Ok GAE owners, now you can sell your turntables, because upcoming Technics 100th Anniversary model will be a new version of the reference SP-10mk3 and they call it SP-10R. Finally!
"Berlin, Germany (30 August 2017) – Technics has today announced the launch of the Reference Class SP-10R, its most premium analogue, direct drive turntable to date, which is anticipated to hit the market in early summer 2018. The news comes as Technics unveils a prototype of the new, cutting-edge turntable with the world’s top-level* S/N (signal-to-noise) ratio and rotational stability for the first time at this year’s IFA."
"Reference Class Turntable Promising Outstanding Results
The SP-10R features a brand new, coreless direct drive motor which, in addition to the two-sided rotor drive system that was used in the SL-1200G, boasts stator coils on both sides of the rotor, for a more powerful and accurate sound."
"The heavy platter features a three-layer structure consisting of brass, aluminum die-cast and deadening rubber, just like the platter of the SL-1200G. By optimising the natural frequency of each layer, external vibrations are thoroughly suppressed resulting in a beautifully clear and crisp audio experience."
"The SP-10R also features a new ultra-low-noise switching power supply, which, compared to a power supply unit using a transformer, is better at suppressing unwanted humming sounds and vibrations. The power supply unit is separate from the main turntable, preventing unwelcome noise from being transmitted to the turntable unit, for a sharper and clearer sound."
P.S. Should we expect $15 000 or more ? And the new plinth comin soon?
Power supply looks funny, but the design of the drive is great, i think we should wait for the new version of the EPA-100 soon. Good news the GAE was not the last turntable !!!
In Tokyo, the price difference between a used SP-10 mkIII and new SP-10R is already 300 000 Yen (about $2800), i’m sure this gap will be bigger in time. More SP-10 MKIII will be available for sale for lower prices. I have no idea about the service rates to calibrate them etc.
But what i really would like to know is how good is the SP-10R compared to SP-10 mkIII. Someone should make honest A/B test, hope it will be @jpjones3318 soon.
I don’t care about dealers opinion, buyers are always fascinated about new toys too. Everybody are hypnotized now by Technics, but we need a honest comparison.
@lewm what about TT-101 ? Is that amongst your top-3 ?
Brf, Yep. At this very moment, my SP10 mk3 power supply is with JP for installation of his replacement chip and calibration. I have been completely satisfied with the MK3; it is the best of my 5 turntables, albeit maybe by only a small margin over the Kenwood L07D with copper platter mat. And the Mk3 might get slightly better after JP works his magic. So, why would I want a 10R at this point? That is the question. Also, I need to check other stores for maybe a lower price. I was not overall impressed with the pricing at Yodibashi Camera, where I saw the Technics display. For example, the AT ART1000 cartridge is around $5800 there (6500 yen), more than the US cost in dollars. Also, Sony cameras and lens prices there are nothing to get excited about.
The 10R is 864,000 yen and the 1000R is 1,728,000 yen. Just for
displaying my passport I would get 10% off and maybe more of a discount
than that. Shipping would add back some significant expense. But I’m
just sayin’....
I had to look up the conversion.. 10R = US $7,900 1000R = US 15,800
I am in Tokyo for the next two weeks. Today I saw both the 10R and the 1000R, on display and on sale at a store in Akihabara (the electronics Mecca in Tokyo). The 10R is 864,000 yen and the 1000R is 1,728,000 yen. Just for displaying my passport I would get 10% off and maybe more of a discount than that. Shipping would add back some significant expense. But I’m just sayin’....
It’s a beauty for sure. Just based on inspection, the tone arm on the 1000R looks as if it’s a true precision instrument, like my Leica M3, and that on the 1200GR (also on display) does not convey the same impression.
I think we are all have multiply tonearms, so the SP-10R is a better option. No need to compare Reference tuntable to the lover G version, of course SP-10R must be superb. Also i think Technics fans already managed some nice pliths years ago (some people paid up 5K for their plinth), it’s a good idea just to replace the drive.
