All change on the TT front

[Classicrock]

This is my second time around with the SME IV. It's always been a bit of a "lust after" product for me and I picked up a beautiful example to try on the Anniversary but, on there, it just didn't float my boat. It's performance was probably technically good but it sounded, well, just sort of "plain". Difficult to pin down what wasn't right but it didn't work for me so I moved it on. I was gutted. When I decided to build up the Garrard 401 I thought this is another chance to give my "lust after" arm another go. I picked up a reasonably priced, but not quite as pretty, example and got it mounted on the 401. It looks the dogs and this time around it really shines. I had my Wilson Benesch ACT 0.5 fitted previously and the performance of both was really quite close but the SME scored on the quality of the lower frequencies and being generally more "solid" sounding. Mind you, when you consider that the WB is under half the price of a new SME IV to be so close in performance is no mean feat.

You have discovered that SME don't work on turntables of similar design to Thorens/Linn /PT with rather light flexible mounting. They like a nice rigid mounting and hence love Michell Oracle and Avid as well as the sturdy plinth you have the 401 in. Hence they get such a bad press from the former flat earth brigade. Admittedly they are now rather pricey.