I also remember the HiFiNews reviews, and still have a few copies that cover the SME and other classics, and SME appealed because of the engineering excellence and fine finish on the components, and the design looked ‘right’. I had an SME Series II for a time on a Mitchel turntable (sold on for some reason, indeed as was an LP12 I had for a very short while), and the later series continued to appeal, though the purity of design and finish seemed to get lost in the V and for me less appealing. I still kept the magazines. Also, in later years (post 1990) I never had the resources to spend on hifi, so it was and still is a dream to aspire to SME ownership.
There is a UK firm that will build a bespoke cover in 5mm acrylic tielo plastics, very good quality.
Good to hear of your reminiscence of reading those old reviews, I bet that SME Series II was a real treat on a Michell deck!
As others have said I’m sad that SME no longer sell their Series IV and V arms to the public direct. I’ve argued the toss with them on this several times because I know how prized their engineering is, and for some people (myself included for decades) the only way I could ever join the SME club was with an arm.
Anyway I will keep nagging them!
Thanks also to Happy Listener and you for the reference to Tielo - they look ideal
I was chatting with a guy from SME who says he uses a very soft microfibre cloth which is another idea - if I match it to the room decor it might look quite nice and means I don’t have to store a big acrylic cover…
Will need to use the stylus guard with that option though…
I picked up 2 sets of bass drivers for my Naim s 600 ovators. Having listened to so many speakers from 10 to 40 k, they all sounded good, but did not get me reaching for the debit card. So a set of 2k speakers which i just love , plus a set of bmr drivers and 2 sets of bass drivers. Maybe, active next year?
Congratulations. I am the proud owner of and 20/12 with a V-12 arm (probably about 10 years old now), and I am pretty sure this is my final deck. Enjoy the table, I think SME are way better than many (over)hyped alternatives.
Mine came with a fairly ugly soft plastic cover. I’m using it as it keeps the dust out. However, I’ve toyed with making an acrylic cover for it, that would be safer (more solid) and prettier, but never got round to it. Since you’re reminding me ….
Firstly a thousand thanks for everyone’s kind words on here re: the SME, it’s so lovely that people here are so positive and supportive to others and it feels great to be amongst like minded souls to share the thrill of my first new turntable in 26 years! I’ve been coming to this forum for decades now and it’s never failed to be a thoroughly nice place to be. I also think that what makes it so special is that Naim take a tolerant view of people extolling the virtues of other products and that is to their credit and certainly makes the forum a far richer and more rewarding experience for all.
You’re right Bluesfan - those blue ATC LE’s would be a great pairing! The trouble is I’m now wondering what SCM50’s or even 100’s would sound like as an endgame speaker! Given I plan to move and retire in around 3 years though, it is probably sensible to wait and see what room I end up with before even thinking of a speaker change. In truth the SCM40’s really don’t feel outlassed - even by a turntable at this level - especially with NAP 350’s driving them - they are just so sublimely magical in this room. Several manufacturers have been over and heard them over the years and most are wide eyed when they hear what they can do - including the guys from SME whose remark to me was: “those speakers are so insanely good for £4500, it’s actually ridiculous”
My next fairly imminent moves though will be to
Upgrade the NAC82 to NAC332/NPX300 - that will permit me to get rid of the slight stridency of the NAC82, which it must be said has been highlighted more by the SME than the Gyro…
Choose a phono cartridge for the SME (it’s currently running the Kleos SL from the Gyro). I’m lucky because I’ve just got the Michell Cusis M in for review, so that’s going on the Gyro for a while
Upgrade the phono stage from my existing Trichord Dino to the new Michell Apollo, which I just reviewed for Soundstage (not published yet) and it was simply stunning.
If I can get the system to that point then it will be time to give the bank balance a rest for a while I think
With the weather as it is just now, it’s the perfect excuse to spend more time savouring records and that’s an absolute joy. My daughter came back from Uni last weekend so I’m looking forward to cooking her a spag bol tonight (her favourite!), playing some tracks together and then showing her a Swedish movie I think she will love which I recently discovered called “Watch the Skies” - an absolute gem of a movie like a cross between the X-Files and Super 8… The trailer makes it look like more of an action movie than it really is - it’s much more nuanced than that.
.
