All,
Does anybody have any suggestions on what to do here? sme supply a phono conversion, but at £102.24 +vat, it is prohibitively expensive. Do any suppliers like Maplins in the UK have anything appropriate? Or has anybody on here got the manufacturer's name of a set of phono sockets they have used for this conversion?
Thanks in advance
Mark
Does anybody have any suggestions on what to do here? sme supply a phono conversion, but at £102.24 +vat, it is prohibitively expensive. Do any suppliers like Maplins in the UK have anything appropriate? Or has anybody on here got the manufacturer's name of a set of phono sockets they have used for this conversion?
Thanks in advance
Mark
Hi Brian,
Thanks for the photos, very useful given that I don't have the arm to hand and have to prepare for this job and then do it in a weekend, when I next visit the UK. How are you intending to connect the earth tonearm wires to those sockets? There doesn’t appear to be an earth solder tag from the photo.
Mark
Thanks for the photos, very useful given that I don't have the arm to hand and have to prepare for this job and then do it in a weekend, when I next visit the UK. How are you intending to connect the earth tonearm wires to those sockets? There doesn’t appear to be an earth solder tag from the photo.
Mark
Well, my wires are just about the finest, flimsiest there are - Audio Note silver - so anything else has got to be easier.
I stripped out the original wires and used a length of PTFE/Teflon tubing as a carrier - gently teasing the AN wires through - but not quite out - at the other end. Then it was easy-peasy to push the tubing through the groove in the balsa insert until it poked out the other end of the arm tube. Holding the free wires I pulled the tubing all the way out the other end and the job was done.
I'm having trouble soldering at the moment because the fine bit of my iron has lost it's plating so I need to get a replacement before I can continue. Solder is Ersin Multicore LMP 2% silver. Iron is an Antex XS25 fed from a Variac for crude temperature control.
What's the condition of the rubber counterweight decoupling sleeve on your arm? Mine was perished so has to be renewed.
Brian.
I stripped out the original wires and used a length of PTFE/Teflon tubing as a carrier - gently teasing the AN wires through - but not quite out - at the other end. Then it was easy-peasy to push the tubing through the groove in the balsa insert until it poked out the other end of the arm tube. Holding the free wires I pulled the tubing all the way out the other end and the job was done.
I'm having trouble soldering at the moment because the fine bit of my iron has lost it's plating so I need to get a replacement before I can continue. Solder is Ersin Multicore LMP 2% silver. Iron is an Antex XS25 fed from a Variac for crude temperature control.
What's the condition of the rubber counterweight decoupling sleeve on your arm? Mine was perished so has to be renewed.
Brian.
Hi Brian,
i'm not sure of the exact condition of the rest of the arm, I don't have it to hand until i go to the UK for a weekend to do the job. What thickness would you say your piece of ptfe is? I have new arm wires from Hancock, they are a lot thinner than the originals. I am not sure of the exact construction of the inner arm tube, but was guessing i could maybe solder the new wires to the old ones, singly or all together, and pull the new ones through like that. Maybe i need a rethink on that?
Thanks again
Mark
i'm not sure of the exact condition of the rest of the arm, I don't have it to hand until i go to the UK for a weekend to do the job. What thickness would you say your piece of ptfe is? I have new arm wires from Hancock, they are a lot thinner than the originals. I am not sure of the exact construction of the inner arm tube, but was guessing i could maybe solder the new wires to the old ones, singly or all together, and pull the new ones through like that. Maybe i need a rethink on that?
Thanks again
Mark
Hi Mark
the PTFE is 5mm thick. Email me
Using the old wires to pull through the new is the method of first resort. The PTFE tubing trick is for when the old wires have been already removed - by intent or accident
The SME headshell socket looks as if it may contain polystyrene (it is a translucent/transparent plastic) so I would advise use of a heatsink when soldering the new wires to it.
Brian.
the PTFE is 5mm thick. Email me
Using the old wires to pull through the new is the method of first resort. The PTFE tubing trick is for when the old wires have been already removed - by intent or accident
The SME headshell socket looks as if it may contain polystyrene (it is a translucent/transparent plastic) so I would advise use of a heatsink when soldering the new wires to it.
Brian.
Thanks Brian,
the ptfe worked out really well, i used the smaller (6.3mm) Maplin phono sockets and it all fitted together nicely. i managed to pull the new wires through by soldering them to the old ones. I will buy right angle phono plugs in the future as the cable from the straight ones is hitting the deck table (Mitchell Electronic reference, others may differ).
BTW, The cables i used were from Hadcock, the thick 4 wire option, as opposed to their thin 5 wire option. much better than the original wire, the cartridge tags were fantastic too, stiff gold, belled at the end, highly recomended!
Thanks again
Mark
the ptfe worked out really well, i used the smaller (6.3mm) Maplin phono sockets and it all fitted together nicely. i managed to pull the new wires through by soldering them to the old ones. I will buy right angle phono plugs in the future as the cable from the straight ones is hitting the deck table (Mitchell Electronic reference, others may differ).
BTW, The cables i used were from Hadcock, the thick 4 wire option, as opposed to their thin 5 wire option. much better than the original wire, the cartridge tags were fantastic too, stiff gold, belled at the end, highly recomended!
Thanks again
Mark
Rather similar:
Taken from: http://www.analogtubeaudio.de/deutsch/sme.htm (German only, scroll down).
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Taken from: http://www.analogtubeaudio.de/deutsch/sme.htm (German only, scroll down).
that looks nice Holger, mine obviously doesn't look that good, the sound has improved though. interestingly they seem to have joined the earth to the signal grounds, (i can't see a seperate earth pin) i decided to keep it seperate back to the pre-amp on mine, i put a small earth pin through the ptfe. that one looks like it could do with right angle phono plugs as well though!
Mark
Mark
YES,
i believe you have a good point sreten, i have only earthed the wire that comes down from arm tube (5th wire), which is electrically isolated from the rest of the arm by the plastic arm bearings. I will investigate this and probably add a link from my new earth stud to somewhere on the lower arm body in July (next time i see the arm).
very observant sreten! Thanks
Mark
i believe you have a good point sreten, i have only earthed the wire that comes down from arm tube (5th wire), which is electrically isolated from the rest of the arm by the plastic arm bearings. I will investigate this and probably add a link from my new earth stud to somewhere on the lower arm body in July (next time i see the arm).
very observant sreten! Thanks
Mark
I have an SME 3009 MKII arm which I have recently replaced the bushings on, and the stock SME wiring harness and plug. (Contacts cleaned up nicely with some exotic japanese audiophile contact cleaner.) Can you fill me in on the sort of improvements you heard? I have a Grado 8MR cartridge which has relatively lo Z and I am wondering if the risk of damage and effort involved would pay off. (sounds quite good as is.)
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