The Incredible Technics SP-10 MK3 Thread

Transformer swap for 120V

MK3-1.jpg


MK3-2.jpg


MK3-3.jpg


A few people have asked me about the 120/240 volt conversion so here are three of photos of it. All the wires are the same colours and it stands on a plate that uses the same fixing holes and allows more air through the controller.

Regards

Dave

Dave:

I just purchased a Mk3 100V version which has an external transformer to do the 120 to 100V step down.
I would like to do the 120 V conversion.
Is this a custom transformer or an off the shelf unit ?

if the former, please PM me to let me know how to get one from you.
If the latter, is there a part number or specs you can share ?

Best Regards, J
 
A new to me Mk3 - just arrived.

Whoo hooo!, what a great day!

I just received a new to me Mk3 :D:D:D
It is in really good shape cosmetically and it ran fine at all three speeds when I did a quick speed test.
The previous owners reported that it was just serviced and re-calibrated.
I don't have any reason to doubt him but I plan to look under the hood at some point to make sure all looks ok.

I have yearned for a Mk3 for quite a while and I finally picked one up.
The Next step is to build a custom plinth for it.
For now I am just going to use 4 layers of 3/4" baltic birch ply while I accumulate the right materials.

I also have an Analog Fidelis chip but am not in a big hurry to swap out the old chip unless you guys feel it is a must do right away thing.
Comments and thoughts welcome.
 

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Nice!!

What arm will you use?

An SME 312s with an Orotfon 2m Black >> Pearl 2
Currently resides on a restored / upgraded TD124 MkII.

I have a couple of 3/4" x 24" x 48" pieces of Baltic Birch ply that I can convert into a 4.5" x 24 " x 18" plinth.
A Birch ply plinth is not really worthy of the table but it will have to do until the piggy bank get's out of the intensive care ward.
 
First listening impressions of the Mk3

Yesterday afternoon I put together a plinth from some leftover Baltic Birch ply.
Your basic quick and dirty rectangle made from 4 layers of 3/4" ply glued up and clamped / screwed together with SS decking screws. (18 x 23 x 3").
Just naked plywood and I have not filled or sanded anything beyond knocking off the big chunks.
BTW: This birch ply is a PITA - it has really thin outer veneer that splits out if you even look at it cross ways.
It sure is ugly but I had it in the garage and Birch ply sounds way better than MDF.
If I keep it for long I'll bevel the corners and wrap it in a nice veneer.
The arm board is a 4" diameter x 0.5" thick piece of graphite.
This gets the arm up a bit and the graphite provides some damping between the arm base and the plinth.

I brought the clamped up plinth inside to let the glue dry overnight.
This morning I mounted the arm and table then did a basic cartridge alignment.
I fired it up and sat down to listen to some old favorites.
Wow, I thought my TD-124 was pretty good but the Mk 3 is in a whole different league.
All the stuff folks talk about with Mk3 were immediately evident.
Pacing and drive - Check
Tight, well defined bass - Yep
Tone stability on piano - You betcha
Blacker / quieter backgrounds - yessiree.
I also noticed a deeper soundstage.
Yada, yada, yada.

The thing I found most surprising was that the Mk3 seems to lower the perceived playback volume.
With the TD-124 I would listen to music at a level of mid 60's to low 70's on the XP-20 volume display.
Occasionally I would crank it up to high 70's but that was way too loud to listen for long.

This morning I was listening and I wanted to turn it up to see how music it sounded when I turned it up loud.
I pressed the volume up button on the remote and nothing happened - what the heck?
I turned on the display (it was off) and the volume was already at 83 (max).
I thought I was listening at the same level I normally do but the system was turned up much higher.

This is the identical cartridge, arm, cables, electronics, speakers, etc.
Literally the only thing I changed in the system was swapping the SP-10 Mk3 (in a 4 layer BB plinth) for the TD-124 Mk2 (in a 5 layer BB plinth).

The same music played on Mk3 seems quieter and at the same time more dynamic.
I am thinking this is about reducing the noise floor both from noise generated by the table itself and perhaps better attenuation of feedback mechanisms.

I really like what I am hearing but I would not have expected a turntable to create such a big change in perceived listening volume.
Have any of you guys experienced something similar with the Mk3 (or another table) ?
Any theories ?
 

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Stillpoints under the Mk3

Yesterday I swapped out the "feet" under my quick and dirty plinth.
I was using a set of 1.5" dia x 2" high Aluminium cones - installed point down.
I swapped the cones out for a set of Stillpoints Ultra SS's - installed narrow end down / threads up.

The table sits on an Adona equipment rack with spikes to the floor.
each component sits on it's own laminated Granite/MDF Shelves which in turn sits on small spikes to the rack shelves.
I thought the table was pretty well isolated but when I installed the Stillpoint's I heard improvements in many different ways.
If I had to pick one thing that stood out I would say a better sense of space both of the venue and around the instruments.

I was getting goosebumps listening to a couple of tracks, which is probably the best way way to explain it.

Loving the Mk3 - It is an amazing smile generating machine.:D:D:D
 
Panzerholz group buy

I want to build a Panzerholz plinth for my Mk3.
Panzerholz has some unique properties than make it a near ideal material for plinth's and speaker enclosures/baffles.

The Virtues of Panzerholz : An Investigation into the Acoustical Properties of Aluminum and Panzerholz

damping factor values - audio qualia

I've been looking for Panzerholz here in the US and can't find any US sources.
In addition to being hard to get, it is also expensive which fulfills two of the three criteria for the perfect audiophile DIY material - Unobtainable, Expensive and Toxic.

Panzerholz comes in 2.13m x 1.0m (approx 84” x 39”) sheets and I found 20mm ~ 3/4" and 25 mm ~ 1" thickness sheets of B15 stocked in Canada.
B25 is a special order out of Germany with a 10-12 week lead.

The quoted pricing for the B15 is about $450/sheet for the 3/4" and $550 /sheet for the 1".
I don't have a price for B25 other than "It is about 20% more"
On top of the above prices there is a "per order" charge of about $100 for customs and packing plus shipping from Quebec.
I assume the B25 would have similar per order charges but the shipping from Germany would obviously be higher.

I wanted to see if anyone is interested in getting some Panzerholz as a "group buy".
If needed I would be willing to get it to N CA and cut it into some small even multiple of a sheet, e.g. +/- 1/2, 1/4 or 1/6 sheet.
1/4 or 1/6 seems to be about the right size for a plinth (depending on arm length)
I could then pack and ship it out to folks here in the US via UPS or FedEx.

Let me know if there is any interest and I will set something up (in the GB section ?)