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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?

essrand
essrand OP
295 posts
 

Yes. I am aware of that, and that is why I believe I was offered this price.

The street price of an SME 30/12A mk1 is probably something around 30-35K.

grislybutter
2,408 posts
 

just buying something to own because it's at a 50% discount is not a good reason. Especially if you can spend that 15K to improve your system more efficiently (the list of great TTs for <5K is very long) 

nferre66
28 posts
 

Even if you buy the SME don’t expect mind blowing- not even close.

Your phono card hasn’t even begun to show the performance of your Technics. The same can be said of your cartridge.

I’ve got a 1210G that I love. It took 3 cartridges to find the right one for my tastes and system. I already had a fantastic phono stage.

As good as the SME deal is, I’m guessing another $6-7k to get the performance you seek. Why not spend that same money to improve the system you have? Buy the nicest phono stage you can get and a $1500-2000 cartridge. That’s what I’d do because that’s what I did.

If you decide to buy the SME, make arrangements to pick it up in person. You know what they say- if it seems to good to be true….

 

 

gordon
128 posts
 

@nferre66 Did you read the original post?  Hint, "I recently heard a SME 30/12A at the dealer’s..."

nferre66
28 posts
 

@gordon I did. So a great deal.
 

My opinion stays the same. The dealer had both a phono stage and a cartridge infinitely better than that of the OP.  It’s unreasonable to think the OP will get anything close to what he heard once he gets it home.
 

 

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