SP10 Mk II vs Mk III

(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.

FWIW, I have had a DP75M have a cap problem, causing it to spin fast, and my Exclusive P3 I bought with a problem in what the tech calls the "torque attenuation circuit" (a control circuit, where something went out of whack and caused the table to spin up immediately to 300rpm or something similar, and then start going higher). I knew that could be fixed so got mine cheap-ish.

I know of many top DD TTs which have had this problem, and I can get my hands on any number of used DD tables (including lots of Denons) with the attributes of 'not working.' They're relatively cheap...

As for the auto analogy... If I bought a car from 1982 which was NOS (let's imagine it had spent 27 years in a dealer's back room, getting the engine turned over once a week), before I tried to drive it anywhere, I'd want to make sure the parts with naturally deteriorating materials (i.e. rubber parts such as hoses, belts, bushings, etc) were OK, and I would absolutely count on having to replace the tires and align the wheels.