SP10 Mk II vs Mk III

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.

Dear Hiho: Yes, that is the word ( my Englisk never be very good. ).

Lewm, anyway those thousands of DD top TTs don't suffer ( that I know ) of that " destroy associated parts " and that is the same not only with TT circuits but with any other audio item and you can " see " thousands of very old audio items ( amps, preamps, crossovers, tunners, decks, etc, etc. ) that are working in good conditions: I own some this very old audio items that works right on target.

Anyway, this does not have to be a controversial endless subject, as you posted:

+++" You can do what you want, and so can anyone else. This is just advice. " ++++

just like me: only an advice and certainly not an imperative.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.

Dear Albert: When I was writing my last post you was posting yours because I don't read it.

Like I posted I don't want to " build a son " ( this is how we say it in México. ) with that subject but I must add that " two birds/butterfly don't announce/makes Spring time ".

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.

Like I posted I don't want to " build a son " ( this is how we say it in México. ) with that subject but I must add that " two birds/butterfly don't announce/makes Spring time ".

Do you also drive without seat belts because you've not had an accident this year? Precaution is the domain of sensible thinking.

Why don't you type Technics speed problem in Google search and read countless pages on the internet about speed problems due to caps and IC failures. The IC problems are frequently due to a cap failure and some of the ICs are NOT AVAILABLE anywhere at ANY price.

A Technics MK3 typically goes for a minimum of $4500.00 and as high as $10,000.00. If you loose the control chip due to bad cap it makes for a pretty expensive paper weight. I'll offer the part number and telephone number of my tech if you still think I'm kidding.

Short answer, the internet is filled with similar birds and butterflies, spring is here and it must have been a spring several years ago, judging from the dates on some of these posts.