Old Linn Sondek with SME 3009?

does anyone know the Linn Sondek with SME 3009?
What do you think?
Real comparisons between Sme 3009 and Ittok?
I would like to add a Shure M75 cartridge
thank you
PS. my budget is limited, I'm not interested in the latest decks
I found a 1990 LP12 with SME

 

Nice combo.
I use one on a TD150.
With a V15mk3 and alternately
M97XE.
It sings

 

I had an Ittok for years. Wide on frequency extremes

Clarity was striking, as i recall.
Good bass

Sme is a warmer device.
Misses a bit of detail.
You,d hardly notice though

More of a dreamer
Soothing sound

 

That's a bit unusual to see a 3009 on a relatively late model LP12. Much more of a 1970's combo.

jeff

 

I would like to know if the LINN / SME3009 is good
Comparison between LINN-SME vs LINN-ITTOK is very interesting to me: This is what I would like to know

 

Ittoks have a reputation for being trouble in terms of worn bearings. SME 3009 probably isn't a flat earther's favourite but should sound nice. With all these arms condition is paramount. 3009 is more suited to MM cartridges than MC (especially the 'improved' fixed headshell version). If you want to use an expensive MC the Ittok would be preferable.

 

In my own experience the LP12 and the 3009 make for uncomfortable house mates. For some reason they just seem to work against each other. I'd suggest that if you like the Linn, try to hear it with a Grace G707, a Linn Ekos or my favourite a Naim Aro. For the SME try it with a Garrard 301/401, a Thorens TD 124/TD125, a Mitchell Gyrodec/Orb, a Technics SP-10, or a Pink Triangle Anniversary.

 

If you are going to run a Shure M75 an SME 3009 is perfect, even on an LP12.

 

I hope you don't have suspended floors in your house/apartment. If you do, unless you can put up a wall shelf, the Linn will not work. It will skip from footfalls.

 

From practical experiences with td150
Sme 3009 works perfectly.
As has been pointed out.3009 was created to work with highly compliant mm
Cartridges.

I would not buy this turntable for Mc,s.

 

As has been said, a 1990 LP12 is an unusual combination with a SME 3009, whereas in the '70's, it was a very common combination and obviously considered to work fairly well, by the late seventies Grace 707 and in '78 the Ittok were more usual pairings.

I've serviced several LP12s fitted with 3009s and it does produce a good sound, At the time direct comparisons were difficult, because the shop LP12 fitted with Ittoks had upgraded subchassis and bearing housings. Interestingly, the shops I worked in only part-exchanged around 10 SMEs for Ittoks and later Ekos, so having seen many more than 10 LP12 / SME combinations, the owners seemed happy and loyal. Those who went from 3009 to Ittok were pleased with the improvement.

Around 1988 we had a number of LP12S in for a Linn Klinic, and had two very similar age '70's LP12s, both had Nirvana and Valhalla upgrades, I cannot remember if they had been upgraded to glued sub-chassis, but both were the same spec. One had a SME 3009, the other an early, thin arm pillar Ittok. With both owners permission and presence, we fitted a Shure V15 type v (I think) body to the Ittok and used the same HE stylus (I think!) on both turntables. This is the closest I could get to replicating what would have been heard in 1978, when the Ittok was introduced and the only time I've directly compared, with as few variables as possible, a LP12 / SME 3009 to LP12 / Ittok SNo. below 3,000. The Shure cartridge was recognised as a good match for the SME and was used with the brush on the Ittok. From memory I think all this is correct, but it was 30 odd years ago!

All four present preferred the Ittok, more tuneful, dynamic and detailed, though the SME certainly put in a good performance and the owner felt no need to change. The Ittok owner was also happy as we gave the SME the best chance to shine.

Sorry this isn't more recent, but whereas I've heard several Ittoks in the last few years with MMs from Goldring and Audio Technica, and a Linn Krystal MC, I haven't heard a LP12 / SME 3009 since 1995!

 

thank you very much for all these answers!
and very interesting
A friend of mine sells his old 1990 LP12 with SME 3009
He purchased this LP12 deck with Ittok (at the beginning)
then it sold ITTOK and bought a SME3009
He says: "with SME the sound is more precise, bass is narrower and faster"
I would prefer a classic deck (with ITTOK)
Next Monday he will tell me the selling price (I still don't know)
I have decided! If the price is up to 800 € I will take it!

