Проигрыватели виниловых дисков — Sme Synergy MK2

The Synergy MK2 is an integrated record player from SME Limited in Steyning, England, that bundles four makers' work in one package. SME supplies the deck and its Series IV magnesium tonearm, Ortofon contributes an Exclusive series MC Windfeld Ti moving coil cartridge, NAGRA designed the built-in phono stage and Crystal Cable provides the mono crystal silver signal wire. Compared with the first Synergy, the MK2 version gains a new drive system that SME credits with better speed control, accuracy and stability.

Key specs that matter

Playback runs at 33.33 or 45 rpm, and each speed keeps its own memory setting chosen by a switched encoder. A rotary knob on the control box trims either speed up or down in steps of 0.01%. The deck is 370 mm wide and 350 mm deep and stands 178 mm tall to the top of the tonearm. Its platter has a diameter of 304 mm, and the distance from spindle to arm pivot is 215.35 mm. The turntable alone weighs 19.59 kg. It comes with two separate boxes - a speed control unit of 170 x 305 x 68 mm weighing 2.88 kg and a mains power unit of 190 x 243 x 83 mm at 4.04 kg. Shipping weight for the full set is 32 kg.

Engineering and use context

Both the main chassis and the sub-chassis are CNC machined from solid aluminium billet. The sub-chassis, which carries the bearing, platter and arm, floats on an isolation system for primary resonance control, and four adjustable feet are separated from the main chassis by isolators. The 19 mm spindle is made from high chrome tool steel, ground and super finished, and turns in individually fitted sintered bronze bearings inside a sealed housing. More than 4.6 kg of aluminium alloy goes into the platter, which is extensionally damped and has an iso-damp top face, diamond-turned with a fine scroll. A reflex-type clamp presses the disc down for maximum contact even on warped records. Drive comes from a custom bi-phase AC synchronous motor. In the control unit, a DSP engine generates two sine waves whose frequency, phase and amplitude are tuned to that motor. The control unit housing is also billet aluminium, and the transformer sits in the separate power unit so it stays away from both the control electronics and the audio signal cables.

Pairing

Because the NAGRA stage is internal and the cartridge is fitted and matched at the factory, SME describes the Synergy MK2 as factory configured and needing minimal user set-up.

Alternatives

The SME Model 12 MK2 is derived from the Synergy but ships with the SME Vi tonearm and a heavier 21.26 kg deck in black, dark grey or dark blue.