BeoGram

Re: SMMC4 vs SMMC3

Spellflower — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 08:46:17 GMT

Thanks very much for the advice! It's what I was hoping to hear. Now off to Soundsmith to place an order.

Re: SMMC4 vs SMMC3

joeyboygolf — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 03:48:03 GMT

If you have been happy with MMC4 then you will find that SMMC4 is a distinct inprovement in solidity of bass and sweetness of treble. My advice is to save the $80

Re: SMMC4 vs SMMC3

Peter — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 02:16:18 GMT

I have tried a lot of B&O cartridges in my time and the ranges have always had a hierarchy with a basic model and ever increasingly expensive models above. In the days of B&O making their own, the price differences were actually not that great and I often had the full model range. I do have a Soundsmith cartridge - a SMMC20EN, which is the equivalent of the SMMC3 in many ways. Excellent cartridge but I bought it to help out another member who needed to sell it. If I was buying for an RX deck, I would get a SMMC4 of which I have heard nothing but praise. I have had MMC3 and MMC4 cartridges and have done A/B tests and didn't notice any big differences.

SMMC4 vs SMMC3

Spellflower — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 00:00:58 GMT

After moving, I set up my stereo, removed my MMC4 from its box, and replaced it on the tone arm of my Beogram RX. I adjusted the counterweight to what seemed right, but didn't bother to recalibrate and check everything before trying to play a record. That was a mistake. The tone arm skidded off of the record onto the aluminum, and once I had adjusted it properly, it was sickeningly distorted. I found Soundsmith's website, and followed their instructions to visually inspect, and though I saw nothing out of place, when I tried the cartridge again, it didn't even play distorted- just a hum.

So, one way or another, it's broken, and I'm in the market for a Soundsmith. I can't really afford a SMMC3, but then, I can't really afford a SMMC4 right now either, and that's not going to stop me!

Still, I'd like to know, does anyone have any experience with both? Is the difference noticable? If I'm used to a MMC4, and was happy with it, is it worth spending $80 just for a solid diamond stylus?

Thanks