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TONEARM suggestions for KENWOOD KD-500??? currently has a Mayware Formula 4 that needs some work. Keep it out change??

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Onebadta

New Member
I'm newcomer in vinyl and recently acquired a KENWOOD KD-500.. It has the Mayware Formula 4 tonearm, . The tonearm needs a cartidge and a new cue lift. I like the looks of the SME 3009 III.. however I've read where some people go from the SME to the Formula 4 or a Grace.. what do you guys suggest??

Thanks!
 
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I have a Mayware Formula 4 arm on one of my turntables. Honestly, I never use the cuing lift. Do you REALLY need it?

The arm works really well otherwise, although it is a royal pain in the ass to set up, but once it's set up it's great. But, if you want the SME then go get one.

Your cartridge choice might play a role in the decision. The Mayware begs for a high compliance cartridge (I use a Shure VxMR on mine). If you want something less compliant that might dictate your final arm choice.
 
Been shopping for an arm for my KD550 so interested in the responses. The Mayware is going to be an excellent performer, and high up on the food chain for a low-mass arm that will work great with high compliance carts. Sounds like it would take very little to get yours running/performing well, and selling it in fully working condition would certainly offset the cost of the new arm.
 
I believe Mayware was pretty highly regarded in its time, I have no personal experience but the high compliance thing mentioned above woulld certainly be worth noting. If it were mine I wouldwork with that arm -- there is a guy that sells a dropped counterweight for that arm. I bought one for my Well Tempered -- he's in the UK.

Full Grace arm and cart -- uhh would be nice... Grab your wallet.
I currently run a Grace F9E with Peter Ledermann's Soundsmith Stylus, 50 or so LP's played so far.

Let us know your choice :)
 
The Mayware was popular because it was decent and inexpensive. Similar in price to the Grace 707 at about 175 back in the day. The Infinity Black Widow was 245 and the SME arms were priced like the Grace Mayware but the 3009 III was a c-note higher unless you went for the striped model for a bit less. All were low mass arms best for high compliance cartridges. I don't think a lot of stores had more than one line of tonearms, plus the SMEs as they were available from Shure and didn't everywhere sell Shure cartridges?

If you have the correct cartridge or willing to get one that works well with these arms, the Mayware will be a fine tonearm, well-liked. Not too fiddly but keep in mind it is a bit wobbly being a unipivot, damped, though and the off-center counterweight is used to adjust the azimuth of the cartridge, compensating for the cartridge being off center on the arm. These two issues make it 'new' to people used to good ole gimbal pivoted arms.

If the pivot is in good shape, I'd just refresh the arm and strap a new cartridge to it and enjoy. The pivot is a jewel in the damping fluid (60,000cSt, available on the bay and hobby shops) and the sharp point on the steel pin in the Perspex/Plexiglass/poly methyl methacrylate cap on the arm.

Another unipivot new as these others (except the Grace and SME III) were being discontinued was the Magnepan arm, one of the best around today for less than a grand...they are in the 300-450 range and are a bit heavier at 8 grams effective mass. It is not damped.

Then there is world of other tonearms out there through the years. Must be over a hundred of them and more reaching market every day. If you are asking about what to use, we are for sure gonna need a budget as tonearms range in price from 50 to nice 5 figure numbers.

What cartridge were you thinking or were you going to make that choice based on the tonearm?

Post up the refresh of the Mayware there are number of folks here that can help if needed. If the front grub screw holding the cuing has not broken the mounting plate, don't over torque that screw and damage the plate. Repairable but better to not have to.
 
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Well I guess I'll try to get Formula 4 going. I'll do a rewire first (probably get the silver tinned) then tackle the rest. I'm thinking maybe a Grado Prestige Gold or the Denon DL-301.. I'm open to suggestions on Cartridges as well. Thanks again for the suggestions
 
Spend some time with the Database and Compliance/ resonance eval tools over at Vinylengine. Your Mayware arm info should be there for download. That will give you a good starting point.
Mayware Information
Looks like there are 3 versions of the MKIV. :)
 
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I wouldn’t rewire unless necessary. Verify arm works and you like it or save the funds for a new arm and let the new owner of the Mayware do the rewire.

