NEW SRM TECH Azure in Pure White - Superb DIY Turntable Using Rega Parts!
12
We are pleased to introduce our fabulous new Azure in Pure White acrylic. Modelled on our highly acclaimed Athena turntable, the Azure uses Rega running gear (not included) and is supplied as a comprehensive kit of parts ready for home assembly.
You need to supply the running gear from any Rega made deck* - motor, bearing assembly, platter and tonearm. The Azure kit then transforms the performance of these components providing a superb sounding turntable that will stand comparison with those many times the price!
As well as the impressive sound quality improvement, the Azure looks stunning and is now available in crystal clear, pure white or jet black acrylic.
Assembling the Azure is quite straightforward and should take around two hours – and that includes removal of the components from the donor deck.
Design wise, the Azure consists of two acrylic sections:
Motor Board – the lower of the two acrylic sections, this houses the motor, pcb, on/off switch, sorbothane isolation domes and three coned feet.
Sub-chassis – this houses the three chrome isolator top discs, main bearing, sub-platter, platter and the vibration decoupled armboard.
The Azure will accept any tonearm with Rega geometry – both three hole & single hole mount. The tonearm is mounted at the same height as on the Rega donor deck, however, should you wish to raise or lower the height - for VTA tuning - we can supply a simple kit which allows downward adjustment by 1mm and upward adjustment of up to 5mm.
To complement the Azure we produce an excellent isolation platform and a choice of two covers, as well as a kit - based on our established Rega enhancement kits - to further upgrade the performance. These are available as extra cost options and are not included with this kit.
* Please examine your donor your deck before ordering. Below are the things you need to check.
Motor: If your motor does not have an oval shaped top plate with mounting lugs on each end then you will need to purchase our black acrylic motor cover plate which allows you to bolt the motor into place on the Azure. This also looks lovely - see the mirror finish one in above pictures.
Main Bearing: If your deck has the smaller 12mm dia. main bearing or the 18mm dia. main bearing that screws into place (and does not use a securing nut) you will need to purchase another bearing / sub-platter assembly of the usual type. The majority of the decks - certainly the earlier ones - use this assembly and there are plenty of high performance replacements available. So you could use this opportunity to upgrade this or contact us regarding a Rega replacement one.
24v decks: The Azure is primarily intended for 24v Rega motors - for the simple reason that the power supply is housed separately and no high voltages are present on the turntable itself. It is therefore very easy and safe for anyone to construct.
240v or 110v decks: The Azure will work perfectly well with the older, higher voltage decks but if you intend to use one of these you must be aware that as the high voltage pcb and the base of the power switch are exposed you need to ensure that these are protected and cannot be accidentally touched. One of the decks pictured is a 240v model.
Any Isolation Platforms shown in the pictures are NOT included. The acrylic motor cover plate is also NOT included but available from us at a very reasonable price.
As listed, this kit consists of:
ACRYLIC SUB-CHASSIS
ACRYLIC MOTOR BOARD
BLACK BOX CONTAINING FITTINGS – 36 PIECES
VARIOUS FIXINGS – 22 PIECES
And this is what you need to supply from your donor deck: For the sake of clarity these items are not included. If this is not clear please email before purchasing!
PCB & POWER SUPPLY
MOTOR WITH PULLEY (See note above regarding model)
DRIVE BELT
MAIN BEARING (See note above regarding model)
SUB-PLATTER
PLATTER
TONEARM
The Pure White Azure is just £329.95 and for a limited time we are including our excellent white 3mm Silicone Platter Mat (as shown in some pictures) worth £29.95!
Customer reviews
'The sound quality is very, very good. I think the biggest difference is the lack of noise. Somehow the background seems totally dark, making everything sound more dynamic but also more relaxing and less fussy at the same time. Really the best from both worlds. Female voices and acoustic music sound miles better than before - notes extending further and with more timbre. Lastly the soundstage is a lot more spacious making everything more involving.
I liked my P5 but music now gives me chills that I didn’t experience before. All this with a Rega Exact pickup that without any doubt is the weak link at this point.
Looking at how the Azure is built I expected improvements in all of the above areas, but not to that extent. I should note that I am using an upgraded sub-platter / bearing and a Delrin Platter, but this was also the case before the rebuild.
Finally, I would recommend the Azure to anyone with a Rega Turntable without any hesitation. It sounds great, looks great and you will get the satisfaction of making it yourself.'
S.N. (Denmark) Soren’s donor deck was an upgraded Rega P5. Pictured above.
'Having used a SRM Silent Base before, I kind of got the result I was expecting - as well as looking superb. Using a custom built motor controller, Valve preamp, Shure V15 MK3 with a Jico SAS stylus, I recorded a track at 24/96 (David Bowie-Cat People - a brand new pressing) before and after the change, making sure tracking and alignment were as close as before. Although the frequency response seemed very similar on both platforms the Azure’s timing and solidity was a clear winner and was easy to spot when A-B’ing the two comparison tracks in real time.
