SME Model 15A Precision Turntable With Model 309 Tonearm

Original Owner. Purchased new from Acoustic Sounds July 2016. Excellent Condition. Original box, manual and all accessories. Does not include cartridge. Steal this at 60% of retail!

The Model 15, too, has a chassis in the round, but incorporates all of the design and setup features of the more expensive models, including the suspension system omitted from the Model 10. ... The Model 15 is easily SME's most graceful-looking turntable. Making the plinth circular, and having three regularly spaced suspension towers instead of one at each of the four corners of a rectangular plinth, produce a far more elegant appearance, and that frontmost tower adds visual drama. ... If there's a better-made tonearm for $1,900 — the difference in price between the Model 15 with arm and without — or one that even comes close, I've yet to encounter it. ... SME's Model 15 turntable and 309 tonearm are a canny distillation of the company's core values of manufacturing and sound. ... I rate this combo a complete success." — Michael Fremer, Stereophile, January 2016

Announcing a new addition to the fine line of precision turntables from SME - the Model 15. While originally conceived as an evolution of the Model 10, newly discovered performance dictated that this creation would exist between the Model 10 and SME's recently revamped Model 20/3. This new Model 15 incorporates the platter from the previous Model 20/2 along with an assortment of design improvements. Available with (T SME15-ARM) or without (T SME15) the SME Model 309 pick-up arm.

The Model 15 could be described as "the ultimate in recovery vehicles," allowing the cartridge to retrieve the last nth of recorded material, whether digital or analog, from the vinyl disc, approaching the ultimate in perfection. Receiving its inspiration from the superb Model 10 precision turntable, the Model 15 seeks to emulate the excellence of the SME Models 20/3 & 30/2 turntables while retaining the more compact footprint preferred by many enthusiasts. The SME Model 15 has been designed with the same attention to detail combined with simplicity of operation that has come to be expected from all SME products. Its superb performance together with laid-back styling make it a glamorous addition to your sound system that will astound and amaze listeners for many years to come.

• The Model 15 sub-chassis is suspended on thirty purpose molded 'O' rings and weighs, together with the platter, more than 24 pounds, thereby meeting the requirement of high density construction on which freedom from coloration depends.

• Suspension is adjustable through trimming screws in each support column and is used in conjunction with a gauge to give recommended settings or varied to suit individual requirements.

• The suspension is further disciplined by a central fluid damper which controls sub-chassis motion, offers a resistive ground path for acoustic signals, eliminates overshoot and gives almost zero 'Q' recovery.

• The platter is machined from aluminum alloy and weighs more than 10 pounds. It is extensionally damped, the top surface being diamond-turned with a fine scroll. This method of finishing upsets a myriad of tiny fibers which interface with the underside of the record.

• A substantial clamp operating on the reflex principle ensures the largest possible platter contact even when appreciable record warp is present.

• The main spindle is 3/4" machined from high chrome tool steel, ground, super finished and supported in a sealed housing with individually fitted sintered bronze bearings of generous proportions needed to support the platter.

• The Model 15 motor conforms to the highest standards of silent running in a turntable.

• The turntable is driven by a 3-phase, brushless outrunner inductance motor with 8-pole Neodymium magnets and three integrated Hall position sensors. The electronic controller uses a high performance microprocessor, optimised for motor control. Closed loop speed control is implemented using a proportional plus (PI) algorithm. Fine pitch speed adjustment allows increments/decrements of +/- 0.01% of the selected speed. Speed ranges include 33.3, 45 and 78 RPM.

• A soft dust cover is provided to accomodate the turntable and arm, when not in use.

• Standard arm mountings suit all SME 9" and 10" tonearms.

Dimensions PSU: 5"W x 10-3/4"D x 3-1/4"H

Turntable Dimensions:

Width - 16.85"

Depth - 14.9"

Height - 6.93"

Net weight - 40 lbs.

Turntable Shipping:

Width - 21.26"

Depth - 17.91"

Height - 15.35"

Weight approximately 53 lbs.