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Auditioned an SME in Poona yesterday.
Although the set up (referred to below) wasn't in my sights at all budget wise, I went to get introduced to the SME sound, at least in the overall context of the set up. I was expecting to audition the SME 20/2 but as a cartridge for it was not available, I got to audition the 30/2, which I gather is one of those reference turntables for audiophiles.
So here it is :
An SME 30/2, with a twelve inch SME tonearm, a Clearaudio Goldfinger cartridge, Audio Research's phonostage, line pre-amp & power amp, with Arabesque speakers by Crystal Cable.
I listened first to a Balsara/piano-Ghosh/harmonium Indian classical raag, then a Vishwa Mohan Bhatt -western combo, then a West African vocalist combining rhythms & blues with soul (not certain) and finally to hammer in the difference between analogue and CD sound quality which even a dunderhead could make out, a Jim Reeves number (analogue recording, analogue mastering) in CD and analogue playback. Whereas the CD playback was overly smooth and 'rich', the analogue playback rendered a far greater range of Reeves' voice as well as better treble (could hear the violins clearly).
This was terrific indeed, not to mention the fact that all the records played made me feel that I was sitting right in the midst of a live concert, and could almost hear the intake of breath of the vocalists. The single impression that I took was the lack of any colour or smudging of the music by the system overall, and I am sure the SME had a big hand in it; a very neutral playback of the music as originally played and recorded.
Remarkable.
I had an interesting chat with the owner of the system.
Now to rob a bank
Regards, am hungry for more auditions
