SME turntables

A used SME 20 or 30 is a great table and a good buy, at retail it is vastly over priced for the way it sounds.  Do you enjoy paying for shipping, currency, dist. markup, dealer markup, and the list goes on.  Used it's a great buy, new not so much.  Stick with an elliptical stylus though, you will never get a micro-ridge or line contact set up correctly.

After owning three SME tables I will tell you first hand, it is impossible to get the most out of a great cartridge using an SME arm, you do not have enough setup options and what you have are terrible.  Let's be honest here, if you bought a car and couldn't adjust the mirrors would you recommend it!!!!

The better the cartridge the less likely you can get it to sound its best on an SME table.  This is not debatable, this is fact, and a phase response test will show it.

HW

I like the SME Arms, and have never had any issues with setup - the 312S which is my preferred arm have some azimuth adjustment because of the removable head shell.  I do agree that VTA adjustment  is "clunky" however its not a setting I change once its setup, lets face it SRA is not changing more than a few 1/1000 of a degree with the varying thickness of LP records.  If you follow the correct instructions on how to mount the arm properly especially in regards to the offset angle, so that the rails of the SME mounting base is at the correct angle in relation  to the spindle,  any cartridge can be dialed in perfectly.

I find that they are extremely well and solidly built, and once set up all settings can be securely locked in place.

Good Listening and Happy Holidays


Peter  

Well built but rather lifeless sounding. I speak as an ex-sme owner. Ironically they sound much better with non-sme arms such as triplanar and graham and I have heard the 30 with both of those arms and it sounded much better. The 20 is a big step down. The 10 can easily be bettered by much cheaper decks. They sound the opposite of the yorke which is more fleet of fot and alive with better bass and timing. 

brizonbiovizier- Did it also have this lifeless quality with the addition of the Graham and/or Triplaner?  May I ask what you have found that suited your tastes better since owing SME. I heard both Brinkmann Bardo and Spyder earlier this year, and liked only the Spyder.  I found Bardo a bit unemotional sounding. Tonearm was exact same on both, which was REED.