Good carts with SME V

thanks!

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wspohn – which Koetsu worked best in the SME V?

atmasphere – yes, lower compliance and/or cartridge weight. Maybe I will consider change of the tonearm.

jperry – will take a look.

nkonor – yes I am trying to get in contact with them. They have been good before and things may take a little time.

tkr - Koetsu Black has an aluminum body – like the thick platter on my Hanss T30 – what is the output? - I find it hard to get a picture of how Koetsus sound, from quite varied reviews - some are not so “smooth” anymore, etc. But the mid-tone is the traditional strongest part of their house sound, right?

jahatl513 – ok will check. heard nice things about them. what would be relevant models?

other user reports very welcome.

Another important consideration is the cartridge – phono preamp match. Cart output cannot be too low in my case, using the Aesthetix Io. Carts with 0.5 or more work fine, 0.3 is not as good, and 0.2 is somewhat problematic due to tube noise. It does not take MM carts. Step-up transformers probably need not apply.

wspohn – which Koetsu worked best in the SME V?

I was not a fan of the Black.

I have been running a vintage original  Sugano made Urushi for years. While I could have bought one of the follow-ups (the fancy stone bodied ones) I usually bought a car instead.....same price!

Please clue me in; how do you adjust the effective mass on a Triplanar, save by the method common to any tonearm, which is to add mass? But, as for most other tonearms, you cannot reduce effective mass below the basic value with no added weight.

@lewm Actually the means is simple. The Triplanar is supplied with a series of counterbalance weights. You can use one, or you can use several and spread them out. The distance from the fulcrum makes a difference on the effective mass, so you can adjust a bit by playing with the different weights.

@o_holter One thing I got taught in spades by the Triplanar is that:
***the ability of the arm to track the cartridge properly is **by far** more important than what cartridge is used!***

If the arm can track two cartridges extremely well, even though the cost between them might be 10:1, the difference between the sonics will be slight if audible at all.

Its when the arm has tracking issues that the more expensive cartridges start to shine. 
I know that many audiophiles won't want to hear this, but that's how it is.

Koetsu Black specs:

Description: Low-output moving-coil cartridge. Output: 0.6mV. Compliance: 10–12cu (compliance units). Channel separation: >30dB (1kHz). Cantilever: one-piece boron rod. Stylus profile: proprietary (see text). Recommended load: 5–47k ohms. Recommended downforce: 1.8–2.0gm.
Read more at https://www.stereophile.com/content/koetsu-black-mc-phono-cartridge-specifications#9tLX1eld3emSytkW....

The Koetsu Black was IME a better match with the SME V than the Koetsu Urushi which I also have owned.

I think it is a mistake to only concentrate on the mids when talking about Koetsus. They are also extraordinarily dynamic.

I have very much enjoyed the Kiseki Purple Heart with my SME IV tonearm.  Many great things have been written about this cart and my experience with it agrees with the experts.  
The only problem is I had to add spacers between tonearm and cartridge so that I could raise the tonearm high enough to clear warped LPs.  Once I got that dialed I was very satisfied.  
Prior to the Purple Heart I was using a Lyra Delos.  The Purple Heart is much better than the Delos IMO.