Comparison of an old SP-10mkII and SL1200G or GR is interesting as much as the direct comparison between SP-10 mkIII and SP-10R.
As i said earlier the SP-10 mkIII is getting more afordable, people are selling them, especially in Japan.
I’m looking forward @jpjones3318 conclussion after he will be able to make A/B test of his babies.
smer and others, a rep from Technics emphasized that the SP-10R was designed as a drop-in for anyone having a SP-10 Mk 2 or Mk3 set up, but wanting advantages of the new motor design. It bolts into the same position as those. So it is not just for the DIY'ers who want a new plinth and arm.
The SL-1200G is a bargain at $3995.00The SP-10R is for the DIY guys that would like to experiment with tonearms and plinths made of wood etc. This way you get to take advantage of the upgraded motor and engineering that will make this table a world class performer. You also get 14 DB less noise than the SL-1200G Separating it as a world class contender. The SL-1000R is the holy grail which gives you the upgraded tonearm and a precision matched platter etc. No excuses. It will outperform any SL-1200G no matter what you did to it. Period. There are several great designers who come up with innovative ideas and attain unbelievable results. I am impressed with Brinkmann as their engineering is beyond unbelievable. You can lock down the arm making it super stable. I also saw Kuzma at Munich and was impressed with what they do. ( I do not carry Kuzma in my store and do not intend to but admire good principles in design ) I also saw several companies making some attractive shiny gold polished behemoths that frankly would not fit in most homes. I hope this helps you.
Good news: Brand new plinth for Technis SP-10R will be released in the summer 2018 by Acoustand (UK). This one is much nicer than previous plinth from acoustand.
The price is £1599.99
Soon To Be Released Is Acoustands New Delrinium Plinth For The New Technics SP-10R And Older SP-10 Mk2 And Mk3 Turntables.
5 Layer Massive Construction Premium Plinth With 25mm Solid Aluminium Top Layer, 35mm Middle Delrin Layer And 25mm Solid Billet Alloy Bottom Layer Specially Designed With Sound Deadening Traps, Solid Billet Alloy Arm Boards And Heavy Grade Large Billet Alloy Feet Amongst Other Features Yet To Be Announced.
The Different Materials Are Used In Specific Areas To Elimate And Absorb Resonance. We Use Alloys Mostly In The Construction As It Has Great Acoustic Qualities And Any Internal Resonances Are Unheard By Human Ears. Every Separate Part Of The Plinth Is Rigidly Connected To Allow Resonances That Are Wanted And Unwanted To Be Dispersed Equally And Effectively.
The Plinth Will Be Supplied With One Armboard And When Ordering Please Let Us Know What Tonearm/S You Wish To Use.
Spare Arm Boards Are Available From The Drop Down Menu, If Your Tonearm Type Is Not Listed Then Choose "Custom" From The Drop Down Menu And Tell Us Which Type Tonearm You Would Like It To Be Cut For In The Comments Box On The Order Form.
Now when we have G and GR available worldwide i'd like to get back to the comparison between these models. The GR is more than affordable, damn, i even start thinking myself about it, but only if i will sell my fully modded/upgraded pair of the old SL1210 mkII.
Anyway, someone commented that the different between the G and GR is not huge, which makes GR a better choice for the money ($1700-1800 in USA?). Would be nice if people who tried both can comment.
You are welcome, I am glad it was helpful to you. I have foot switches on multiple SMPS powered devices around my home which makes it easy to disconnect them from the wall. As you found with the blue ray player, it is not enough to simply turn them off as most gear is in a quiescent mode and will still negatively impact your system. SMPS's are the greatest hindrance to good sound that I have personally come across. I was looking at, with some interest, an Aurender W20, that is until I found that it employed a SMPS.
