I did the the III to IV and also own a 309. Even w/ occasional use, 15 yrs is quite a long time. Um, have the headshell lead connections been cleaned during that time? --grin--
Cart is a Clearaudio V. Wood, not tweaky weird about setup, reasonably tough and durable - within limits.
I've eliminated the word 'best' from my audio vocab, and for carts, buy to a price point, and maybe occasionally sneak a peek at a review. Nearly impossible, AFAIK, to borrow and audition a cart, let alone buy one w/ a MBG.
The III to IV jump is an OK improvement, but certainly is not cheap. No experience w/ the SDS. Actually, record cleaning effort and procedures are producing nearly the same improvements...
Cart is a Clearaudio V. Wood, not tweaky weird about setup, reasonably tough and durable - within limits.
I've eliminated the word 'best' from my audio vocab, and for carts, buy to a price point, and maybe occasionally sneak a peek at a review. Nearly impossible, AFAIK, to borrow and audition a cart, let alone buy one w/ a MBG.
The III to IV jump is an OK improvement, but certainly is not cheap. No experience w/ the SDS. Actually, record cleaning effort and procedures are producing nearly the same improvements...