This is claimed to increase resistance to wear and decrease rotational noise. The thrust pad is of a new polyamide-imide plastic said to have the greatest strength and stiffness of any thermoplastic made. In the Mk.VI, Oracle has changed the screws to a material less sensitive to variations in temperature, thus making possible greater accuracy and tighter tolerances. Each platter spindle and housing must therefore be individually calibrated as a system. The Mk.VI's spindle bearing retains the Mk.V's contact system, wherein six nylon-tipped setscrews protrude through the bearing housing to contact the spindle. Oracle has also widened, by about 35%, the width of the support for the tonearm mounting ring, thus increasing the rigidity of the mount system. The Mk.VI's aluminum subchassis is the most massive yet it's thicker, and, to improve resonance control, has been redesigned to shorten the arms that extend to the three posts from which it's suspended.
#SME TONEARM 309 SERIAL NUMBERS SERIES#
Oracle has made a series of changes to the basic design over the years to, among others, the motor (formerly DC, now AC synchronous), the power supply, the subchassis (it's now more massive), the arm mount (an aluminum sandwich now replaces the original acrylic wafer), a heavier platter (though still of aluminum), the bearing (it's now wider), and the integral polymer mat). While a spring still constitutes the main suspension component, each of the Mk.VI's three suspension towers includes more than a half-dozen elements, including parts made from felt, Sorbothane, rubber, and Delrin. Oracle eventually included a similar feature in their design. LA retailer Brooks Berdan elegantly solved that problem with a modification consisting of a U-shaped weight affixed to the underside of the chassis opposite the arm-mount ring. You'll like looking at and touching it.īut the Delphi has also had many technical difficulties, beginning with the offset weight of the tonearm, which, in earlier models, made it difficult to get the three-point spring-based suspension to behave pistonically. The aluminum surfaces, coated in high-gloss polyester, gleam brightly and are smooth under the fingers. The review sample came with an Oracle/SME 345 tonearm ($3100) and a Benz-Micro Thalia high-output MC cartridge ($1700), for a total cost of $13,300or $11,600 for just 'table and arm.īorn beautiful, the Delphi has become only more sothe fit and finish of the Mk.VI are flawless.
The Mk.II Delphi sold for $1250 in 1986 the Delphi Mk.VI with Turbo power supply and dedicated power cord now sells for $8500, which, in today's market, I think is reasonable for what you get. In its three decades the Delphi has undergone many upgrades both technical and aesthetic. I bought an original Mk.I, used, in 1982, and very positively reviewed the Delphi Mk.V in the December 1997 Stereophile. In my opinion, it still ranks among the best-looking turntables ever made. Thirty years have not diminished the beauty and elegance of Oracle's Delphi turntable.
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