Well Tempered Classic or Technics SP10Mk2


I am currently using a Well Tempered Classic with a Grado Sonata Cartridge. I have the opportunity to purchase a Technics SP10 mk2 with EPA 100 tonearm with the Obsidian base. I like the Well Tempered Table but I have read much about the new respect for the Technics direct drives. Will going to the Technics be an improvement over the Well Tempered or more of a lateral move? The rest of my system is Beveridge 2sw Electrostats with Shahinian Contrabombarde subwoofer. I use the VTL ultimate preamp.Thanks in advance. Bob
128x128baranyi
Macrojack and CPK's direct experience is invaluable. What cartridges did both of you use on the Sp-10?
bob - A couple of other comments - my WT was stethoscope quiet but theSP-10 had a much blacker background. The other change that I welcomed was the sense of precision and refinement that the Technics provided over the well-designed but decidedly Rube Goldberg inspired WT. The EPA-100 is a genuine contender for best arm ever made.
At it's age, the Technics you are considering will certainly benefit from R&R but they seem to work forever in the home environment since they were designed for round the clock abuse for 10 years in radio stations. I would look at the R&R as an upgrade path. Talk about the plinth is overstated. Yes, it is possible to improve upon the obsidian base but it is by no means necessary. All of this comes down to your mental state. How much do you want to obsess vs. how much are you willing to spend?
After all, have you changed your monofilament regularly? How about the silicone bath? All tables have moving parts and they all wear. They all need maintenance and they all benefit from rehab. Pick your poison. I, having experienced both would prefer the SP-10.
The factory-supplied electrolytic caps in an SP10 are now upwards of 30 years old. The lifespan of an electrolytic cap is less than 30 years. After 10-20 years, they start to leak DC and can even leak electrolyte onto other circuit elements. It is quite normal to replace an electrolytic of this age, empirically. Other than that the SP10 is pretty darn bullet-proof. Modern electrolytics are superior in performance and longevity to any that were available back in the day of the SP10, so your new caps will last even longer now than originally, until the next such service becomes necessary.

Macrojack alluded to it. And IMO, the weak point of the WT is the tonearm, as he inferred. The table itself is a very clever design. I have much (frustrating) experience fiddling with the WT Reference tonearm on the WTR that belongs to a close friend.