sme 30/2 or TW Acustic Raven AC3

Pcosta,

Just as a footnote here, Jeff Catalano is a dealer for SRA and it is what he uses in his set-up with the TW TTs. I don't own an SRA platform. I have an Adona stand and my TW AC-1 is very happy there. I have had many audiophiles at my place and they really like the transparency, quiet backgrounds, soundstage dimensionality, and superb dynamics I get with my set-up. TW now offers its own feet with all new tables. Mine has Stillpoints.

I have heard both the SME 30/2 and the 20/2 TTs at many shows over the last 13 years. In spite of their rep and considerable build quality, I have always found them uninvolving. Of course, this is an opinion based on brief show experience and the usual show conditions. My opinion could be incorrect.

Elinor

I have the new feet for my TW but I have not tried them yet.
The cool thing about SRA is it is totally cutom for your piece of equipment. So perhaps less of a compromise in comparison to say Symposium or other platforms. Minus K is on another level, but it does have its minor quirks too. Not that elegant either.

I will agree with you on your opinion of the SME tables. They are great at presenting all the info but over time they are a little uninvolving, at least with the SME V, they are a little better with the Graham Phantom. A friend has his with the Phantom.

Grossly unfair to characterize the SME 30 is "uninvolving". I have some of the most sumptuous, hypnotic playback I have ever heard with my SME 30. Auxiliary electronics, perhaps? I don't like to enter the "brand wars" except in cases of gross misstatement. Most advice tends to be militant, self validating cant from individuals who own the products, anyway. The more militant, the less credible.
The TW may be all that everybody says, I have never heard one, but it seems that it has become popular to bash the SME 30 by comparison as a sour grapes.
The best way to find out, as stated above, is to hear the two either in a similar system or in your own system to determine if the price difference is worth it to a particular individual.

Dear Cjfrbw, I take your remarks to heart. You make some excellent points. You aroused my curiosity about your own system, so I went to your site. How on earth do you get all those tube amps, particularly flea-power SETs, to drive your 4-ohm ribbon speakers? Sorry for the OT comment.

Lewm

Yes, it was a dilemma that took a while to resolve. I use active crossover and pass the signal below 80 Hz to a separate pair of subwoofers with SS amplifiers mediated by a tube rectified preamp. The ribbons themselves are motivated by four channels of 50 watt Wavac SET amplifiers MD 572. The small foil supertweeter array is very efficient and is over powered with a 7 watt single ended el 84 amplifier. With the efficiency savings from the active crossover, i estimate the effect is about equivalent to 200 watt per channel SET driving the ribbons. SET's do not have problems with moderately low impednce, they are much more stressed by COMPLEX impedances, they see ribbons as static resistors.