I have a few different arms right now but would consider the Audiomods a nice step up. Happy with the Magnepan, I have a handful, like the looks of the Black Widow and have a couple SME 3009s I need to try. Bought the Mayware and it stayed on a table I sold in the 70s or early 80s. Still like it.
 
So I'm looking at available cartridges.. also reading a lot..
I'm looking at either a Grado Prestige Gold 3 or an ebay Shure M97xe???
Decisions decisions
 
I agree with Blue Shadow --
If the wire tests ok, (test continuity for all leads etc), I would certainly not take on the task of a rewire... It can be an intense demanding job depending on the arm.

As far as cart choice.... Now it comes down to system synergy, as well as table/arm mating.
Then comes the real test-- "This sounds AWESOME" -- or.....

The Grado will be warmer than the Shure, with Shure maybe a bit more detail, probly a great tracker.
In the past it's a known thing that Grado can hum with certain tables.
There is a list of tables somewhere on the internet that, (don't recall) it either lists the known brands that are, or aren't compatible.
Myself I would lean toward the Grado, but thats just a personal thing. I have a linear tracker that will get a cheaper Grado if it ever gets completed,
I so lust after one of the midline Wood Bodied Grados ... I think Grado has an ugrade path as well. <--- :)

Best of luck!
Being able to listen counts; too bad the days when one could take an LP into an audio store and audition equipment--- lonnng ago.
I remember as a kid, I would always take my Pink Floyd DSOTM lp and go to the stores to audition.

All this talk about arms and I just realized thats one mean table; that Kenwood! Investing time with that table/arm should be one treat!

Loook forward to hearing of your progress...
 
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Having had a similar BW combo, all arms are worthy contenders, but I'd probably looks for an ADC LMF-1 or LMF-2 if I had a do-over and a naked KD-500 needing an arm.
 
Pio1980 said:
I'd probably looks for an ADC LMF-1 or LMF-2 if I had a do-over and a naked KD-500
Click to expand...
But three bolts and that KD-500 is a naked 500. Just need an armboard to install a different arm.

I don't know if I would seek out an LMF arm or many of the arms from the era. I'd look for one that is better with today's cartridges of lower compliance, needing a mid-mass arm. But there are so many out there. These are ones listed in the Audio 1978 directory and most are low mass and many are unipivots. Great for those cartridges racing to have the lowest tracking force. Last years of the ∞BW and a year before the Magnepan.

1978 Tonearms.jpg
 
I have alway wanted a Black Widow, but the carts/compliance of today....
make for less than optimal mating.

Thats a great chart Blue Shadow posted above -lots of useful information -1978, when high end audio was at its best, IMHO.

On to future daze
 
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The 2M is 7.2 grams, 22cu and the arm at 4.5g effective mass gives a vinylengine calculator resonance of near ideal 10something Hz. Korf likes the combo, too.
 
I had a KD 500 and Mayware Formula IV (the first version, which cost 34 pounds - a friend bought it in England for me). I used a Shure M91ed with it, then a Sonus Blue Label. Sounded great, but eventually went with an SME Series IIIs and an AKG P8es. After years of MCs, I'm back again with a Series IIIs, and putting together a Formula IV from several parts arms, and am enjoying the lack of complexity and expense involved with using arms and cartridges that match well and that I have lying around the house.
The later Maywares have stouter headshells and thicker arm tubes and so are more appropriate for lower compliance catridges, even though the sliding tracking force weight also adjusts mass. Damped unipivots are very stable in actual use, but, when using the fingerlift, will flop over sideways, only to recover when your finger is no longer lifting one side of the arm. But some people can't stand this behavior, and clearly the arm is not for them. But otherwise, lovely sounding arms.
 
Another option to possibly consider is a mid mass arm like Jelco which will handle many cartridges. Jelco closed shop during covid so they are not readily available. They do pop up from time to time.

Jelco also made arms for various other audio firms. The AudioQuest PT arms are very good especially the PT9. They made arms for Sumiko as well as others.
 
Onebadta said:
So I'm looking at available cartridges.. also reading a lot..
I'm looking at either a Grado Prestige Gold 3 or an ebay Shure M97xe???
Decisions decisions
Click to expand...
Why not consider a Nagaoka MP-110 up to a MP-200. Good match to this tonearm, better than the Grado Prestige. The Grados to have are the wood bodies, like the Timbre series.
 
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