Looking for opinions/experience with the use of wood (and its effect on sound) in these areas: cartridge body, arm wand and plinth. I like the sound/colouration of wood, so yes I'm not that keen on Vivids for e.g. for the same reason as others in the other post. Last year I lusted after a Benz Ebony TR until for similar money I got a deal on yet another VdH Colibri. Couldn't afford the 300Eur Ebony body option, and read elsewhere that it kills 'slam' vs the plastic body. I got the plastic body cart, its awesome, but no wood sound :-( Then I bought the Moxey TT which Valvoglo had made armboards with sleeper wood for. The Colibri with the SME V arm sounded better on the Moxey, in my mind mostly because of the sleeper wood on that TT. Since I sold the Moxey the itch is back on. Rebuilding the cart in Ebony is a costly mission. And the new arms with wooden wands are over R30k. The Goldmund Studio uses some polycomposite plinth, and I'm now thinking of having a sleeper wood plinth made. I found a place that can make me one from 'leadwood' for ~R2k. It will be 10% heavier than my current polyplinth but this might be better with the spring suspension. I think this because the spring load was for use with the much heavier T3 Golmund arm, the SME V is light. Any thoughts on this idea vs maybe limiting my search for wood sound to a cart body or ditching the SME V for a Reed?
