SME Model 30/2
RichTeer -- Wed, 07/16/2008 - 17:17
Although I don't currently have the shekels for such a purchase, I'm keeping my eye on "statement" turntables up to a maximum of ~$40K. Several contenders are regularly mentioned, but I don't see the SME Model 30/2 very often. How does the Model 30 compare to others in its class? (Assume the use of the SME V tonearm.)
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1999 - 2011 NextScreen. All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
Hi Rich,
My local dealer uses the SME 30/2 as his reference. I have heard it up against some formidable 'tables and I have prefered it to all contenders in terms of sheer musicality (Unfortunately, I haven't heard it compared to the Walker)
Indeed, some of the best systems I have heard have used the SME 30/2 with the SME V tonearm.
It definitely should be on your short list, particularly if you want a product that you can "set and forget" and will sound great for years to come. Wish I had the shekels for one.
Good luck!
Jim
Good to hear, Jim (about your local dealer). I currently have a Forsell Reference (which I brought with me to Canada from the UK), but I'm considering replacing it. The Walker looks very interesting, but I would be a little concerned about buying from what appears to be a two-man company (long term support)?
RichTeer,
Walker's been around awhile, kiddo. Plus, in the nearly ten years I've been using Lloyd's and Fred's tables I've had nothing go wrong. As long as you maintain the thing properly (put oil in the compressor every 3-4 months and periodically empty the emulsified oil and water from the drainage bottle), there isn't much that can go wrong.
Jon
Thanks, Jon, that's encouraging to hear. Much as I am drawn to the "set and forget" ability of the SME, I think there's something "just right" about a well set up parallel tracker. As you probably know, my Forsell shares a lot of similarities with the Walker--at least superficially.
While I have you ear, have you had the opportunity to evalute the SME Model 30/2, and if so, what are your thoughts? And, if you don't mind me asking, did you purchase your Walker turntable or is it a loaner? (I once spoke to Lloyd on the phone a few years ago; he's a very amiable guy!)
RichTeer,
I can't afford a Walker turntable! I'm PoorTier. I've had it on (well, I guess it goes well beyond "extended" at this point) loan for a long, long time. In fact, this is far and away the longest I've kept any item in "my" reference system since I became a reviewer. I've had some mighty good stuff come and go. But only the Walker has proved (thus far) irreplaceable. (I'm not counting the latest ARC Reference series electronics, which are relative newcomers but just as fantastically good).
About the SME...I haven't heard an SME V in my system since I replaced my SOTA/SME with a Versa Dyanmics. At the time I thought the combo was a bit too "bass-heavy" but that was 20 years ago! I can't comment on SME V with the 30/2. If Jim recommends it, it must be excellent. Also quite special in a pivoted arm is the 12" Da Vinci Grandeeza, which sounds a little like a straight-tracker.
As for Lloyd...he is one of the most colorful characters in high-end audio. He will talk your ear off if you let him (and, sometimes, even if you don't), but he's a genuinely warm, decent, honorable man with a passion for audio and a real gift for the execution of complex designs. I love the guy.
Jon.
jvalin wrote:RichTeer,
I can't afford a Walker turntable! I'm PoorTier. I've had it on (well, I guess it goes well beyond "extended" at this point) loan for a long, long time. In fact, this is far and away the longest I've kept any item in "my" reference system since I became a reviewer. I've had some mighty good stuff come and go. But only the Walker has proved (thus far) irreplaceable. (I'm not counting the latest ARC Reference series electronics, which are relative newcomers but just as fantastically good).
Thanks for the clarification. And pun noted with a very amused groan! :-)
Quote:
About the SME...I haven't heard an SME V in my system since I replaced my SOTA/SME with a Versa Dyanmics. At the time I thought the combo was a bit too "bass-heavy" but that was 20 years ago! I can't comment on SME V with the 30/2. If Jim recommends it, it must be excellent.
Also good to know.
Rich,
If you're shopping in this $$$ neck of the woods, you really owe it to yourself to hear the Walker Black Diamond with either a Goldfinger v2, an Air Tight PC-1 Supreme, or a Koetsu Onyx Platinum, or Koetsu Coralstone. I would also audition the AAS Gabriel/DaVinci turntable with Da Vinci Grandeeza arm and a Goldfinger v2 or Air Tight PC-1 Supreme (haven't tried Koetsus yet, although by report they are just dandy) or the TW Acustic Raven AC-3 with Graham Phantom II or Dynavector 507 Mk II arms with any of the four aforementioned cartridges and the new Ortofon Windfield (which Graham now thinks is the hot ticket with his tonearm, replacing the Air Tight PC-1 as his cartridge of choice).
If you're used to straight-line trackers, you'll find the Walker right down your alley (or groove) and the Da Vinci, too, I think.
Jon
HI Jon
DO you have any more details on the Phantom II and how it differs for the original Phantom?