 

A 1990 LP12 has had a lot of improvements from the original design and gets you the stronger plinth with bigger corner fillets, the best Valhalla board, the glued sub-chassis and the last bearing housing / inner platter before the Circus kit - all good stuff!

 

I think I’d stick with a Linn arm on the LP12. The one exception would be the Naim Aro, which is loved by many LP12 owners. The guys at LP12 Bits usually have nice condition Ittoks and other arms in stock: All Current Stock

 

Its really all about musical pleasure.
Sure, the ittok will outperform
The SME.
SmE is smooth, refined,, a bit restricted both ends of frequency spectrum
But i can listen to it for hour upon hour.
The frequency differences soon become forgotten about.
Now i use an SME series 3 on my other TD150.
With added mass it works superbly with
My retipped Asak
I.prefer it to all other Arms including my SME 4.
The 3009 is certsinly popular judging by the prices they command on EBAY

 

ancora grandi e risposte molto interessanti
La frequenza meno ampia non è un problema
il mio udito va bene fino a 8 kHz ... sfortunatamente
e l'ultra basso non mi interessa

 

This is probably why out of seeing a few dozen LP12 / SME 3009 combinations over a 12 year plus timescale, only around 10 upgraded to an Ittok / Ekos / Aro etc. Obviously I don't know if this was typical at other Linn dealerships, but the owners were happy.

It was far more common to see SME 3009 on non Linn turntables, when they were part exchanged for an LP12 / Ittok.

Despite some folks not thinking the LP12 / SME combination ideal, many people were / are very happy with it.

I have only ever fitted one SME V to a LP12, where the customer supplied the arm and requested it was fitted.

I would add that I have had extended listening sessions with LPs with both Ittok and Ekos, and after a day and a half fairly constant record playing, it was lack of sleep rather than the music making me tired!

 

This says your deck wasn't set up right, the LP12 is amazingly immune from footfall if the table is stable.

 

Yep my four year dances around in front of mine never disturbs it, my heart on the other end when she gets too close!

 

I'm not sure how many LP12s I've installed, but certainly multiple dozens. Out of these I can only recall two instances where the floorboards caused real problems. This was not because of a suspended floor, but because of very loose floorboards. One was solved by moving the stand a couple of inches off the creaking board, the other which had multiple loose boards, yes, a wall shelf solved the issue. The previous turntable, a well known non suspended design, also jumped as soon as they walked across the room!

When arranging installations, or indeed when selling turntables, the question of on what the turntable would be placed was always brought up. On a few occasions the shelf had already been installed, where they wanted the turntable out of harms way, at others the installer would fit a wall shelf. The vast majority of turntables both suspended and non suspended, were used on floor stands.

I have personally used a Quadraspire wall shelf through choice before. The designs have become more sophisticated in the past 15 years.

 

Whilst I wasn't inducted to the Masonic lodge of the LP12 set up, I used to do installation and we always found a table the best option if possible.

Again Victorian houses with 'historic movement' were very common, a electric screw driver for those loose floorboards and wedges for the joists meant we could normally solve the problem of doggy suspended flooring.

The bain of our life was plumbers who'd sawn floorboards in half.

 

So true!

 

With sme3009 on td150 ,( similar deck)
Only the lonely, by Roy Orbison
Always hits the spot.
Am using v15mk3 or M97XE.
Peter Gun, from the "Blues Brothers"
Soundtrack another goodie.
Put it another away.
I use 3 turntables.
Td150 x2
.Garrard 401/ SME4/ Benz Glyder.
One TD 150 has 3009
Other has SME 3.
Both SME 3 and 3009 hit the spot.
Ie Boogie factor.
SME4 ACCURATE! FLAWLESS.
ALMOST PERFECT.
maybe i like coloration!
Maybe YOU DO AS WELL

 

You are getting a turntable / arm of known quality and condition from a friend, with a (relatively!) new LP12 with a good arm, which should allay your fears from your previous thread about buying s/h.

You can live with the combination, enjoy it and still have many options, all involving spending more money, in the future! Hope it works out you.

 

I'm pretty sure my table was set up right. Maybe my floors are just extra bouncy, but I couldn't even tip-toe past it without it skipping. Here's a video of my bounce. Everything was perfectly level when the video was recorded.

trim.1BB9D0E0-A9CA-48DC-8E2A-00E1596AEEE8 by ewe11079, on Flickr