It Is Time To Take A Stand On SME Rewiring Misinformation ! -
There are so called professional / expert SME rewiring services both here in North America & in Europe
that will try to sell you on the idea that by pulling a piece of wire through the arm tube & replacing the
vintage SME lower four pin horizontal DIN connector with an RCA termination will solve all your problems.
All we can say to this is, that is nonsense & pure lies.
This is nothing more than the easy way out, involving the least possible amount of work & the highest possible profit.
This is basically a $49.00 rewiring job.
Anyone that even knows the most basic amount about electronics & sensitive audio components will clearly
tell you that the best type of connection is no connection at all.
All these alleged professionals are doing for you is swapping one problem for another problem.
We on the other hand believe that the correct solution to the problem is the more difficult and time consuming road.
No one else in the world employs two independent continuous runs of 4 X 33 fully RF shielded wire further encapsulated in an additional outer fully shielded RF jacket.
We actually use almost 10 feet / 3.04 Meters of 4 X 33 to accomplish a 4.25 feet/ 1.25 Meter run of cable.
Our custom bottom end completely eliminates the original SME bottom end.
With our custom stand off and strain relief system all mess & clutter on the bottom of the tonearm are eliminated.
And miracle of miracles, there is no longer a connection point there.
As it should be.
Why does no one else in the world do it this way ??
The answer is quite simple, it would cut into their profit margin far to deeply.
By employing the system we have perfected over more than twenty one years, you will achieve far greater sonic improvements
than by just pulling a wire through the arm wand , sticking a set of RCA connectors on the bottom of the existing SME screening can and buying a $1,000.00 phono interconnect cable to run from the bottom of the tower to your phono preamp.
We guarantee that !! Or your money back !
What we do is a complete frame off , concourse level restoration, rebuild & rewire of your arm.
We are the only people officially recognized by SME in England for our concourse grade restorations & rewiring work.
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Now The Important Stuff -
What are the greatest weaknesses's of any early SME tonearm ???
The internal wiring followed very closely by the early four pin horizontal SME DIN connector, of course!
We discovered this well over a decade ago; in fact, its how our passion for SME tonearm re-wiring began.
With only a handful of audiophile friends requiring re-wiring services to start, soon word spread to the internet via chat forums and web sites like Audio Asylum, Audiogon & Vinyl Engine.
Working feverishly, as of October 2021, we have re-wired just over 5,500 SME arms for clients all over the world including many high-profile professional audio reviewers and prominent members of numerous high profile audio societies. As well as engineers for their record lathes including the Smithsonian Institutes own preservation society.
There is no question, we have become the global authority in this intricate, audio enthusiast niche.
Please, expect only the best from us.
When you send us a SME tonearm for re-wiring, your arm will not only be re-wired but completely rebuilt and cleaned from the ground up.
Naturally, all worn parts will be replaced with New Old Stock SME parts.
In addition, when you receive it back, your arm will come with every accessory that it left the SME factory with, including all original manuals (if available), mounting templates, alignment protractors and adjustment tools, at no extra cost.
Its not just a re-wiring, its a rebirth!
Here is a brief synopsis of the procedure we employ -
- Upon receipt of your SME arm it is completely broken down to its most basic of components.
- All parts are checked for acceptable tolerances.
- All parts are put through a two stage acid bath and then sent through our sonic cleaners.
- Unacceptable parts are discarded & replaced with New Old Stock SME British-made parts.
- All external components are refinished to their brilliant original factory finish, shine & luster.
- The two sets of pillar bearings are extracted and sonically cleaned.
- We can also upgrade the pillar bearings to ABEC 9 Ceramic Roller Bearings from SKF in France for a nominal fee of $35.00 per bearing.
(All this work transpires long before we even begin to re-wire your tonearm.)
Once this process is completed the re-wiring can begin -
- We install a double continuous uninterrupted 1.25 meter run of one of the finest Cardas tonearm cables in the world.
- The 4 X 33 Awg Cardas fully shielded Litz Wire
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Highly shielded through a myriad of shielding processes to safeguard against outside RF interference.
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Thanks to its Litz coating & Golden Section Stranding Conductors it is also one of the most musical tonearm wires in the world.
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Once the arm has been wired it is then terminated at the end of the 1.25 meter run with Neutrik RCA connectors or Neutrik XLR connectors employing a superb strain relief system.
- We have found these Neutrik connectors to be superior connectors due to the employment of this superb strain relief system.
Cost of Re-Wiring -
The cost of re-wiring your SME arm is $400.00 plus shipping. This includes:
- Complete restoration with Cardas & Top Line parts. Plus full cosmetic restoration
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Rebuild and replacement of virtually all worn parts with original SME parts.
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The only real exceptions being rear tailstocks or spider assemblies and forward socket assemblies
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Original SME NOS Manuals (if still available) for your tonearm.
-Original SME Mounting Templates and Alignment Protractors
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Original SME NOS Tonearm Tools.
- Of course missing components are not covered
PLEASE USE COMMON SENSE PEOPLE !! -
Do not expect to send us a tonearm that is missing all the weights, the head shell, a bent arm wand and expect to have these items all included in the base restoration fee of $400.00. It simply is an impossibility for us to do this. If we did that we would be homeless, living under a bridge in a cardboard box.
No matter how you add it up, our comprehensive re-wire service is without a shadow of a doubt the best value for the money in the entire world.
Compare what others will offer you and we are certain that you will return to us.
Please contact us directly via telephone at 705-737-6773 so as we may discuss your re-wiring needs.
Please take a moment to read some customer testimonials.