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With the recent changes on my configuration changes and employing the “End of the Live Phonostage”, in duty I re-thinked my analog playback. I got rid to arms and one deck, changed the mapping between the arms and phonostages and ended up with quite comfortable seething that does what I need and have no complication of playback language.

The deck is the very same unavoidable Micro 8000 with hard mat on platter, sitting atop Vibroplne. There are 4 arms used, different in functionality, needs and purpose.

1)    References stereo arm: SME 3012 with 23 extra grams in shell and Shelter 901 loaded to 50R with Dominus. This is my very beloved configuration and I play with it only what I like.

2)    Mono arm: Micro 282AU with Otophone SPU Mono Conical. I have a few plug-and–play SC insert tubes for this arm with different cartages but at this point I do not see myself using the inserts anymore. One of the insets hosts the Elliptical SPU Mono that I sometime might employ. The arm is loaded to the same “End of the Live” RIAA via Micro “fat” cable.

3)    Romantic stereo arm: SME 3009 with Otophone SPU Classic driving the same phono-corrector via POD Proteus “B” cable. I love this arm it has that “soft touch” that I do appreciate in some cases and on some records.

4)    Dirty Dally arm: SME M2-12 with Grado Platinum Ref loaded to 47K via VdH 501 Hybrid to custom made EAR 834PTF. This is my first play arm. I play records that I care less how they sound, that I did not vacuumed or juts to learn what was on the record. Ironically, this arm delivers surprisingly nice and musical result - much better then might be expected. I have  another interchangeable shells for this arm with other needles – in the past I used Denon 103M for the Dirty play – it read records better then Grado but I never was able to make the new SME arms to work with any of my MC cartridges.

All arms run dry, no liquid dumping used anymore.  That is pretty much it. I am getting rid of my collection of other arms and needles, not to raise money but juts to trash the things that I do not need as I have no plane to make any modifications of changes. I might consider another type reference cartridges (I love Shelters though) when my current dies – needles get better and better - but I am a good few years away from that moment…

Rerurn to Romy the Cat's Site