Many many thanks for your posts on SMPS and your outlining your standard operating procedure of disconnecting them before listening. The reproduction of voice was sounding harsh on my CD system the other night. I was paying particular attention as I was evaluating my new CD transport and DAC. I remembered what you wrote here and I went looking for culprits within the room. All became good when I pulled the plug on a Samsung Blu-ray player that was otherwise in stand-by mode. What a difference. From now on I will be switching off / disconnecting as many SMPS as I can in my apartment before listening sessions. Again, thanks!
UK prices for the SL-1000R is about 40k quids and for the SP-10R it’s about 8k quids not 100% confirmed
Must be available in June 2018 according to the audio interview with Technics representative.Here is a nice article and great pictures of the SL1000R and Sp-10R from Bristol’s Sound & Vision Show.
And finally i can see a nice picture of the SL-1000R tonearm.
Here is a nice Technics turntable i have put together for a friend. NOS SP-20 turntable, Teak wood plinth, Victor UA-7045 tonearm, AT20SLa cartridge on Stax SH-7 headshell, and SAEC SS-300 mat.
We have more Technics SP-10 mkIII on the used market, more than ever in Japan. People start selling them, i've never seen so many used MK III before, amazing. I wish i could find one myself for reasonable price, hope the price will drop down soon.
So what's the reason? Was it beaten by the new SP10R? I knew the mkII was beaten, but what about mk III ?
Dear friends: I just received from Technics this email:
AXPONA Is Fast Approaching!
Be there April 13–15 to meet fellow audiophiles and music lovers from all 50 states and 23 countries worldwide. And be among the first to experience the new Technics SP10 Series direct drive turntable system.
The legendary SP10 Series of Direct Drive Turntables and systems are at the heart of the Technics brand—admired by audiophiles the world over for superior technology and performance. Building on their impressive heritage, the new SP10R and SL1000R are an astonishing achievement in direct drive technology, leading the market into a bold new era of near-flawless performance. Staff will be on hand to present and demonstrate these two new turntables, so don't miss out!
Visit us in Exhibit Room #678 and see, hear and feel the striking new flagship SP-10R Direct Drive Turntable and SL-1000R Direct-Drive System. The new Reference Class Series for 2018.
Let us guide you on your journey to rediscover music.
I had the wonderful experience of hearing the new SL-1000R in a demo by a Technics rep at a local dealer last weekend. That was part of a very hi-end system with Wilson speakers, D'Agostino electronics, and a top AT cartridge. There was no A/B with a different arm/table but I was fortune to be very familiar with the first LP played. That was a mint original pressing (not a goosed-up reissue) of a Gerry Mulligan LP on Columbia.
So no vocal, no symphonic dynamics, no electronic bass extension, but an excellent and believable tonal rendition of four acoustic instruments. No CD I've heard had a blacker background, the music simply came forth into the listening room.
For this amount of money (announced price at $18K, not the $20K reported earlier) a careful and more extended evaluation would be needed. I can only say that magic happened with that well-familiar recording. I was not familiar with the other selections so while they sounded good, I didn't have so much of a reference.
Just saw this as a comment of the TAS site. Source was Robert Zohn. Good news if true:
Let me be the 1st to break the good news....
The
official price for Technics SP-10R is $8,999 and the SL-1000R will sell
for $16,999. Tone arm boards have also been reduced to $1,299 and new
arm boards have been added with more expected later this year. Here's
the current list:
SH-TB10TC1 - Arm Board for Technics EPA-100
SH-TB10TC1 - Arm Board for Technics EPA-100mk2
SH-TB10SM1 - Arm Board for SME M2-9R
SH-TB10SM2 - Arm Board for SME M2-12R
SH-TB10RT1 - Arm Board for Ortofon RS-212D/S
SH-TB10RT2 - Arm Board for Ortofon RS-309D/S
SH-TB10JL1 - Arm Board for Jelco SA-250
SH-TB10JL2 - Arm Board for Jelco SA-750L
SH-TB10KD1 - Arm Board for IKEDA IT-345 CR-1
SH-TB10KD2 - Arm Board for IKEDA IT-407 CR-1
SH-TB10 - Arm Board for Open Customization
We have our pre-order in early and expect our 1st allocation by the end of May.
