Shure sme 3009 manual

Instead of a steel arm tube, the Series II used a polished, bright-anodised aluminium arm tube, 9. The Series II stayed in production for 10 years. All of the same basic family ran for the next 30 years. Precision is such that accurate tracking force up to 1. Two counterweights were available, of 64g and 77g, allowing the use of very heavy cartridges, up to SME employed a hanging weight on a thread to set adjustable bias corresponding with tracking force, via notches on a rail.

All of the arms were fitted with damped cueing devices, and VTA was easily set thanks to the adjustable arm height. Collectors know the SME enjoyed numerous variants, especially the inch model.

But others exist to tantalize completists. The RSS feed provided is for personal, non-commercial use only. One of the common problems that the series II tonearm can develop with age is a sagging counterweight, this is caused by hardening of the coupling rubber which secures the tonearm stub to the main tonearm tube.

The arm was in good condition, but suffered from the sagging counterweight problem as described above. The objective was to restore this venerable tonearm to its original condition in most respects, except with improved inner wire and with an improved tonearm cable.

The result being a restoration which exploits the sonic capabilities of this arm to the fullest level. The headshell socket is also available without any wire for UKP As mentioned above, the headshell socket can be purchased separately which allows the user to choose from a greater selection of inner wire, and which is a more cost effective route than the pre-wired options.

The replacement headshell socket, is designed as a perfect fit for the S2 improved and the 30XXR tonearms, but for the and series II tonearms, there is a small kludge required to make the replacement headshell socket fit: there is a tapped hole in the bottom of the headshell socket into which a round headed bolt is inserted through a slot in the lower side of the tonearm tube. This bolt keeps the headshell socket in place and prevents the headshell from moving beyond a permitted range of azimuth adjustment.

A large washer fits between the headshell socket and the end of the tonearm tube, and this washer prevents the locking collar of the headshell socket from being slid back along the tonearm tube. For the series II tonearms, if the replacement headshell socket is fitted with the single supplied washer, the hole will be too far back and will not align with the slot in the base of the tonearm tube. A solution to this problem is to double up on the supplied washers which fits between the headshell socket and the tonearm tube.

Using two washers, as described provides a perfect fit and probably gives rise to a slightly smoother azimuth adjustment in the finally reassembled tonearm. I have commented to SME about this slight defect with the replacement headshell socket, and they assure me that they will supply the headshell socket with the extra washer if required.

However, it would be necessary to advise SME that you want an additional washer to be included with the headshell socket or wiring harness when placing the order — the required washers can be seen in the plastic bag on the left-hand side of the Photo 1 below.

As noted, the original coupling rubbers which secure the rear stub to the main tonearm tube generally do not stand the test of time, and need to be replaced. The replacement rubbers are much less compliant than the original parts; this is in-line with modern thinking on tonearm design where a less compliant coupling between the two tonearm sections is considered preferable.

It is best to replace the coupling rubbers before replacing the inner wire, because removing the old rubber can be messy and requires cleaning of the tonearm tube with lighter fluid. So I began by preparing the tools and dismantling the tonearm, which is very easy to do.

Separating the stub from the tonearm tube is achieved by pulling and twisting the two pieces; ideally the old rubber section will not fully disintegrate during this step, so that there is not an excessive amount of rubber to be removed from inside the tonearm tube and stub. Still, excess rubber will remain behind, and this needs to be cleaned from the two parts of the tonearm. Lighter fluid is the preferred solvent to remove the residue of rubber: the stub can be fully immersed in lighter fluid; and the inside of the tonearm tube can be cleaned using a soaked cotton bud — photo 2 and photo 3.

It is also recommended to soak the replacement coupling rubbers in lighter fluid briefly and to wipe dry in order to remove any grease or grime that may have contaminated the outer surfaces thereof. Ideally all of the residue of rubber will be removed at this stage, and the inner surfaces of the tonearm tube and tonearm stub will be clean.

Next the larger of the two coupling rubbers is pushed over the protruding rod at the rear of the tonearm tube; the rubber is arranged so that the the shorter fatter side is closest to the tonearm tube.

The curved side of the coupling rubber adjacent to the tonearm tube is liberally coated with cyanoacrylate adhesive and the rubber is pushed inside the tonearm tube. When the rubber is pushed into the tonearm tube, a ring of wet glue will be forced to the outside of the rubber. This should be removed immediately with a lint free rag wetted with lighter fluid. Any traces of glue which remain on the outer surface of the tonearm tube can be scraped away with a fingernail — photo 4 and 5.

Photo 4 — Fitting the large coupling rubber to the protruding rod at the back of the tonearm tube. Next step is to fit the smaller of the two coupling rubbers to the end of the protruding rod at the rear of the tonearm tube, this is fitted by applying adhesive to surface of the rod, and by quickly sliding the rubber so that it is flush with the end of the rod — photo 5.

The adhesive should be allowed to set for over an hour before proceeding to the next step. After the adhesive has set, the rear stub is fitted as follows: adhesive is applied to the second side of the larger of the two coupling rubbers ONLY and the rear stub of the tonearm is pushed over both coupling rubbers and up against the arm tube quickly.

Again, a ring of glue will be forced to the outer surface of the rubber, and this should be removed with a lighter fluid wetted rag. Adjustable overhang, vertical tracking force, anti-skate and arm height.

Later models had optional fluid damping. The series I and II had removable headshells, series II improved had a fixed headshell and S2 improved had a lightweight removable headshell type S The R was a reintroduction of the original series II that ended production in , but featured a new arm tube, counterweight, low mass headshell type S2-R and revised geometry.

Sensitivity and strength combine with versatility to ensure the continuing popularity of the Built throughout with instrument standards of quality, the SME has all parts precision machined, heat treated and ground where necessary. Reproduction is unaffected even if the arm and turntable assembly are tipped through 30 degrees from horizontal, demonstrating the excellent groove contact maintained.

Models and are of similar construction, the essential difference being the length of the tonearm. I know of no other arm possessing all the qualities of the SME.