SP10 Mk II vs Mk III

I wouldn't worry too much unless you already have a problem with it - just leave it on 24/7 for a while.

Dear Lonestarsouth: +++++ " I for one would not dream of modifying my SP-10 mkII in any way. Got it "new in box" ++++

+++++ " Do you think I should re-cap my SP-10 mkII that is "virtually brand new"? " +++++

this kind of " anger/distress " to change caps and the like in a new SP-10 ( and even in a used unit ) IMHO and with all respect to other SP-10 owners has no real foundation on this specific subject:

+++++ Not a lot of money and you can prevent an old cap going and taking out a hard to find part " ++++, of course that you can do it but there is no sense behind that statement.

I own three of these units and two Denon's ( similar Sp-10 level and with inside caps too!!! ), old units and used for many years and with periods of no use at all.

No one of these units has any single trouble because the caps and not only this but over the years I never read or hear/know that with hundreds or maybe thousands of these top DD units out there any one has/had a cap that " disolve " in the TT damaged other TT electronic parts.

As I told you: you can do it but IMHO and for that subject that is unnecessary.

That " anger/distress " on the subject seems to me something like this:

" I have two days with my new Nissan Altima but I go to change it tomorrow because with it I could have an " accident "? "

Maybe could be better for you try to improve elsewhere your system to achieve a better audio system quality performance: tonearm, cartridge, tonearm set-up, cartridge set-up, tonearm/cartridge matching, tonearm rewiring, phono stage, tonearm cable, etc, etc

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.

Never own a SP10mk2A, is this "A" version any better than the regular version spec wise? I know the A version is to take advantage of the advance of IC of its time so the boards are smaller and generate less heat as oppose to all discreet parts. But spec wise, does it offer any improvement or they are essentially the same thing? The question is is the A version an upgrade from the mk2? Any thoughts?

Raul, I think your choice of word of "anger" should be replaced with "anxiety". Don't you think?

Dear Raul, I hope you are correct, for your own sake. I would argue with your conclusions:
(1) You misunderstand the potential problem. I/we do not say that electrolytic caps will "dissolve" or physically leak damaging fluids into the circuit (although in extreme cases, that can happen too). We are talking about caps that are "leaky" in that they leak DC voltage. The stray DC voltages can have two negative effects. First, DC voltage can alter the operation of the circuit, so the servo mechanism may not work as well as it otherwise can. Second, if the voltage is sufficient in magnitude, it can destroy associated parts, like ICs and transistors that are no longer made.

I should add, Raul, that my Denon DP80 was operating just fine when I bought it, but we found several caps that were leaking DC when we restored it. Measurements taken before and after the replacement of the caps showed that the turntable was performing better after this was done. I don't consider that a waste of money or "anguish".
(2) Electrolytic caps will eventually self-destruct. Just when that will happen is impossible to predict, but 20-30 years of service is pushing the envelope. Moreover, modern electrolytics are way better than those available back in the 70s, so swapping them in can have unexpected benefits in performance.

As I noted, since the caps are so cheap and so easily obtained compared to an IC that just plain does not exist any more, and since the service can be performed by a professional for little more than a couple of hundred dollars or by DIY for much much less, it seems foolish not to take this preventive measure. It's cheaper than most of the alternative upgrades that you mention above. You can do what you want, and so can anyone else. This is just advice, not an imperative.

(2) Electrolytic caps will eventually self-destruct. Just when that will happen is impossible to predict, but 20-30 years of service is pushing the envelope. Moreover, modern electrolytics are way better than those available back in the 70s, so swapping them in can have unexpected benefits in performance.

As I noted, since the caps are so cheap and so easily obtained compared to an IC that just plain does not exist any more, and since the service can be performed by a professional for little more than a couple of hundred dollars or by DIY for much much less, it seems foolish not to take this preventive measure.

I agree emphatically with Lewm and would add that if certain caps fail on Technics MK2 or MK3 during music play, the result can be catastrophic.

My MK2 had a cap failure just as I was about to I drop the needle and play some music. The platter was turning fine, but at high speed and in REVERSE.

I know this is cool for those that like to "scratch" but a bit risky for me.

One of my two Technics SP10 MK3s made perfect music for months and months, when a sudden failure caused the platter to suddenly accelerate to 250 or 300 RPM, I was blessed my Koetsu Coralstone was not in the groove when this happened.

My experience is based on four Technics total, two of which had failures that are potentially hundreds of times what new caps cost. As Lew says, it's just advice but I think my experience shows this kind of failure is not out of the question for products this old.

The upside is professional upgrades makes these super tables sound better than when they were new and pretty much protect you from these kind of problems.