So happy to see somebody like the SME Series III as well. I own it too (as well as the II non-imp) and like it very much. It was Stereophile's reference tonearm for some years...
Very cool and somewhat unexpected list. Interesting that 4 out of 5 turnables are direct drive. FYI, the L-07D power supply is 120/240V 50/60Hz switchable. Happy to say I own several of the items on the list. JBE Series 3 with SME Series III Technics sl-1200 mk2 Supex SD900 Never owned the Gyro, Kenwood, or Marantz. One neat option for the SME III is the plug in integrated cartridge/wands made by Ortofon (SME 30H) and Shure (MV30HE) which is basically the generator and stylus of the V15-IV in an integrated wand. The combined effective mass of each wand is around 5 grams. I have one of each.
Enjoyed that! Interesting choices though I'd have included the original Mission 774 which was of course contemporary with the SMEIII, had the same low mass but didn't compromise rigidity. Plus of course it came from the company which could be seen as giving birth to Cyrus back in the day. I still have one and use it as my main arm.
The SME-III pick doesn't surprise me. I've played with various arms, mostly medium and heavy-weight, and yet my favorite so far has been an ultra-low-mass AT-1100 with a high compliance Stanton Epoch. There's just something to that sound, though I wouldn't characterize the AT as smooth- its fluid damping in the horizontal plane really helps that out, gives it scale and depth. A fantastic combo that, I think, would shock some LOMC fanatics. It's just fallen so out of favor that you rarely hear such a thing these days. That said, a V-15vmr will work on my SME-V, because of its damping brush.... but 'working' and sounding its best just aren't the same thing.
I love hearing about the great and important turntables but sadly it all just ended up sounding like someone relating his tales about people and friends weve never met , and dont know ourselves , so it almost became self indulgent and a bit boring . This is You Tube a visual medium , not radio even if you mentioned Tony Blackburn it’s not the 1970s or 60s . If only we could have seen just a photo of one or two of the tables he mentions , I imagine the JBL slate turntable , it looks amazing , I think ? Y the way I once had an amazing turntable that had a highly original method for the main bearing and tonearm that I’ve never seen before , it looked like , o I’ve got a good photo here but you’ll just have to imagine it . Even college tutors or health and safety classes use a PowerPoint photo to illustrate their dialogue , it’s not difficult and it’s definitely not radio .
I hear no difference in any turntables that play at the correct speed. The cartridge on the other hand is wide open territory. A lot of Audiophoolery speak and snake oil in the audio world.
