Dear Robob, I haven't worked with the SME 309 yet, but his headshell features single mounting holes and hardly any option to alter overhang and/or offset. As such it shares the very same "camp" with it's big brother the "V".
The SME V does feature - as Geoch pointed out - better ball bearings and is a dynamically balanced design ( which - at least IMHO - is an important feature in a pivot tonearm trying to set the state of the art ).
The SME V is - among it's brothers and offsprings - still the best tonearm. Due to superior attention to detail and better parts incorporated.
The other SME tonearms are "trickling-down-products" from the SME V.
Cheers,
D.
The SME V does feature - as Geoch pointed out - better ball bearings and is a dynamically balanced design ( which - at least IMHO - is an important feature in a pivot tonearm trying to set the state of the art ).
The SME V is - among it's brothers and offsprings - still the best tonearm. Due to superior attention to detail and better parts incorporated.
The other SME tonearms are "trickling-down-products" from the SME V.
Cheers,
D.