Great phono cartridge mystery!

[Tenchman]

Hi
Can anyone help me to identify a cartridge that I have just obtained? It came as a package with an SME 3009 Series II Improved arm that I have just purchased and looks to be from that era. There are no identification marks on it other than a "6X3" printed on the top (metallic) surface of the cartridge. The main cartridge body is white/slightly off-white and the stylus body is black. It has a flip-down stylus protector. I have tried to pull the stylus body out of the main body but it doesn't seem to want to come out. I have provided a link to a photo of the cartridge but I'm not sure that it will work. If anyone is sufficiently interested, please PM me via the forums and I will forward some pictures.
This isn't critical but I'm intrigued to know what it is, after all it might not be anything to write home about but on the other hand, it might just be. Thanks for any help you can provide.
Regards
Graham//http://www.snapfish.co.uk/slideshow/AlbumID=38892292/PictureID=1126959954/a=45506911_45506911/t_=45506911

[Nimby]

The great mystery here is why you couldn't just post an image of the cartridge with your message.
But managed to add a Microsoft advertising message link to the bottom of your post.

[Tenchman]

Hi Nimby
Thanks for the reply. I had a good look before I submitted the post but I couldn't attach a photograph otherwise I obviously would have done. Having looked again, for some reason the "attach" button is now permitting me to do this. If it isn't too late, I'll attach it now. I wasn't trying to promote anything, just trying to provide information and, being new to this forum lark, didn't realise folks were so touchy about these things.
Regards
Graham

[Nimby]

Nothing personal Graham.

Some of the other groups of which I'm a member have been spammed regularly with all sorts, including porn. There are those who gain financially from spamming as many newsgroups and forums as possible. They have no shame or conscience provided they make money. Your heavily disguised Microsoft business link and the invitation to use your email address just hit a nerve.

[alexs2]

email address edited for safety/security,and suggested using forum PM system instead.

I couldnt get the picture to open this morning via the work PC but will have a look later.

[alexs2]

I managed to get the link to open by editing the link to read as given below.

http://www.snapfish.co.uk/viewshared...B659981386697C

I've had a look round a few sites,but couldnt find any reference to this one at all,although it is almost certainly a moving magnet type,looking at the construction and stylus guard.

You may find either PinkFish or VinylEngine to be useful sites to look at also,but if you had any other identifying marks on the cartridge,or further pics it may be useful.

[Nimby]

6x3 or EX9?

[alexs2]

Originally Posted by Nimby

6x3 or EX9?

Tried searching on several sites(vintage and current) with both of those,and got no results unfortunately....over to the real cartridge anoraks!

[Nimby]

With the tipped-forward design of the cartridge body the writing would be visible below the arm headshell when in normal use. I'd go for EX9.

The SME 3009 has been around for a very long time. I have 2 stashed away somewhere. To think they were once considered high-end.
Then along came low-compliance moving coil.. the rest is history.

[alexs2]

Originally Posted by Nimby

With the tipped-forward design of the cartridge body the writing would be visible below the arm headshell when in normal use. I'd go for EX9.

The SME 3009 has been around for a very long time. I have 2 stashed away somewhere. To think they were once considered high-end.
Then along came low-compliance moving coil.. the rest is history.

Very true,although MCs had been around for ages prior to that(remember things like the Ortofon SPU etc),and the Japanese audiophiles had been promoting MCs for ages while we were all worrying about how low the arm mass was for our V15s etc.
Nothing new under the sun so to speak....

[Nimby]

I wonder whether the adoption of MCs eventually lead to the downfall of vinyl?

The turntables became ever more elaborate and expensive, with arms and cartidges to match.

Did a great sigh of relief go round the dealers when it was no longer neccessary to have Linn turntables serviced?
With all the attendant worries whether it had been done properly and hadn't all been undone on the drive home!

One wonders whether high compliance might not have been a better route if it had been properly developed.

Noise-free CDs could be just bunged into a drawer and played. Just a shame they usually sounded crap compared to vinyl.

But then they didn't do rumble like a VMS20E2 in a 3009 could either. I'm sure my TM1s were convinced they were an early form of subwoofer!

[Tenchman]

Thanks for all the help and interesting information. The cartridge only has the text "6X3" written on it. Would this just be an indication of the size of the stylus?
I had another play with the cartridge and, rather than coming away from the body in a horizontal direction, the sylus assembly drops off the body in a vertical direction (if that makes sense). I've not seen one before like it but I've only ever seen a handful of cartridges anyway so maybe it's not unusual.
Since I don't want to disturb my current arm/cartridge set up, I shall have a listen to it in a few days time when I've obtained another deck. Perhaps it will be a real gem or perhaps it's just a cheapo that doesn't warrant a name!
Regards
Graham

[Tenchman]

Found vinylengine -wow, it's amazing. I've already downloaded manuals for the SME and an old Technics turntable. What a database. Also found the linked cartridge database. Gave up looking through that though, I didn't realise there were so many cartridges.
Not so sure about the PinkFish forum though, couldn't find it even after a search through Google, although I found plenty of references to it. I know this sounds stupid but it's not on the PinkFish website is it cos I couldn't find anything relevant there?

[Nimby]

http://www.pinkfishmedia.net/forum/f...daysprune=&f=5