Tonearm Comparison: SME 3012R and SME V-12

[leyenda]

I like the 2nd video and it mirrors what I like about the SME Rs - direct and bold sound. On a separate note, my experience with tonearm on separate armpod have been unfavorable, I find the sound to be less energetic compared to arms mounted on the same platform as the turntable plinth.

 

[bonzo75]

Thank you adyc. I appreciate your opinion and those of others. I find it interesting that people can have such different opinions. Bonzo feels that the first video is much much better.

I suppose that is why there is so much different gear and system configurations out there.

For me from.1:30 ish onwards SME V is much superior. I agree that the initial part including the violin the 3012r has the tone but for me once the ups and the downs start it loses the dynamic scale and flow

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

wonder if the preferences would change if everybody replayed over the same gear .....

 

[108CY]

I personally preferred the first one I found it resolved better and like the way it timed, they second sounded a bit lazy to me. Having just a little experience with both arms the fun bit would be to have multiple arms of the same and compare there are big production difference also with the builders of the tonearms . Majority of the 3012r arms were built by a new apprentice who was quite new to arm building at the time the V12 was built by a more experienced arm builder of course the apprentice now makes majority of the arms now and has gained immense experience of the 35 plus years this does make a difference . The sme arms a more complex then meets the eye hence the variation they did there best to keep consistency I have built and rebuilt up many of both models myself on many occasions its a complex subject. I sleep beside cabinets full of sme arms the 3012r never quite got the same attention to detail as the V12 during build. This does not always mean that the V12 is better it can be a individual arm thing I have some 3012rs which are superb too but generally have a lot more attention to detail.

 

[Tango]

wonder if the preferences would change if everybody replayed over the same gear .....

i always playback using Samsung S10 and iPad mini. Characters don't change but degree that I hear them vary. Never listen for tone from youtube playback.

 

[bonzo75]

wonder if the preferences would change if everybody replayed over the same gear .....

I found that between iPhone and my speaker there are quite big differences, especially the lack of lower half on the phone. So for example, your system will sound like without dual woofers