Cartridge options for SME 3009 Series 2 Non improved?

[walpurgis]

I seem to recall back then, SME being in a sort of unspoken partnership with Shure. I have vague memories of SME brochures with pictures of V15 cartridges mounted in the arms.

[Simon75]

I seem to recall back then, SME being in a sort of unspoken partnership with Shure. I have vague memories of SME brochures with pictures of V15 cartridges mounted in the arms.

Think some SME tonearms (in the States?) where actually badged Shure.

[Simon75]

If MC’s are fine in a 3009, why didn’t SME recommend any?

Is it the case they clearly did not recommend them or was MC just generally less of an option for consumers in the mid 60's market?

[walpurgis]

MC's had become a little unfashionable as the race to produce high compliance cartridges with minimal tracking downforce was well established by 1970. Makes like Empire, ADC, Ortofon and Shure vying to claim the lowest tracking force crown. At the time it was all about trackability and tonal characteristics became secondary.

At that time, there were really only two makers of MC cartridges. More commonly, Ortofon, but if you tracked them down Micro Seiki could also be found. Neither sold in great quanities, there wasn't the demand.

[struth]

Still prefer a good mm overall. Its got more going for it on so many levels.

[Barry]

I seem to recall back then, SME being in a sort of unspoken partnership with Shure. I have vague memories of SME brochures with pictures of V15 cartridges mounted in the arms.

Shure were the US distributor for SME. There they were referred to as "Shure SME", this title appearing on the badge on the headshell. I have one.

SME didn't explicitly recommend any cartridge as such, but they were advertised showing them fitted with the Shure M55E and later with the Shure V15 II and V15 III.

The advertisement of an SME fitted with an M55E was the reason I bought one to fit in my newly acquired SME arm. Yes I know that is not the best way of going about in choosing a cartridge, but it was nearly 50 years ago and I was a novice.

As I have reported above, the SME arm was designed initially to take an Ortofon SPU. The arms were initially sold without a headshell because of that. Headshells were available as an optional extra and the first (the S1) was made for SME by Ortofon but badged "SME". They were the whale-shaped Ortofon G type shells as used to house the SPU.

Alistair Roberson-Aikman also commissioned a couple of moving coil cartridges to be made for him by the British company EMG during the development of the SME.

So no, SME did not explicitly recommend any moving coil cartridge as such, but when they introduced the FD200 fluid damper, the advertisements for it did display graphs showing its effect on the arm/cartridge resonant frequency for Fidelity Research and Satin moving coil cartridges, amongst others.

[Simon75]

Shure were the US distributor for SME. There they were referred to as "Shure SME", this title appearing on the badge on the headshell. I have one.

SME didn't explicitly recommend any cartridge as such, but they were advertised showing them fitted with the Shure M55E and later with the Shure V15 II and V15 III.

The advertisement of an SME fitted with an M55E was the reason I bought one to fit in my newly acquired SME arm. Yes I know that is not the best way of going about in choosing a cartridge, but it was nearly 50 years ago and I was a novice.

As I have reported above, the SME arm was designed initially to take an Ortofon SPU. The arms were initially sold without a headshell because of that. Headshells were available as an optional extra and the first (the S1) was made for SME by Ortofon but badged "SME". They were the whale-shaped Ortofon G type shells as used to house the SPU.

Alistair Roberson-Aikman also commissioned a couple of moving coil cartridges to be made for him by the British company EMG during the development of the SME.

So no, SME did not explicitly recommend any moving coil cartridge as such, but when they introduced the FD200 fluid damper, the advertisements for it did display graphs showing its effect on the arm/cartridge resonant frequency for Fidelity Research and Satin moving coil cartridges, amongst others.

Great post Barry.

[JohnG]

The same 3009 I referred to has had my Dynavector DV20-H used on it.
I have not ever heard this cartridge since I purchased it from
HiFi World in 2000ish .
The 3009 owner seriously rated it against his MM's and tried to buy it.
He borrowed it again at Xmas and compared it to the K'b, he still highly rates it.

[Simon75]

The same 3009 I referred to has had my Dynavector DV20-H used on it.
I have not ever heard this cartridge since I purchased it from
HiFi World in 2000ish .
The 3009 owner seriously rated it against his MM's and tried to buy it.
He borrowed it again at Xmas and compared it to the K'b, he still highly rates it.

Cheers will look that one up.

[mbic]

I would stick to trying cartridges on SME’S list, unless you have a good rapport with a dealer who will let you buy and return the cartridge if not happy, otherwise, buying cartidges can be an expensive game.