My SME 309 is back from service and …….wow!
Nov 12, 2021 8:45:35 GMT
robbiegong, optical, and 1 more like this
Post by jazzcat on Nov 12, 2021 8:45:35 GMT
After three weeks in service at SME and one week in customs (f*cking hate TNT as a company) its finally here.
I have to say that dealing with SME was one of the best, if not the best experience I have ever had dealing with a hifi related company. (Oliver still tops it
)
I had this tonearm for maybe four years and previous owner had it for six years. In total 309 was about ten years old. Previous owner has damaged the the tube where the head shell sits. I saw the damage later when I needed to adjust the azimuth. Also the tonearm lift was broken which he didn't told me. Besides that it was in good shape but you could see it was a used tonearm. It had deep and surface level scratches everywhere, especially on head shell from what I believe comes from changing and fiddling with cartridges. Also the tonearm had old bearings, damping materials, wiring, scratched SME model markings among other things.
Sending to SME involved a cost of €600 which is very hefty and the reason I hesitated for a long time, well until now. About a month ago I decided to send it in and hope for the best. When I got it back and unpacked it, i was blown away. It made me wonder what was left from the old tonearm.
During the service the arm was fully dismantled and rebuilt to the latest standards. New internal wiring and bearings was installed. Full testing, calibration and inspection were also done.
Things I noticed are, the tonearm tube is replaced. New head shell installed and there are no scuffs or any sign of usage. It looks brand new. What a hell did they do, throw my old tonearm and replaced with a new. I haven’t installed it yet but at a first look, I can say the money were well spent. I can now enjoy this tonearm for ten more years before sending it back to SME
Here are some pics of the newly serviced tonearm:
I have to say that dealing with SME was one of the best, if not the best experience I have ever had dealing with a hifi related company. (Oliver still tops it
)I had this tonearm for maybe four years and previous owner had it for six years. In total 309 was about ten years old. Previous owner has damaged the the tube where the head shell sits. I saw the damage later when I needed to adjust the azimuth. Also the tonearm lift was broken which he didn't told me. Besides that it was in good shape but you could see it was a used tonearm. It had deep and surface level scratches everywhere, especially on head shell from what I believe comes from changing and fiddling with cartridges. Also the tonearm had old bearings, damping materials, wiring, scratched SME model markings among other things.
Sending to SME involved a cost of €600 which is very hefty and the reason I hesitated for a long time, well until now. About a month ago I decided to send it in and hope for the best. When I got it back and unpacked it, i was blown away. It made me wonder what was left from the old tonearm.
During the service the arm was fully dismantled and rebuilt to the latest standards. New internal wiring and bearings was installed. Full testing, calibration and inspection were also done.
Things I noticed are, the tonearm tube is replaced. New head shell installed and there are no scuffs or any sign of usage. It looks brand new. What a hell did they do, throw my old tonearm and replaced with a new. I haven’t installed it yet but at a first look, I can say the money were well spent. I can now enjoy this tonearm for ten more years before sending it back to SME
Here are some pics of the newly serviced tonearm:
