What is Technics thinking?

A good friend loaned me his Kiseki Purpleheart NS to try on the GAE. To say it was beautiful sounding is an understatement. The arm on the table is wonderful and far better than the its look-alike cousin on the SL1200 and its variants. Note that I am not knocking the arm on the Sl1200mkX as its main issue was the wiring, which can always be replaced. 

The GAE immediately showed me the difference between my D103R and the Kiseki. The Denon sounding beautiful on the table if not the most resolving MC but for $380 the 103R is an incredible bargain. I really believe one may need to spend about $2k - $2.5k to significantly beat a properly setup and run-in 103R. 

I did compare it to my Anna/4Point combination on the SP10 MK3. I will say that money when one knows what they are doing can buy you a lot more sound. This is not a case of diminishing returns, the latter system bettered it in every way but let's be fair, the arm/cart cost is 4 times the cost of the GAE. 

One day when I have the time I will place the Anna on the GAE and then see what's what. 

Based on what I heard, I will NOT be changing the arm on my GAE. I will be installing a much higher end cartridge along with acquiring a Myajima Zero (which was one of the main reasons I purchased this wonderful table). 

Just returned from 2 weeks in Tokyo, where I visited Akihabara twice.  The new 1200 was on display at several stores both small and large.  Sorry I did not have the presence of mind to price it out, but it's available in Japan, at least.

They are about $3400 in Japan.   Not a big difference with the US price.
http://kakaku.com/search_results/Technics+1200G/

Achilles heel:

Is the GAE perfect? The answer is no and I have known it's problem since before it was released. Early in my quest for this table I sent an email to the support department at Panasonic that handles the GAE and inquired as to the type of Power Supply is contains. I feared it would be an SMPS and they confirmed my fears. In this day and age one almost expects these abominations to high end audio. They are cheap to build although some are built much better than others (iFi comes to mind) and they are lite in weight therefore companies reap huge saving not having to ship heavy iron. The catch is that they ALL SUCK and I mean that. They literally pull your audio system down. I will describe what I hear when a SMPS is plugged in anywhere near my system. The roundness and air of the performance evaporate to be replaced with a cold and somewhat hard stridency. In the worst cases it can literally sound like really bad digital (using digital in the pejorative sense). 

Whenever I would listen to my SP10 Mk3 I would unplug both the GAE and my Mac Mini. When I would listen to the GAE I would unplug the Mac.., etc..  

My GAE is up for (reversible surgery), I am building a linear regulated PS for the unit. The result of the SMPS has nothing to do with cogging. It is directly related to the high frequency hash/noise that SMPS units invariably send back into the mains and interject on the ground thereby infecting your other gear via the ground on your interconnects.

Last evening (out of boredom) I took the SMPS out of my Mac Mini and wired in a regulated SMPS, held my breath and fired it up (probably the wrong term to use when discussing computers :). 

I hate to sound like a cliche, but my Mac mini going into an iFi iUSB 3.0 (itself setup and working with a regulated linear 9v lab grade supply) astonished me. It sounded, yes I am going to say it because it's true, like a turntable. Yeah I said it :) 

My red book ripped cd's sound like very good hi res recordings and on recordings in which I have the LP and CD (ripped full resolution to the hdd and played back with Pure Music (my choice of playback software for the last 9 years)) the Mac is better. I used Jacintha's Here's to Ben (45rpm), playing "Danny Boy" compared to the ripped CD version on FIM Recordings. The digital was better. Now, I know this is because the SMPS in the GAE brings the overall quality of my whole system down. It will tilt the other way when I install the apparatus for the linear supply.

As stated earlier, I already knew the SMPS would have to go even before I received the unit.  My iFi iCan Pro is also being fed with a regulated LPS. 

The only passive devices I have found to work really really well in combatting the nasties of SMPS's is Blue Circles line of filters. They work wonders BUT no SMPS's is the best solution. 

I even unplug my plasma TV when listening. 

The further downstream any device that uses a SMPS is from your system the better. 

In the case of the GAE, I knew I would have to do this but still found the table to be an incredible value due to the technology involved and the motor.   SMSP's are a fact of life these days, but it is relatively painless to replace them. 

Try this, listen to a passage on your system, preferably an intimate uncomplicated vocal track, stop, plug in anything with a SMPS near your stereo. Computer, iPad, cable box anything and listen to the same sample of music again. 

It should be noted that before I replaced the SMPS in my Mac mini with the regulated linear power supply it was mostly better than my digital and that with a Denon 103R. In all fairness, the phono stage is the fabulous AMR PH77 with a set of Bendix 6900 tubes doing the heavy lifting.