Thanks for the information you relayed from Mr. Berning. He is such a nice individual and very free with his time. I've had some long and interesting engineering conversations with him concening power supply design.
I kind of took a break from the boards as a couple of folks simply got on my nerves, not you :) I just saw your response and so, yes i would say we do agree :)
Reed 3p "12 would be a great match to this deck, the stock arm looks too
cheap for such expensive turntable, still hard to get rid of the SL1200mk2 memories when i look at this tonearm :(
Reed 3p "12 would be a great match to this deck, the stock arm looks too cheap for such expensive turntable, still hard to get rid of the SL1200mk2 memories when i look at this tonearm :(
Nah, my mk3 NGS sounds far far beyond what a mk3 in the original housing sounds like. The 10R is nice and Fremer sure seemed to like the player. I'm good with my GAE and MK3. I thought I might buy the 10R when it was announced but I honestly don't need 3 TT's.
audiofun, No, I do agree with you from a purist point of view, but I also believe that it is possible to implement an SMPS that doesn't pollute the signal (e.g., Berning products) and that in a turntable, an SMPS is not much in the signal path. However, in the context of "cheap" products, where the cost does not permit much to be spent on the PS, I would also be leery of an SMPS.
Have you guys read Fremer's "preliminary" impressions of the 1000R, in the context of his blog? Pret-ty, pret-ty impressive.
The word mitigate was perhaps a poor choice. I can reduce the overall negative effects but I can not totally eradicate it unless I get rid of the supply itself. This is why I replaced the SMPS in my Mac.
We we don't agree if you believe a SMPS can be as innocuous as a good linear power supply.
Audiofun, So if you have "ways to mitigate" noise generated by your GAE power supply, then we agree completely. That's what I wrote; all turntables should be run from an isolated AC power source if possible.
Berning uses switching power supplies, and he has done so for many many years. To my knowledge, he does not use tubes in the power supply, but the PS works in service to a tube circuit. If the PS were noisy, it would affect a tube circuit just as it might effect a solid state circuit. All of David's stuff is very wide bandwidth, tubes or no tubes.
It is interesting that switching amplifers, when powered by a linear supply do not negatviely affect my system. I have owned Spectron (the 1KW) and it never affected my system. In fact about 15 or so years ago I was speaking with John Ulrich of Spectron about this very subject and he was asking for my thoughts concerning a possible move to a SMPS based architecture for his line of amplifiers. His reasoning had nothing to do with sound quality. He was concerned about the weight of the amplifiers and that is totally understandable. I believe at the time his amp was doing very well in Asian Countries and the cost of shipping them was not trivial. We talked for a while, I spelled out all the reasons why that would be a bad idea and most likey kill the sound that his amplifiers are known for. He surprisingly listened to me, which still amazes me to this day LOL.
At the end of the day, I can plug my GAE in to the wall or one of my power regenerators and EASILY hear the sound of my system tank, when listeninng to my digital, R2R or my MK3. Nothing else does this except items with SMPS's. If you say you can't hear them in your system, I believe you. I have only limited experience with Bernings gear but I do recal the time I had the Berning Pre 1 in my system and I don't recall it adversely affecting my system. It is a different technology than standard switching supplies and uses tubes instead of SS which don't tend to have the switching noise inherent in turning transistors on and off at high rates.
I am saying that when I am listening to any source other than the GAE, the Monarchy AC regen which powers the GAE is switched off or it literally hurts the sound of my system. That is a fact. And to answer your queston, yes I have tested my lines for noise when SMPS units are plugged in and yes, it is readily apparent, the minute I unplug the device, PS3/GAE whatever, the line is quieter. I have a Tektronix 4 channel CRT bench scope that I use along with other lab gear.
If people are ok with SMPS's in their units that is fine. I don't want to listen to them.
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