Please see our web page on the Standard VTAF for details on how the VTAF works, the advantages provided by the VTAF, the construction of the VTAF, and the finishes available.

The VTAF for SME requires an arm board mounting slot 1.25 wide by 2.25 inches long. In addition the VTAF for SME requires assembly skills not possessed by everyone.

Certain parts of the SME arm system are set aside and remain unused in the VTAF for SME installation. Parts not used include 1) the SME sliding mounting plate, which is replaced by a VTAF sliding mounting plate, 2) the phono cable plug at the base of the mounting pillar, 3) possibly the phono cables, if they are to be replaced, 4) the shield can at the base of the mounting pillar, 4) the wire ring around the mounting pillar, and 5) the circular SME mounting base.

Testimonial:

Ron Barbee, Thorens TD125, SME 3009: As the recent recipient of a version of your product which affords vertical tracking angle adjustment for my recently restored 1967 Thorens TD125 turntable with an SME 3009 tone arm, I want to encourage you to continue manufacturing this fine innovation and to recommend the incorporation of the VTAF capability to anyone with similar equipment.

The TD125/SME3009 combination has provided years of excellent service but the one major fault has been the difficult and imprecise adjustment of VTA. The VTAF is the solution and it is light enough to allow the turntable suspension to work correctly.

The advent of new cartridge technology caused me to set aside this turntable and arm combination for a number of years because vertical tracking angle became an important adjustment to attain the best performance from the cartridges I chose to use. The arrangement modified with the VTAF provides precise, repeatable setups and allows me to enjoy my recordings on vinyl without the need to guess.

In addition, to change cartridges or perform inspection or even cleaning I can just lift the assembly out of the base and have easy access to all aspects of the tone arm.

The sound has taken on another set of parameters previously not experienced. The Thorens/SME now challenges my other turntables and requires a serious decision as to where to place it in my three listening areas. It easily competes with my Linn Sondek, Panasonic SP10, and VPI tables with various top notch arms. I use Denon, Dynavector, Myabi, Pickering/Stanton, Grado and Spectral cartridges currently with great satisfaction and am going to branch out to see how other applications work with this system.

My sound systems are very high resolution and have only been enhanced by the ability to precisely and repeatedly attain the VTA required for the best sound at the moment .

Thanks for a fine product and a wonderful enhancement to my old new playback system.

Proceed with knowledge of your own abilities or those of a good friend or available technician. The primary challenge is working with and soldering the very thin wires internal to the tonearm.

Images of installation of the VTAF on a 3009 arm are provided here. These were taken for the prototype. The production hardware is a little prettier. The brass extender tube shown in the images has portals in the sides. These portals are not present in the production units.

To get an idea of the installation of the VTAF for SME, consider the following steps: 1) unplug phono cable, 2) remove shield can held in place by one small screw) 3) unscrew 2 screws holding phono cable socket and snip the 4 signal wires and the ground wire close to the phono cable socket; 4) lift out wire ring stop from the mounting pillar, 4) use Allen wrench to loosen mounting collar set screw; slide mounting collar off mounting pillar, 5) strip the ends of the very small diameter wires exiting the mounting pillar, expose about 1/8" of wire, 6) remove about 3/4 inch of the outer wrap from the phono cable where it will enter the VTAF strain relief, revealing the signal wires, 7) strip the insulation to reveal about 1/8" of the phono cable signal wires and the phono ground wire, 8) tin the ends of the five fine tonearm internal wires; tin the ends of the phono cable signal wires and ground wire, 9) slide the VTAF brass mounting pillar extension over the phono cables with the slotted end of the tube closest to the tone arm assembly, 10) insert the phono cable signal wires and ground wire through the holes in the VTAF nylon strain relief, and superglue the insulation of these wires into the holes in the nylon strain relief using standard superglue (not the gel superglue) 11) stabilize the tone arm assembly so that it can not move, 12) bring the tinned phono cable wire ends within reach of the tonearm internal wire ends and stabilize the phono cable so it can not move, 13) solder the wire ends of the tonearm internal wires to the related wire ends of the phono cable wires, 14) using thin tape provided, wrap a fold of tape over each solder joint, and trim away excess tape, 15) slide the VTAF brass mounting pillar extension over the nylon strain relief and over mounting pillar of the SME arm, making sure that the fine tonearm internal wires are not trapped or pinched in the process.

At this point the cable is securely connected to the tone arm mounting pillar. The balance of the installation is quite easy compared with the above.