Before turning to the next batch of images a little background on SME Ltd is in order. The company was originally formed in 1946 by Alastair Robertston-Aikman and was known as the Scale Model Equipment ...

There are few names in audio, analog or digital, that get the heart racing like the turntables and tonearms from SME Ltd. Long admired for its precision mechanical engineering and jewel-like construction SME components are ...

As with many things seen from afar, an audio critic’s life appears enviable, even romantic. All we do is sit back, wait for FedEx or UPS to drop off the next cool toy, sit back ...

Retailing giant Best Buy has announced that it will begin selling LPs in all of its stores. You can read the full story here: http://www.nypost.com/seven/04272009/business/best_buy_turning_the_tables_with_vinyl_166384.htm

Vinyl can seem like a miracle. The possibility of inscribing subtle musical information out to 40kHz and beyond on a disc and replicating the disc in massive quantities by plating and then pressing plastic is ...

A lot of exotic turntables were shown at CES 2009. However, there were several new 'tables of note that won't break the bank and promise to offer real sonic value. Following are the most significant ...

Ultra-high-end turntable systems helped produce some of the finest sounds of the show. The use of magnetic suspension to float platters, magnetic drive, twelve-inch arms, exotic materials, sophisticated stands to isolate ‘tables from structural resonances ...

Vinyl sound is somehow natural. This intrinsic naturalness means that even relatively inexpensive vinyl playback systems can sound, if not perfect, at least very musically convincing. A case in point is the Marantz TT-15S Reference ...

It was just about, uh, 30 years ago that I bought my first “serious” turntable. Which meant a belt-drive, English-made design. Before then I’d dabbled with direct-drive units from Technics and lusted for a Linn ...

When audiophiles hear the words "automatic turntable," they are quite likely to turn up their noses. Rightly or wrongly, most automatic turntables are associated with "mid-fi" gear. Yet, before the advent of CDs, I suspect ...

For many years I've recommended that music enthusiasts with less than $500 to spend on a source would be better served by purchasing a CD player rather than an inexpensive turntable. I have always assumed ...

After an 8-year absence, the man behind Pink Triangle is back With a shape and color reminiscent of one of those pulsating blobs from a ps ychedelic light show , the Funk Firm Funk Vector ...

Alongside the $40,000 Walker Black Diamond record player, the $18,000 TW Acustic Raven AC-3 turntable with $4300 Graham Phantom tonearm is the best source component I’ve auditioned—and far and away the most voluptuous sounding. Indeed, ...

A.J. Conti, founder of Basis Audio, designer of its turntables and arms, and passionate enthusiast about all things vinyl, belongs to an increasingly rare breed of audio designer who hates mystique?mongering and is appalled at ...

Floating the platter of a turntable on a cushion of air has been an approach used by some designers of high-performance turntables to reduce bearing friction, improve speed stability and isolation, and lower the noise ...