Can anyone ID this Arm and Cart (Sonographe SG-3)

captouch

Addicted Member
Can anyone ID this arm and cart? They're on a Sonographe SG-3 table.

From what I've read, the Sonographe SG-3 may be similar to a Sota Comet. . .

The arm and cart don't seem to have any markings on it.

Is this a decent arm?

Arm_1.jpg



Arm_2.jpg



Arm_3.jpg



http://s10.postimg.org/mii1ev2ft/Cart_1.jpg[/IMG


[IMG]http://s1.postimg.org/vgnv9uon3/Cart_2.jpg


Cart_Arm.jpg
 
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Thanks Kent.

I've read some references to it being like a Sumiko LMT, but not much info on it.

What kind of cart (compliance wise) would go best with this arm?
 
That is an early Sonegraphe table, from the original company, and not the Conrad Johnson version that was produced. CJ did have an arm packaged with their SG3, and it looks pretty similar to the one in your pic.

Sonographe_SG-3.JPG


The CJ arm was Jelco produced also, and the one you have might have been packaged with the original Sonegraphe table. Not sure about that though. Dunno about the cartridge, but more than likely some sort of MM one. Not many MC cartridges used a flip down stylus guard.

Do you own this table or thinking of buying it?

Regards
Mister Pig
 
Thanks for the info Mr. Pig. I now own it - just purchased it today when it was offered to me on the spur of the moment.

I need to purchase a belt for it and figure out how to set it up. The plinth is not original according to the seller. I think he built it.
 
Thanks for the info Mr. Pig. I now own it - just purchased it today when it was offered to me on the spur of the moment.

I need to purchase a belt for it and figure out how to set it up. The plinth is not original according to the seller. I think he built it.

This is what the original Sonegraphe looked like, and it did not come with an arm from what I can tell. Since you have the CJ sourced arm it looks like, your seller probably started with the CJ plinth also. Which as I recall was a veneered MDF. I owned a CJ era Sonegraphe with a Sumiko MMT arm on it. It is a nice table.

image.php


Regards
Mister Pig
 
The arm as mentioned earlier is the Sumiko LMT. A Jelco 250ST variant.
The main difference is the 250ST didn't have the stepdowns in the arm tube.

Decent enough arm, in the 12gr EM range. Will play with 15-25 compliance range carts.

Check the main bearing for the platter. There should be a 3/8th" bearing ball. I bet it has some wear. Sonographe stated it didn't need lubed. They lied.
 
The arm as mentioned earlier is the Sumiko LMT. A Jelco 250ST variant.
The main difference is the 250ST didn't have the stepdowns in the arm tube.

Decent enough arm, in the 12gr EM range. Will play with 15-25 compliance range carts.

Check the main bearing for the platter. There should be a 3/8th" bearing ball. I bet it has some wear. Sonographe stated it didn't need lubed. They lied.

Thanks Marc.

Never had a table like this before (belt/ball bearing). Do I just tip the table upside down after removing platter and spindle sub-platter piece and wait for the ball to roll out and inspect it?
 
Thanks Marc.

Never had a table like this before (belt/ball bearing). Do I just tip the table upside down after removing platter and spindle sub-platter piece and wait for the ball to roll out and inspect it?

UH......NO, don't turn the table upside down.:no: a magnet will pull the ball.

Oddly enough, the Sonographe SG3 is what brought me to AK some years back looking for info on it.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=123595
 
See, told you I was a newbie to these things. :D

So just something like this will do?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-3-8-Chro...=BI_Heavy_Equipment_Parts&hash=item58b907d72d

Yeah, but pull the ball first and inspect it. As there is the possibility that sizes changed over the 4 different versions of the SG3 produced. Also you may want to refinish the end of the spindle where it rides on the ball. You might not need to change the ball, rotating it to an unworn area is probably all that is needed. In my SG3, they had done that numerous times. A good spindle polish and some lubrication it never got until I recieved it. And of course I had to change the ball due to too many wear spots. Use a good light oil, nothing heavier than 10W. It doesn't have to be "fancy oil"
 
The cart would be a Signet MR5.0 family member - and its body is compatible to the wider AT120/102P family, so there's quite a wide choice of alternative original AT needles one can use on that Signet body.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini
 
Thanks Manfred, very helpful. :thmbsp:

Seems it's a decent cart and probably worth getting a new stylus. huh? I'm not sure about the condition of the existing stylus.

Should it have a Signet ID somewhere on it? Maybe it's covered by the tonearm or I didn't look hard enough.
 
The cart would be a Signet MR5.0 family member - and its body is compatible to the wider AT120/102P family, so there's quite a wide choice of alternative original AT needles one can use on that Signet body.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

Ditto. Pulled mine out of the collection to confirm.
 
ct: There should be a little plate on top of the mounting frame, if you'd unmount the cart. But if you'd take a mirror to check the bottom of the needle, you should also see a "Signet" inscription there - and iirc there should be another imprint with "MR" and the needle type on the visor guard.

And yes, that's a pretty decent body, on which you could put for example an ATN7V or an ATN120E or ATN440Mla, just to name a few...

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini
 
Any thoughts about the best cart to use on this arm/table choosing between:

Signet MR 5.0 already on there with new stylus (up to say $125 budget on stylus)
Stanton 681EEE with original Stanton EE stylus
Grado F3+ with 8MZ stylus
Shure M91ED with original Hi-Track stylus

Since there's no removable headshell, I'm most likely to mount one cart and keep it on there vs trying all and trying to judge which is best.
 
Any thoughts about the best cart to use on this arm/table choosing between:

Signet MR 5.0 already on there with new stylus (up to say $125 budget on stylus)
Stanton 681EEE with original Stanton EE stylus
Grado F3+ with 8MZ stylus
Shure M91ED with original Hi-Track stylus

Since there's no removable headshell, I'm most likely to mount one cart and keep it on there vs trying all and trying to judge which is best.

The Grado, loaded around 24K. However, the Hurst motor in that table is not shielded, and you will get a slight amount of hum at high listening levels at run-in and run-out grooves. You shouldn't hear it during play.
 
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