Sme 3012 R

I know this old arm is good but I don’t know why David,Rockitman,Tang,Ron,Mike
Use or will use having top tonearm like Sat,EliteAxiom,Black Beauty,Durand

Why 3012 is so special?
I never had and I don’t understand
Only to know for my curiosity
Regards
Gian

 

For VTA adjustment, I'm using these feeler gauges.

https://www.google.ch/search?q=dist...h=960#imgrc=RvddjkApJwR9VM:&spf=1567518326044

Urs

 

How is the 3012 s2? There is one close by and it is very clean, is it worth going after liek the 3012R

It's fine with cartridges that work with it's resonance frequency, the S2 is was really designed for the the mm cartridges of the era. The 3012-R is very versatile and works with every cartridge I tried and the steel tube is much better that S2's.

david

 

Actually the next AS2000 setup is in a couple of months in HK !

david

 

Not really, I seriously meant basic knowledge. On line setup videos from the mavens are too over the top and unnecessarily complex. Tonearm setup isn't rocket science it's a simple skill and like any skill you get better at it with practice, just relax and play it will come. The difficult part is getting the VTA exact, that's where one needs the experience.

david

David,

Although I fully agree with you concerning unnecessary complexity, people should know that if they want to adjust the SRA with .01 degree accuracy or change VTA according to LP thickness or pressing the SME3012R is not a logical choice. Anyway it is extremely easy to add a VTA precision adjuster to the 3012R using an additional common SME spare - just replace the lift meccanism with a inner threaded tube and the respective screw.

.

 

David,

Although I fully agree with you concerning unnecessary complexity, people should know that if they want to adjust the SRA with .01 degree accuracy or change VTA according to LP thickness or pressing the SME3012R is not a logical choice. Anyway it is extremely easy to add a VTA precision adjuster to the 3012R using an additional common SME spare - just replace the lift meccanism with a inner threaded tube and the respective screw.

View attachment 56652.

I guess I'm used to counting cards for VTA setup, for me it's very quick and unlike many screw systems that you never know where you are or where you have to go it's simple with cards and more importantly repeatable. Once you get the VTA right for a cartridge you can easily and quickly go back to it and change out cartridges at leisure.

david

 

I remember counting cards 25 years ago with my Sumiko MMT.

 

I dont know how much a single card changes the vta. But when you are pretty much about reaching the optimum angle, a single card in or out is small enough to make ddk and I looked at each other and went back and forth adding and subtracting that single card to decide the final the vta. What I am saying is you do not need any thing more refine than the thickness of a card for adjusting vta.

Tang

 

Actually the next AS2000 setup is in a couple of months in HK !

david

Pics needed.

 

Pics needed.

I'd love to but it usually depends on the owner not everyone is open to showing their rooms on the net.
david

 

I'd love to but it usually depends on the owner not everyone is open to showing their rooms on the net.
david

Yes it’s dangerous, it might bring Ked around

 

I dont know how much a single card changes the vta. (...)

Tell me the thickness of the card and I will tell you the angle.

 

Tell me the thickness of the card and I will tell you the angle.

Tango would also need to send you the length of his arm. On my 12" arm, 1 degree of SRA is about 4mm is arm height. So my rough guess is that one playing card thickness might be 1/20th of a degree of SRA. This is less than the variance resulting from different thickness records.

 

Yes it’s dangerous, it might bring Ked around

Good one

 

I am curious as to whether or not it's a synergy issue that DDK has with his AS2000 turntables or if the SME 3012r likes a particular type of deck

 

I can speak of our experience with EMT930. Before installing 3012R as the 2nd arm, we thought most of our records had damaged inner groves - the tracking of the native 929 (even after an exchange of the bearing) + TSD15 (also redone by EMT) was so bad. 3012R opened a whole new chapter. Now we have 3012R + SPU Meister SIlver and FR64S + FR7f instead of the 929+TSD15. Of course 929 looks like a joke compared to more serious designs, so take this comparison as it is.

Just our 2c.
Cheers,

 

I'd love to but it usually depends on the owner not everyone is open to showing their rooms on the net.
david

If you come and install one in my house you are welcome to take as many pics as you like!

 

Actually the next AS2000 setup is in a couple of months in HK !

david

I better tell my friends working in Customs to be on the lookout!

 

If you come and install one in my house you are welcome to take as many pics as you like!

I'll keep that in mind for future and your friends in customs can help haul it in!

david

 

I'll keep that in mind for future and your friends in customs can help haul it in!

david

I'm sure you won't but if you need any assistance please don't hesitate to ask.

 

I am curious as to whether or not it's a synergy issue that DDK has with his AS2000 turntables or if the SME 3012r likes a particular type of deck

I do believe so. But not synergistic in the sense that AS2000 is lacking something and the 3012R adds that to fill the hole. Or AS2000 has too much of something and 3012R tames it to be more balanced. I do know the "natural sound" ddk intended people to hear from AS2000. His "natural sound" may not be preferred by many people in this forum. The 3012R possess those traits of natural sound. It seems to compliment the AS2000 by not adding or subtracting anything to or from AS2000. This natural sound is quite naked. The 3012R is naked and raw. So as the Master Sig.

Kind regards,
Tang