They are very close, if not identical sonically. The advantage of the 312S lies in its ability to quickly change cartridges. You can also adjust azimuth with the 312S, where you can't with the V-12. Check with Albert Porter - he has several 312S arms.
SME 312S versus SME V-12
These are SME's two 12" arms. The difference is that the 312S has a detachable headshell for azimuth/cartridge swapping and static VTF while the V-12 has a fixed headshell/continuous arm tube and dynamic VTF.
Has anyone heard and compared these arms to each other? I just retested static versus dynamic VTF on my SME V arm and prefer the dynamic, so that may answer my question, but I'm curious to read what others think of these two arms as I've never heard them. Thanks.
Has anyone heard and compared these arms to each other? I just retested static versus dynamic VTF on my SME V arm and prefer the dynamic, so that may answer my question, but I'm curious to read what others think of these two arms as I've never heard them. Thanks.