Kenwood KD-500 tonearm

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Stuck in the 70's
Is the Kenwood KD-500 and the SME 3009 mk II a good combination? I had one set up that way back in the 80s and I want to replace it. But I want the best tonearm combination for it. Would the Black Widow be better? I'm ignorant about tonearm compliance and its ramifications. Thoughts?
 
Last edited:
NO don't go that route. There are very few cartridges that want a low mass (SME) or very low mass (∞BW) tonearm. You want a medium mass or higher arm depending on the cartridge you want to use. Since most cartridges today are designed for not low mass arms, there are not many low mass arms out there available new.

The KD-500 is a nice table. I've had one (Mayware Formula IV, very low mass arm) back in the day with a high compliance cartridge. I have moved to a Thorens TD-160 Super/Magnepan Unitrac I that will handle a number of cartridges and added a KD-650 since sold and a KD-600 that will have either the SME (if I don't sell it, I got it for work on a friends table, a TD-125/SME but he upgraded to the Audiomods arm) or another Magnepan arm.

There are bunches of arms out there so knowing the budget and what cartridges you like would help narrow the focus so you could pick one for that table.
 
That's a shame, had a BW arm with an ADC Astrion Cart on a DP 1500 years ago, loved it.
 
You have a M97xe. Here is the description. Maybe I'm looking at the wrong thing.
[h=4]Overview[/h] The M97xE is a superb smooth-sounding phonograph cartridge designed to provide long hours of undistorted listening, without fatiguing the ear. Its highly precise tracking ability and flat frequency response are made possible by Shure's unique Type II low-mass thin-wall aluminum alloy stylus cantilever, combined with a precision-crafted, finely polished, elliptical diamond tip.
This cartridge is able to accurately reproduce very difficult musical passages, particularly in the high-frequency range, where audio modulations are the smallest and most concentrated, and stylus tip movement is consequently the most rapid.
[h=4]Features[/h]
  • Stylus Mass: Very Low
  • Diamond Stylus Tip: Elliptical
  • Sound Accuracy: Very High
  • Record Wear: Very Low
  • Key Features: Dynamic Stabilizer Brush
 
I'm still using the KD500 with ADC tonearm that I bought new. I use an Audio Technica AT20 and 15SA as well as an ADC ZLM.

Works fine for me.

I also picked up one of those little stands back in the day with the little needles and magnets that lifts the tonearm at the end of a record. It still works on a daily basis for me.

I just learned of an AT tonearm that looks like it would be kinda cool with this turntable, but I have no idea what cartridges would work best with it.
 
speakerman1 said:
You have a M97xe. Here is the description. Maybe I'm looking at the wrong thing.
Overview

The M97xE is a superb smooth-sounding phonograph cartridge designed to provide long hours of undistorted listening, without fatiguing the ear. Its highly precise tracking ability and flat frequency response are made possible by Shure's unique Type II low-mass thin-wall aluminum alloy stylus cantilever, combined with a precision-crafted, finely polished, elliptical diamond tip.
This cartridge is able to accurately reproduce very difficult musical passages, particularly in the high-frequency range, where audio modulations are the smallest and most concentrated, and stylus tip movement is consequently the most rapid.
Features


  • Stylus Mass: Very Low
  • Diamond Stylus Tip: Elliptical
  • Sound Accuracy: Very High
  • Record Wear: Very Low
  • Key Features: Dynamic Stabilizer Brush
Click to expand...

Yes indeed thanks to you...
 
I mentioned it somewhere else around here but apparently those carts can sound real nice with some capacitance loading. Felix (catman) over at AK used to have quite a detailed web page about those carts.
 
Jico makes a nice stylus for them. Maybe I'm confused though when it was said there aren't many low mass carts. Are they going by the cantilever?
 
speakerman1 said:
Jico makes a nice stylus for them. Maybe I'm confused though when it was said there aren't many low mass carts. Are they going by the cantilever?
Click to expand...


Low mass is the tonearm. Compliance is the criteria of a cartridge to match to the mass of the tonearm.

The cartridges mentioned in this thread are all high compliance, the ADC, AT and Shure. The first two are NLA and the styli are either very expensive of NLA also. The Shure would be a good cartridge for the low mass arms but it is just a fair cartridge. Nothing special in that one. But then cartridges sell for cheap to about $15,000 and although the Shure is not cheap, it doesn't get much over a c-note. The AT 440 or the better 150 would be good cartridges if one wants to stay with the high compliance models to take advantage of a low mass arm.
 
This is my I think I paid 65.00 for this one.
[h=1]2400 Cartridge[/h] Increased resolution is gained by the use of a low mass Vital diamond in a tapered cantilever. The 2400 Cartridge has a metal body which improves bass power and clarity, this also ensures a secure connection to the arm.

[TABLE="class: mceItemTable, width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD="class: padright"]Channel Balance[/TD]
[TD="class: leftgray, align: right"]2dB @ 1kHz[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: padright"]Channel Separation[/TD]
[TD="class: leftgray, align: right"]>20dB @ 1kHz[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: padright"]Sensitivity[/TD]
[TD="class: leftgray, align: right"]6.5mV1.5dB, 1kHz @ 5 cm/sec[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: padright"]Static Compliance[/TD]
[TD="class: leftgray, align: right"]20x[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: padright"]Vertical Tracking Angle[/TD]
[TD="class: leftgray, align: right"]24[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: padright"]Stylus Radius[/TD]
[TD="class: leftgray, align: right"]Vital[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: padright"]Stylus Type[/TD]
[TD="class: leftgray, align: right"]Replaceable[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: padright"]Load Resistance[/TD]
[TD="class: leftgray, align: right"]47,000 Ohm[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: padright"]Load Capacitance[/TD]
[TD="class: leftgray, align: right"]100-200pF[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: padright"]Internal Inductance[/TD]
[TD="class: leftgray, align: right"]720 mH[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: padright"]Internal Resistance[/TD]
[TD="class: leftgray, align: right"]550 Ohm[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: padright"]Cartridge Weight[/TD]
[TD="class: leftgray, align: right"]8.2g[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: padright"]Fixing Centre[/TD]
[TD="class: leftgray, align: right"]0.5? (12.7mm)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: padright"]Playing Weight[/TD]
[TD="class: leftgray, align: right"]1.5-2.0g (1.7g nom.)[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
 
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