Tonearm/Cart Matching Assistance - SAEC 407/23

Hi Travis. I read your last question about this, and didn't know the answer. However, since I do know that the SAEC is a knife-edge bearing design, I'd stay away from low compliance cartridges with this one due to possible bearing chatter. Since is it probably a fairly heavy arm, high compliance is also out. So to be on the safe side, a medium compliance cartridge will probably do the job with least chance of major problems. I couldn't find any effective mass specs for this arm on the web.

Thanks Tom. FWIW, the arm is supposed to accomodate "cart+headshell" weights of 8-33.5 grams and carts with tracking force of 0-4 grams (though another source suggests 0-2.5g). From what a few Japanese dealers have told me, this arm was oftenused with an Ortofon SPU cart/headshell combo here in Japan back in its day (15-20yrs ago) and the SPU cart/headshell unit is about 30-32g if I have it figured out correctly.

Also, can you suggest where I'd start looking for a medium compliance cart (makers, etc) and what medium compliance is in terms of numbers?

I am looking for a owners manual for a SAEC 407/23 tonearm.
At the least I need to find out how to set the slider weight at the rear of the arm and the string weight used for the anti-scate. Can anyone HELP???

Dear travis: I own/owned SAEC tonearms, last ones the 506-30 and WE-8000. The 506 is similar in many ways to the 407, where the 407 is a short version and the 506 a long one between other " differences ".

I have the opportunity to mount several and different compliance/weight cartridges, between them: Ortofon 7500 ( 11grs and 13cu. ), Koetsu RSP ( 14grs and 10cu ), XV-1s ( 13grs and 12cu ), Accuphase ( 8 grs and 12cu ), Ikeda REX9 ( 16grs and 4cu ), Ortofon MC2000 ( 10 grs and 18-20cu ). No one of these cartridges and other ones that I try with the 506-30 performs bad, some of them are not the best match ( effective mass/compliane ) but performs good.
These SAEC double-knife bearing design are really good and its ceramic build headshell help in good way to permit that different cartridges can/could run ok.

I don't know with which cartridges do you want to try it but the best answer is what you will hear with those cartridges.

About VTF there is no precise limit, this depends on the headshell/cartridge weight ( the headshell is 18grs. ) and how much you have to carry the counterweight to the pivot for balance it and from there how much space leave forward to the counterweight. Of course that you can try it with different headshell weight to change ( lower ) its effective mass trying to get a better cartridge match. Very good tonearm indeed.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Antslappy: About the anti-skate: first you put the tonearm at the very outside of the record/LP position, then put the sting weight in the anti-skate " bayonet " ( that has a nut to tight it: turn-around counter-clockwise. ) at the desire value and finally you move forward/backward the bayonet till the string make a 90 degrees with the AS scale, then turn-around the nut clock-wise and that's it.

The effective length is 233mm and overhang 12mm.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Raul, thanks. I last posted to the thread five and a half years ago. I have found that I prefer heavier-weight, lower compliance carts with the 407/23. I still use it quite a bit. I do not have the SAEC ceramic headshell. Mine didn't come with it, and they go for a pretty penny. Maybe I should get one anyway. In any case, I use a Yamamoto ebony headshell which is a bit lighter, and perhaps one reason why I prefer heavier carts.

I have two SAEC ceramic headshells. Yes they are (were) expensive ($100.00 each) and beautifully made. Gorgeous! I have one in white pearl ceramic and the other is gray ceramic. However, I don't use either one now. I use a high compliance cartridge that tracks at one gram.