SME Series V
SME engineers, recognising the potential of the latest complementary
equipment, accepted the challenge to design and build a pick-up arm which
unlike others in existence would make no detectable sound contribution
of its own. The work took almost four years and the measure of its success
is the acceptance of the Series V precision pick-up arm by technical
experts and users as one of the world's truly great audio products.Series
V sound has an almost startling dynamic range and neutrality enabling
high levels to be enjoyed. It escapes the 'LP' sound and demonstrates
that structural resonances in pick-up arms are responsible for much that
makes vinyl records readily discernible from master tapes.
The functioning of a pick-up arm appears simple but is in fact very
complex. All cartridges employ relative motion between armature and stator
portions of a generating system to produce the signal output. Reproduction
can only be true therefore when all movement representing groove modulation
is made by the armature to which the stylus cantilever is attached and
none by the stator represented by the cartridge body. Unless the pick-up
arm holds the latter against even the minutest movement at audio frequencies
the signal will be modified in some way. The result is a subtle loss
of clarity, dynamic range and transient attack that can make the sound
from even the best system tiring to listen to.
The following notes will help a better understanding of the problems
and how they were resolved in this radically new design.
In common with any mechanical device the behaviour of a pick-up arm
is governed by three properties of matter that also define the laws of
motion. The first property is mass which opposes any change in motion.
The effective mass of an arm and cartridge resists motion least at low
frequencies but increasingly as frequency rises. It is this resisting
force which makes the operation of a cartridge possible. At subsonic
frequencies the armature and stator move as one allowing the slow movements
needed to negotiate the record surface without generating a signal. At
audio frequencies however the increased resisting force causes the armature
to move relative to the stator and a signal is produced. The transition
point between these two conditions is important for a clean low frequency
response and is established by the compliance of the cartridge and the
total effective mass of the arm and cartridge body.
The second property is stiffness which resists bending or flexing. It
is a restoring force, proportional to position or deflection.
The third property is damping or resistance to motion. Here motion means
velocity and without it there is no damping. The total equation of force
acting on a pick-up arm is therefore the sum of three parts: acceleration
acting on the mass, velocity acting on the internal or applied damping,
and bending or deflection acting on the stiffness.
Structurally inert the Series V embodies every worthwhile feature in
a pick-up arm. As part of a complete system working in concert with a
comparable turntable and cartridge it will provide wide range transparent
reproduction of vinyl L.P's, bringing the listener audibly closer to
the clarity and dynamics of the original performance.
Features
- Unique one-piece pressure die-cast tone-arm utilising the advantages
of magnesium, replace conventional fabricated construction.
- Internal constrained layer damps minute residual vibration leaving
the tone-arm acoustically inert.
- Fine machined cartridge platform, enamel free to
avoid interface resonance.
- A Stainless steel cross shaft, ground and thread ground. Carried
in massive yoke on 10mm ABEC 7 ball races. Axis at record mean level
to minimise warp-wow.
- Dynamic balance graduated vertical tracking force (VTF) control applies
0-3g x 0.125g through resonance controlled spring.
- Unique assembly gives high rigidity and allows bearings to be critically
adjusted before tone-arm is fitted.
- Stainless steel vertical shaft, ground and thread ground, with integral
16mm diameter flange to couple shaft and yoke.
- 23mm diameter steel pillar, heat treated, ground and honed, carries
two 17mm ABEC 7 ball races, widely spaced to resist tilt.
- Anti-skate control operates through tension spring and filament.
Dial corresponds with VTF and has positive OFF position.
- Lowering/raising control gives smooth positive action. Height of
lift can be adjusted.
- Subsonic lateral mode fluid damper can be instantly adjusted or cancelled.
- Dual-lock base provides movement control with high rigidity.
- Tungsten-alloy balance weight carried on damped two-point suspension.
Extra-low inertia design assists warp riding.
- Underslung weight housing corrects centre of gravity and provides
non-reflective tone-arm termination. Adjustment leadscrew journalled
in twin ball races with lever clamping.
- Swivelling damped output socket minimises vibration transmission
in sub-chassis use.
- Fine adjustment of arm height (VTA).
- Reference lines on tone-arm facilitate VTA setting.
- Fine adjustment of horizontal tracking angle (HTA).
- New design alignment protractor sets HTA with greater accuracy.
- Advanced jig/template system guarantees correct positioning.
Michell
TecnoArm "If your musical priorities are
excellent control of both frequency extremes, without analytical
sterility, the TecnoArm is more than good enough, especially
with its combination of accurate but powerful bass. If low coloration
and evenhanded tonality is your priority, the arrival of the
Michell TecnoArm means you no longer have to save for a SME series
IV or SME V". Mark Wheeler www.tnt-audio.com |
Origin Live
Silver "the Silver is...the very best tonearm I've ever
heard…awsomely tight bottom end...the midband - glass
clear, incredibly liquid, fantastic image precision, walkaround
soundstaging and incredible timbral realism...the treble is shockingly
open and airy up top...the £599 price tag is laughably
low...could probably charge 5 times this amount...words can’t
express how good this is - one of the designs of the decade."
Hi-Fi World, March 2002 |
SME
Series V Series V sound has an almost startling dynamic range
and neutrality enabling high levels to be enjoyed. It escapes
the 'LP' sound and demonstrates that structural resonances in
pick-up arms are responsible for much that makes vinyl records
readily discernible from master tapes. |
Origin
Live Illustrious mk2 and the winner is... the Origin Live
Illustrious, a pick up arm that is quite simply breathtaking.
It's ability to display a three dimensional stereo image is above
critisism, as is it's transparency and lack of artifice. It also
has amazing tonal accuracy, which lets the "flavour" of
each instrument or voice flood out of the speakers. This is the
respect in which it is most obviously superior to the SME....
on any deck ... this is surely the best.
Albert Lee - Hi-Fi World 2004 Group comparison test of 7 tonearms |
Brinkmann
10.5 "This arm bears a striking resemblance to that
once made by Breuer of Switzerland, right down to the restrictively
shaped headshell." - HiFi + extract |
Origin Live
Enterprise This arm is packed with radical new thinking and
technological advances, to significantly elevate toneram performance
beyond anything that has gone before. Rather than list the features
of this arm, we invite those who want to experience ultimate
performance to simply listen. The most obvious aspects of this
arm are it's sheer speed and realism that is approaching live
music. The tightness and depth of bass is a revelation and will
expose you to your records in a totaly new light
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