The III was the one designed for lowest mass and lowest traking force, not the IV. OTOH, it used with the very high compliance, very low mass cartridges that IT WAS DESIGNED FOR (and not most MC designs), it is excellent.
SME III Tonearm: Classic or Dinosaur?
At 14, I killed myself delivering papers and mowing lawns to buy my first Hafler amps and Magneplanar MG-1b's and I lucked into a deal on an SME III tonearm on a Kenwood KD-500 with a Grado Signature cartridge. I thought the SME was the most exotic piece of gear in the world with its fluid dampening system and pulley mounted anti skating (?) device, and with fond memories was very excited to see one for sale recently. Does anyone know how this arm might compare with tonearms of today, especially the newer SME's? Could this work reasonably well or am I just being sentimental?