Ariston rd11s
Posted by: Ian Preston on 27 December 2002
This comes with a SME 309 tonearm. Price is NZ $500 (160 UKP). For someone who has limited turntable experience would this be a viable purchase. I understand these models can be difficult to set up etc. Secondly while it looks to be in very nice condition what can I do myself to assess its condition before I take it out of the shop.
Posted on: 27 December 2002 by Mark Dunn
Hi Ian.
For 160 quid I don't think you can go wrong as long as it's working OK. The RD11s is *very* similar to an LP12 in terms of set up and you can get info' on it at the Analogue Addicts archive or download an official LP12 guide from Tony L's pink place.
Listen to it before purchase to make sure there are no obvious problems. Check the belt, put an ear to the motor (to see if it's noisy) and most importantly, inspect the bearing.
For the arm, make sure all the accessories are accounted for. SMEs are generally built to last, so unless it's suffered abuse you'll likely be OK.
Does it have a cartridge fitted?
Best Regards,
Mark Dunn
For 160 quid I don't think you can go wrong as long as it's working OK. The RD11s is *very* similar to an LP12 in terms of set up and you can get info' on it at the Analogue Addicts archive or download an official LP12 guide from Tony L's pink place.
Listen to it before purchase to make sure there are no obvious problems. Check the belt, put an ear to the motor (to see if it's noisy) and most importantly, inspect the bearing.
For the arm, make sure all the accessories are accounted for. SMEs are generally built to last, so unless it's suffered abuse you'll likely be OK.
Does it have a cartridge fitted?
Best Regards,
Mark Dunn
Posted on: 28 December 2002 by richard goldsmith
At that price and vintage, are you sure that arm is not a 3009, rather than a 309?
Posted on: 29 December 2002 by Ian Preston
Thanks for your feedback. Richard is correct the arm does appear to be a 3009 and fitted with a audiotechnica moving magnet cartridge. Does this make it still a good buy? How do you check the bearing? and what should the stylus look like?-the shop owner has a magnifying glass which allows for a closer inspection.
Sorry but Im a novice in such matters.
Michael, I live in the North Island, an hours drive from Wellington, in the Wairarapa famous for sheep shearing and not a lot else!
Ian.
Sorry but Im a novice in such matters.
Michael, I live in the North Island, an hours drive from Wellington, in the Wairarapa famous for sheep shearing and not a lot else!
Ian.
Posted on: 29 December 2002 by Mark Dunn
Hi Ian:
The SME 3009 is still an OK arm to use with a mid to high compliance moving magnet cartidge. Something along the lines of the Shure M97(?) family would be a good place to start looking.
The 3009 came in several guises and a couple of things to keep in mind are:
a. When testing the arm using michael w's idea, be aware that the 3009 uses knife edge bearings and there *will* be some rotational movement of the arm apparent around a line drawn (roughly) from the headshell through the bearings.
b. If the arm has the original detachable headshell (it has 'SME' in big letters on it) then this can be improved considerably by seeking out a magnesium headshell such as the ubiquitous ADC LMG-1.
I have a 3009SII on a Garrard 401 (yes Mick Parry, a Garrard 401!) in England and although not super-duper, it's quite serviceable. Also, the comment in my original reply regarding the arm's accessories now becomes very important as there's a small collection of weights and stuff to allow various masses and compliances of cartridges to work well.
In terms of checking the bearing you will need to remove the inner platter, wipe the main shaft with a lint free cloth (my favourite part ;-) and visually inspect the shaft and contact area with a magnifying glass. A 20X is more than sufficient. The shaft and thrust area should not be marked or indented *anywhere*. To inspect the bearing well itself you'll need to empty the oil, clean out the well with ear buds, then try to see inside as best you can.
Hope this helps.
Best Regards,
Mark DunnĖ
The SME 3009 is still an OK arm to use with a mid to high compliance moving magnet cartidge. Something along the lines of the Shure M97(?) family would be a good place to start looking.
The 3009 came in several guises and a couple of things to keep in mind are:
a. When testing the arm using michael w's idea, be aware that the 3009 uses knife edge bearings and there *will* be some rotational movement of the arm apparent around a line drawn (roughly) from the headshell through the bearings.
b. If the arm has the original detachable headshell (it has 'SME' in big letters on it) then this can be improved considerably by seeking out a magnesium headshell such as the ubiquitous ADC LMG-1.
I have a 3009SII on a Garrard 401 (yes Mick Parry, a Garrard 401!) in England and although not super-duper, it's quite serviceable. Also, the comment in my original reply regarding the arm's accessories now becomes very important as there's a small collection of weights and stuff to allow various masses and compliances of cartridges to work well.
In terms of checking the bearing you will need to remove the inner platter, wipe the main shaft with a lint free cloth (my favourite part ;-) and visually inspect the shaft and contact area with a magnifying glass. A 20X is more than sufficient. The shaft and thrust area should not be marked or indented *anywhere*. To inspect the bearing well itself you'll need to empty the oil, clean out the well with ear buds, then try to see inside as best you can.
Hope this helps.
Best Regards,
Mark DunnĖ