sound respectable enough, although the SME and Shure combination is not exactly on the cutting edge of sonic precision or ultimate detail retrieval. It’s still a nice pairing though!

However, I reckon the RB300 or the DL103 will have the potential to sound better but, sadly, not together, as the two are not a decent match. The RB300 will give of its best with a different cartridge or, if you’d like to keep the DL103, then this needs a massier arm.


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[johnN]

Thanks all for your comments.

[tlscapital]

A lot has been said already and sides taken. But I want to underline that both tonearms are of the too light mass kind for the DL-103 which requires heavy effective mass tonearms in order to truly perform as it should. Even the SME if pre-improved is only of the medium kind. But converting the SME is feasible. The Michell 'TecnoArm' is a light effective mass limiting cart choice.

My preference is undisputedly with the vintage Thorens and SME. I have a Thorens and SME heavily tweaked by me. Both do feature decouple design to eliminate unwanted vibrations. This gives them a typical "sound signature" that I learn to love more and more. And this "classic" combo has a lot of evolutive potential if you're of the tweaking kind as I am; a strong point for some.

Yet beside the cartridge wider choice or not, beside if one combo has a distinctive favored "sound signature" to the other one or not, I believe that the fact that one is of the vintage kind, build and looks as opposed to the other "modern" one is where the choice is going to happen. And this is not on the rational side of any argumentation really, but merely on one's preference if ever.

[Barry]

Personally I would keep the Thorens 125/SME combination. Both can be fettled, and it is always possible to increase the effective mass of a tone arm, by adding mass at the headshell.

I have succesfully used a Denon 103 fitted in a 20g Fidelity Research headshell with an additional 5g lead shim weight on my SME 3009 (non-improved) arm.

[tlscapital]

Personally I would keep the Thorens 125/SME combination. Both can be fettled, and it is always possible to increase the effective mass of a tone arm, by adding mass at the headshell.

I have succesfully used a Denon 103 fitted in a 20g Fidelity Research headshell with an additional 5g lead shim weight on my SME 3009 (non-improved) arm.


Exactly. I have done that and more even. And I've done it carefully and gradually on my initially 'Improved' S II SME to be able to attest that the my DL-102 truly benefited from such inertia increase. Since the assembly of those SME 3009 are relatively simple, few basic tools should suffice. 4 hands are welcome to build back some parts if one is going to rewire though.

The Michell 'TecnoArm' that I never have encountered is apparently of the unipivot bearing kind and I don't know how much it's design and balance can support extra mass addition and/or inertia on it's unipivot bearing as well though... So unless the OP is seeking to use only high compliant cartridges that of there's not much about, the SME offers more versatility I find.

[montesquieu]

A lot has been said already and sides taken. But I want to underline that both tonearms are of the too light mass kind for the DL-103 which requires heavy effective mass tonearms in order to truly perform as it should. Even the SME if pre-improved is only of the medium kind. But converting the SME is feasible. The Michell 'TecnoArm' is a light effective mass limiting cart choice.

My preference is undisputedly with the vintage Thorens and SME. I have a Thorens and SME heavily tweaked by me. Both do feature decouple design to eliminate unwanted vibrations. This gives them a typical "sound signature" that I learn to love more and more. And this "classic" combo has a lot of evolutive potential if you're of the tweaking kind as I am; a strong point for some.

Yet beside the cartridge wider choice or not, beside if one combo has a distinctive favored "sound signature" to the other one or not, I believe that the fact that one is of the vintage kind, build and looks as opposed to the other "modern" one is where the choice is going to happen. And this is not on the rational side of any argumentation really, but merely on one's preference if ever.

Agree with all of this.

[hifi_dave]

Exactly. I have done that and more even. And I've done it carefully and gradually on my initially 'Improved' S II SME to be able to attest that the my DL-102 truly benefited from such inertia increase. Since the assembly of those SME 3009 are relatively simple, few basic tools should suffice. 4 hands are welcome to build back some parts if one is going to rewire though.

The Michell 'TecnoArm' that I never have encountered is apparently of the unipivot bearing kind and I don't know how much it's design and balance can support extra mass addition and/or inertia on it's unipivot bearing as well though... So unless the OP is seeking to use only high compliant cartridges that of there's not much about, the SME offers more versatility I find.

The Michell Tecnoarm is a Rega derivitive and is not a unipivot. It is a very robust, finely tuned arm and can have extra mass added to enable it to allow low compliance cartridges to give their best.

[sq225917]

Shim the denon, use with thorens and sme sell the rest, buy more records.

[johnN]

Thanks for the continued comments, and as several have suggested, I have already added a headshell shim to the 103 for additional mass.

[Perart1]

https://imgur.com/5nPq5Ce

Another recommendation for the Verdier Platine, similar to Charlie's. I have had mine for 14 years, although modified re bearing, feet, power supply and motor and arm boards and bolts etc. I can not really see why I would want to change it. The only other TT I would add to it would be Grand Prix Monaco; its elegance and technical virtuosity as well as it sound would be a great addition.

[curry49]

I’d sell the 125/SME (103 too) and keep the V15III to use with the 125/Rega while I search for a more dynamic cart like a top-level A-T mm.

[Cyrus]

I had to add weighted shims to my RB300/DL-103 to get it to sound 'right'.