But I am working on borrowing another SME, perhaps the twelve inch, to try out on the Twin and report back later. I fear I wouldn't find the same sweet spot again - and that would be an all-round disaster. The trouble is that the little Kuzma has been so well set up courtesy of Kevin Scott that I can't bear taking the arm off. Unfortunately, I still haven't tried the Twin with the Kondo-wired SME V/Io-M combination. I also have a suspicion that this arm leans to the dry/detailed end of the spectrum and you are likely to get a completely different effect with a Shroeder or a generally warmer arm. It seems like a minor point but after what must be over a year using the Io-M, I'd say that Kondo wiring is an essential part of the experience. It's important to remember here that the arm isn't Kondo wired and I've found this to be a limiting factor when comparing any arm using a Kondo cartridge to one that doesn't.
Analogue works turntable sme tonearm series#
Again, I went through a series of cartridges culminating in a Kondo Io-M.
This is an extremely well thought-out gimballed arm and suddenly the turntable opened up and began to really play music. It came with standard wiring and needed some running in. I didn't have a lot of experience with this one but I got to know it quite well. Feickert had also sent a Kuzma Reference tone arm. Others loving a very clean sound could well disagree with me. A bit like putting bicycle tyres on a Ferrari. I still feel that the DFA-1o5 arm or a Rega just simply are not up to the qualities of this turntable.
Having said that, I now use an SME V (Kondo wired) and love it to bits, which goes to show either that I'm a cable freak or know nothing - or more probably both. Too CD like, too controlled, emphasizing the fundamentals with a slightly metronomic tempo.
It actually had a sound that reminded me of what I wasn't overwhelmed about with the SME V I used to use on an SME 20. I have a Rega 300 sitting on another deck and I'd choose the 1o5 over it in certain circumstances. Or maybe this is one of those things like when you hear a great review of a film and you come out disappointed. It may easily be that the DFA was not a good match for any of the cartridges I tried, so if you are thinking of buying one do get in touch with Dr. To be honest, I was hoping for some huge leap over a Rega but I found the sound to verge on the clinical, silvery and slightly metronomic. I never really got on with the DFA and was slightly disappointed. I used it with several cartridges from the Reson Reca to the Music Maker III and Classic and several others, to run both the bearing and the arm cable in. He recommends using the Ortofon Rondo Bronze cartridge for it. I started out using it with the DFA-1o5, a 10.5-inch design made by Jelco to Dr. Some go from Jeckyls to Hydes, some from Charlton Hestons to Audrey Hepburns, some from Syd Vicious to Maria Callas and it's often hard to guess what will happen. In effect you get greater differences in sound quality by changing the arm/cartridge combination and it's sometimes hard to pin down exactly the essential characteristics of the turntable itself. Assuming (and it's a big assumption of course) that the turntable is a good one, what I tend to find is that the sonic character of the arm and cartridge (not to mention phonostage) is 'amplified' by the character of the turntable. What is true for setup is also true for overall sound. Which is why I can't wait for the Feickert setup program. Now if I don't nail it in an hour, I tend to flag. I know that I used to have a lot more patience and had no problem spending four or five hours of concentrated time focussing on a particular setup. In fact, the differences in sound quality between many of the better higher-end turntables can easily be reversed by setup issues. In some ways the turntable reminds me of a Porsche in its quality of construction and finish.īut of course, a turntable is usually the easy bit to set up and the arm and cartridge setup are what really makes the sound work or not. Feickert clearly knows a great deal about turntables and has managed to create a magnificent work here. It gives great confidence and exudes fine and thoughtful engineering throughout. Setup of the turntable itself is really simple and in operation over several months, the Twin has behaved impeccably. This review page is supported in part by the sponsors whose ad banners are displayed below