A really worthy upgrade. I have shown the Azure off to a few friends with lots of positive comments. One happy customer here!'
R.R. (UK) Rich used a 24v RP3 as his donor deck
'Firstly my system comprises of an Audiolab 8000C (decent phono stage) and 8000P amplifiers hooked up to a pair of Monitor Audio Studio 20SE speakers (90s classics!). My deck is fitted with a Nagaoka MP110 cartridge, so fairly modest, but decent enough for now. I do not believe in paying silly money for cables, but I do use decent enough connectivity. I have the deck mounted on a slab of 12mm granite, which in turn now sits on my old Rega feet!
The main difference to the sound between the Rega P3 and the Azure is the reduction in noise and it is clear that all of the extra damping and low resonance materials make a big difference to the original Rega Planar 3 plinth. Bass is much tighter and more controlled, especially noticeable with Dire Straits, ‘Money for Nothing’, where the drums intro and bass never become muddy and confused with clear separation and clarity even at very high volumes. The Rega always sounded a bit loose and messy with the volume up along with resulting high levels of vibration. This really is the improvement I was looking for and to some degree expecting, since the motor housing is de-coupled from the main platform/plinth, along with the use of lower resonance materials. The sound stage is now noticeably clearer and more spacious, extending in every direction with stunning detail across the frequency range. Classical pieces sound clear and full of emotion, Rock is powerful with amazing drum clarity and jazz is much warmer with amazing detail from percussion instruments. Listening to Chick Corea was an absolute joy, like a massage for your ears! Miles Davis ‘On the Corner’ is a great piece to test percussive sounds and the Azure just draws you into the music more and gives an incredible sense of presence.
Overall the Azure is an absolute joy to listen to and I could now get in serious trouble with my wife! The only negative thing I have to say is that it is now more revealing of poor source and so some of my more ragged vinyl is going to have to move to the local charity shop! One more thing to add is that my wow & flutter is now measuring 0.16% compared to 0.23% and this is an audible and very noticeable improvement. Obviously this result will be different for every deck.
I have been a Hi-Fi enthusiast for almost 30 years now and I have designed and built several pairs of loudspeakers as well as having gained a 2:1 BSc degree in Audio Technology from Salford University (1997-2000), so I think I have at least some credibility as a critique!
I would without a doubt recommend the Azure to any owner of a Rega Planar, as the Azure kit transforms the deck into something really special and unique and at a very reasonable price.'
P.J. (UK) Peter used a 240v Rega Planar 3 as the donor deck. Pictured above.
'The sound improvement is better than I thought. I’m not a hifi reviewer but in layman’s terms I have found the following differences which were immediately obvious to me;
There’s no background noise at all
Increase in clarity
A fuller richer sound with improved bass
Soundstage appears wider
Fleetwood Mac Rumours has never sounded better. My system consists of Cambridge audio CXA60, CXN (for digital format), Dynaudio Emit M10 speakers and Tisbury Audio phono stage. I use Van Damme cables throughout.
I would highly recommend this upgrade if you have the older P3 system, it is well worth the entry fee and you have the satisfaction of building it yourself. Once assembled it also looks very high tech but you have the sonic improvements that go along with the looks as well.
Everything fitted perfectly where it should be, congratulations on a very high quality kit of parts. Don’t underestimate the satisfaction you have of building this yourself, it was a great experience!'
J.D. (UK) John used a 24v Rega P3 as the donor deck.
‘What I noticed first was the drop in background noise (as mentioned by others as well). First words that came to mind were background scrubbing, as in scrubbing something clean. It felt like the sound had been cleaned. It struck me as a purity and clarity to the record that surprised me. Purity as in more sharply defined details, highs that roll off less and in general just less noise / garbage / rumble. Clarity as in the sound seemed to be outlined better, more controlled. Highs are less messy and lows a tad more controlled.
In the past I would most likely have said things like vibrations or rumble from the motor were just minor things you probably didn’t hear. But hearing the difference now has made it clear that they are a big factor and removing them has quite the impact.
With the purity and clarity I also discovered more depth and layering to the music. It feels like going deeper into the song and discovering sounds behind the sounds you used to hear. With numbers from Zoolook from Jean-Michel Jarre where there is a lot going on it feels like better separation between the different elements. I guess I mean better differentiation between what is supposed to be upfront and what is supposed to be in the back, and in the back of the back and the separation between those as well. Less ‘flat’ comes to mind - not that it was really flat before just that now there is more defined depth and layering. Details come alive, are more clearly distinguishable and can be heard better.’
Z.S. (Belgium) Zoe used a 24v Rega Planar 3 as the donor deck.
‘Great product. Big improvement, easy installation. Absolutely fabulous. Very good design and concept. I am very glad, Thanks!’
P.P. (Canada) Pierre used his P3 as the donor deck.