Rich,
I had a SME 30/2A for three years and now have a TW Acustic Raven AC and would rate equal or better than the SME. Less money and more performance in my opinion. Once setup stays that way, less to mess with than the SME. Not that it is a big deal but the SME suspension pillars need to be checked every season to see if they moved with heat and cold changes. The TW can also handle any arm you want to put on it, from 9" to 12" if you wish, very versitile. The SME has a smaller foot print which I liked but I would take the TW over it again any day.
Paul
I think the primary change is the arm tube, which is no longer ceramic. For more on the Phantom II, see http://graham-engineering.com/_wsn/page2.html.
Rich,
I have heard the SME 30/2 sound absolutely breathtaking with the Phantom and both the Koetsu Coralstone and the Air Tight PC-1 so you're certainly not "stuck" with the SME V arm (although changes to both the SME 30 table and V arm have mitigated the original bass bloat problem).
However, if you've grown to love the lack of tracing distortion from your Forsell linear tracker, the Walker may certainly be the way to go. The fact that Lloyd and Fred set it up for you is a BIG plus.
The 12-inchers do have low tracing distortion (but not quite the equal of a well-executed linear tracker), and the Da Vinci is reported to be the best of the bunch. There are certainly several other choices.
What don't you like about your Forsell? Is it just time for a change?
Best,
Jim
I think I'm getting itchy turntable feet (related to Upgradeitis).
I bought my Forsell many years ago, when I still lived in the UK (I now live in BC, Canada), so it is designed to work with the UK's 240V @ 50Hz mains. I used a stepup transformer for several years, and only in the last year or two did I replace that with a proper sine wave inverter. I could adjust the flywheel so that it'd spin slow enough at 60Hz to play 45 RPM records, but not my 33s. I eventually want to rid myself of all 240V stuff, and the Forsell is almost the last item.
Another thing I find bothersome about the Forsell is how much play there is in the platter's bearing. It is easy to move it several mm horizontally, even just by starting the motor. It settles down quickly, but one wonders how all that slack is affecting the sound...
I'm looking for something that's a close to the state of the art as I can afford, but it also has to look and be engineered well. The Forsell, with its flywheel, is a bit Rube Goldberg in nature, and I find the whooshing noise from the balancing holes in the flywheel bothersome during quiet passages. Talking of looking the part, what is it with high end turntable manufacturers that they don't even include a dustcover (even a soft one)? The SME is the only one I can think of that actually comes with one...
Despite my misgivings, I think the Forsell is currently the strong part of my system (Forsell/Lyra Parnassus -> ARC SP 9 Mk 2 -> PrimaLuna Prologue 7s -> Spendor SP1 Mk 2s), so I'll probably upgrade other bits first.
Quote:Talking of looking the part, what is it with high end turntable manufacturers that they don't even include a dustcover (even a soft one)? The SME is the only one I can think of that actually comes with one...
I gotta admit this is a pet peeve on mine, too. Of course, the argument is that a dustcover (or, at least, a hinged one) adds resonances. But, shucks, you don't have to put one on a hinge--a form-fitted piece of plastic would do just fine, and you certainly don't (and wouldn't) leave a dust cover on while you were playing an LP. Some enterprising soul ought to go into this market and build dedicated plastic dustcovers for various brands of turntables (and certain record cleaners, as well).
Quote:I'm looking for something that's a close to the state of the art as I can afford, but it also has to look and be engineered well. The Forsell, with its flywheel, is a bit Rube Goldberg in nature
From the Rabco (par excellence) on, straight-line trackers have tended to be "Rube Goldberg in nature." The Walker is a bit of an exception; it is beautifully made and beauifully finished and a snap to operate, but...you still have to feed and drain the pump box at regular intervals, which is something you don't have to do with an SME or a TW Acustic or a AAS Gabriel/Da Vinci, plus there are other little peculiarities of setup that have to be learned with experience over time. But then this last is true of all turntables.
jimhannon1 wrote:Rich,
I have heard the SME 30/2 sound absolutely breathtaking with the Phantom and both the Koetsu Coralstone and the Air Tight PC-1 so you're certainly not "stuck" with the SME V arm (although changes to both the SME 30 table and V arm have mitigated the original bass bloat problem).
Jim
I totally agree with Jim
I had the SME20/2A same SME V arm and it had great bass but no airy top end
I know the 30 very well .. same problem .. bigger too
I always thought SME 20 or 30 are great TT bases but with Graham arms
*** In Stylus Veritas! ***
I currently own the SME 30/2 with SME V and its one heck of a turntable..The engineering is so precise its out of the this world..the set up is easy as it and ohhhh the sound...its to die for...I think the biggest downside of the turntable is that it comes with very dark sounding Van Den Hull wiring which creates a bass heavy sound and trouble with highs not being open. I use the Air Tight Pc-1 cartridge and in my previous turntable i didnt have this problem which i used with Transparent Opus MM2 phono cable..I am currently using the provided (me thinks terrible internal wiring from van den hull). but in the process of finding a solution with Transparent cable..I will let you know the results once the Opus is in the system.
p.s Jon you should really give a try to the (i know really expensive) Transparent Cables excellent MM2 technology...
its everything anyone is looking for and more..