Turntable upgrade recommendations: SME vs AMG vs Technics vs other

Speaking strictly from a musical point of view, if I decided to go Kuzma, I would buy the Ref2 with 4points tonearm. It looks to be less hifi than the others, but I never compared it the the XL. I think it’s the beautiful sleeping in the Kuzma range of tts.

It’s been here for a very long time with little pods and that’s a sign that it’s conception was right from the start.

According to Rega’s lead engineer, nothing should be put on top of the platter as a clamp or weight is not part of the design. If it were, they  would include one or make available as an  optional upgrade like they do with a shelf, improved belts for their lower end tables, etc.

I am sure it is incorporated into heavier table designs like SOTA, VPI, Oracle, Clear Audio, Basis, Michell and the other big boys who sell or include weights/clamps along with their tables.

As far as @drbond ‘s original question, IMHO I would go with an integrated arm/table design like SME. You know it was designed to work together, and SME’s arms supposedly are outstanding and now only available new from them when buying one of their tables. I view SME as an end game table, maybe you can work your way up to their top of the line.

@sokogear 

The AMG is also an integrated Turntable, tonearm, clamp design. The same as the SME, in terms of integrated design. Why SME instead of AMG? Have you heard both turntables?

Dear @drbond  : As an alternative to SME Kuzma is very good but the SME TTs are little better.

Why not mix both?, SME TT and the Kuzma tonearm.

R.

Mijo, If I had a 10-inch bar, I would consider making porn movies. But I don’t want to store my meat in a vacuum. We had excellent take-out Chinese food last night at the home of a close friend.

Tomic, Thank you for the compliment re the Beveridges. I bought them about 6-7 years ago on a lark and based on my longstanding curiosity about them. I have nursed them through many teething problems, mostly in my case due to the amplifiers’ tendency to oscillate. I think I have solved the problems with my particular amplifiers long term, and I have always been happy I bought the speakers in the first place. For those who don’t know, the Beveridge Models 2 and 2SW are ESL-type panels that are very unique among ESLs in almost every aspect of their design. They are driven by Beveridge amplifiers that sit at the base of the speaker so that the speaker rests on top of its amplifier. There is no transformer in the signal path and no speaker wire at all, because of the direct connection. Also, unlike every other ESL I know about, there is no bias supply, because the diaphragms are held at zero volts and are conductive. The 2SWs are only good down to about 80Hz and require outboard woofer supplementation and of course an electronic crossover. For low bass, I use a pair of Transmission Line cabinets that I built in the 70s for KEF B139 woofers, driven by a 50W Threshold amplifier.