Paul Symons from York has had his Garrard 401 from new! He purchased it in 1972 from Comet and added a SME 3009 to give that classic 70's combination.
For many years the Garrard and SME have sat in the loft gathering dust but Paul came to hear of the SMD Type I Reference Plinth and thought his old turntable and arm would look superb in a new plinth so it was time to give his Garrard and SME a place of honour alongside his trusty LP12 with Akito and K9 in his Linn based system.
Paul has fitted a Linn K5 to the SME and on the sound, well in Paul's own words....
“The sound is excellent even with the cheaper Linn K5 cartridge.”
“The Garrard appears more upfront, sharper, with the sound more forward in the space between the speakers, but it is the fun of playing it after all these years, especially in your plinth, which looks perfect. “
Paul has since added an Ortofon Rondo Red moving coil cartridge to his Garrard/SME, an upgrade the deck thouroughly deserved.
