@OP - I previously owned a 20/12a and replaced it with a Technics SL 1200GAE, keeping the same cartridge. I partly did it as an interim step to fund an upgrade to my digital system. However, the SME was not hands down better than the Technics. I would imagine that the 30/12 should better it but I would do a fairly extensive audition before deciding. That said, at the price being offered, the 30/12 looks like a genuine bargain and you should easily get your money back if you ever sell it. One last thing I would consider though is whether, given the size of your record collection and the fact that pretty much all vinyl relases of new music are from digital files, it is really worth investing that much in analogue versus improving your digital setup.
Should I buy an SME 30/12A for 15K?
I am a vinyl newbie with maybe 100 LPs (or less) in my collection. I have had a Technics SL1210GAE for past 2 years, I just plugged and played it. It’s good but my digital is almost as good or sometimes better.
I recently heard a SME 30/12A at the dealer’s, and it blew my mind, and my digital was no where close (the dealer had almost the same digital -- mine is Nagra Tube DAC, his was the Nagra HD DAC -- and we did on spot comparison, not an apples to apple of course but still best that we could under the circumstances).
Now given my relative inexperience with vinyl (I know next to nothing about setup), should I plunge for this offer which is offered to me at 1/3rd the retail price and probably an endgame TT for me.
Thoughts?
Also, is this as great an offer as I think it is, are there better TTs at 15K$ retail price (I cannot/will not buy used) than the SME 30/12A?