SME 20/2

[Dik Dolan]

Not a review as such just a few random thoughts:

I've lusted after one for as long as I can remember- and thanks to Dave and Jill atSound Hifi I've justyesterday recieved my brand new, made at the factory for me, please wait 5 weeks, try not to chew your arms off waiting, SME 20/2.

I already have an SME4 arm thats spent all it's life bolted onto my orbed up gyrodec. It didn't take long to unbolt it and put it in it's new home. The SME20 is a doddle to setup, just undo a few transit bolts, a bit of oil, etc. Build quality is superb, manuals, packing, tools all 1st rate, etc etc blah blah.... let's listen to it ffs!

Ok so, same arm/cart, same shelf, same cables, same everything but with the sme20.... 1st record on and...........

Holy Jebus !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DB]

Cheers
Dave

[i_should_coco]

Congratulations! They're really nice decks....

[Tel]

Nice one!

It is great that after years of waiting the reality is not a disappointment after all the expectation.

Enjoy!!!!

[Tarzan]

Yeah, congrats-people like you make me sick.

[JCL]

Pics or STFU

[Tarzan]

Just out of interest, did you audition any other decks?

[Dik Dolan]

JCL wrote:

Pics or STFU

I'd heard one (many years ago) so I had a good idea what I was getting, and my heart was set on "must have" mode ever since.... and besides....



Auditioning is for wimps=)

[Scarlet Pimpernel]

ah, a new turntable is the best new toy IMO. Enjoy, and make sure all things located directly above it are "surely fastened". (and that means pipework/shelves/wobble objects...I won't expand upon the details )

I remember the day I got my Roksan TMS2, after using a bog-stanrdard Xerxes for 20 years it was such a shock that it unsettled me for quite a few days.

I was so green about what a proper t/t should sound like that initially, I was slightly disappointed; it just sounded so perfect it was almost clinical. But I soon learned to better my thoughts!.

I'd love to know what the SME sounds like: slightly more involving possibly?

Enjoy.
SP

[Dik Dolan]

My brother says it sounds like an analogue cd player.... I'll slap him later.

It's too early to give a detailed review.
It still takes me by surprise with every new record I play. Every one sounds better: more resolution, weight, tone, image depth and focus everything is a big step up over the gyro (and I loved my gyro).

Bass weight and resolution is probably the most noticeable improvement, it's just incredible, and I had a Garrard 401 before the gyro...the sme makes that sound soft and woolly. Voices have more inflection, things like cymbals decay, the steadiness of piano notes...I can't fault it at all, and I've been trying=)

Just when I think I've got a handle of the SME's sound, I put a different record on and its character changes. I think it really is just conveying the sound of the record (and cartridge etc).

As for "more involving" let me put it this way.... every time I turn it off to go do something else (like eat/sleep) I get withdrawal symptoms, and start compiling lists in my head of what I want to play next.

Can you tell- I loves my precioussssssss.



Edit to add:

Ok the one thing that I miss from the gyro is the lid=) I'll probably get a perspex cover made in a few weeks- the typewriter type cover it comes with is just waiting to snag my cart...

[Tel]

Dik Dolan wrote:

My brother says it sounds like an analogue cd player.... I'll slap him later.

It's too early to give a detailed review.
It still takes me by surprise with every new record I play. Every one sounds better: more resolution, weight, tone, image depth and focus everything is a big step up over the gyro (and I loved my gyro).

Bass weight and resolution is probably the most noticeable improvement, it's just incredible, and I had a Garrard 401 before the gyro...the sme makes that sound soft and woolly. Voices have more inflection, things like cymbals decay, the steadiness of piano notes...I can't fault it at all, and I've been trying=)

Please do give your brother a slap!

I should hope it is a lot better tham a Gyro.

Without being rude to all the Gyro owners there are quite a few tts that are better than a Gyro, few of them are better than the SME though.

[JCL]

Looks really sweet. I'd love one.

I looked long and hard (ooer!) at TT plinth isolation a couple of years ago and it's hard to come up with something as simple as SME's system on the 20/30.

[Coda II]

Scarlet Pimpernel wrote:

I'd love to know what the SME sounds like: slightly more involving possibly?

Enjoy.
SP

You do know the location of the dealer that supplied Dik's new pride and joy don't you?

[murray johnson]

Congrats Dik. Good choice!

[Scarlet Pimpernel]

Coda II wrote:

Scarlet Pimpernel wrote:

I'd love to know what the SME sounds like: slightly more involving possibly?

Enjoy.
SP

You do know the location of the dealer that supplied Dik's new pride and joy don't you?

Hi Coda,
No I don't! where is it man? Don't tell me it's a West Country ruddy-faced dealer?
SP

[Coda II]

We don't have many dealers, couldn't get much closer than:

Dave Cawley
http://www.soundhifi.com/
01803 833366
Dartmouth