SME Model 35 turntable Model 60 flagship

Launched in 2022 to mark its Diamond jubilee, SME’s Model 60 [HFN Jul ’22] assumed flagship duties from the Model 30/12 [HFN Mar ’12], which was itself the evolution of a turntable first debuted over 20 years earlier [HFN Nov ’90]. While ostensibly similar in its suspended dual-chassis design, and even retaining its predecessor’s slightly oversized 330mm platter and clamp, the Model 60 represents a comprehensive upgrade, and was declared, after HFN’s Lab tests, ‘the most pitch-stable belt-driven deck we have tested’. This all-important quality is shared by the new Model 35 [see PM's Lab Report].


Above: SME's Model 60 turntable

Among the Model 60’s raft of refinements are the suspension systems built into its four, height-adjustable towers, which feature an inverted, larger version of SME’s signature O-ring isolation. The high-carbon steel bearing has also been refined, gaining a silicone oil-filled damping bath, while the Model 30/12’s DC motor has been replaced by a 24-pole AC type with external two-box, power/DSP supply, also now leveraged by the Model 35. Emphasising its top-flight status, the Model 60’s aluminium alloy chassis is available in black, silver and blue Honeycomb [pictured] finishes, a ‘Diamond’ version, plus a limited edition series of ‘One of One’ colours. Pricing starts at a cool £55,900.

COMPANY INFO
SME Limited
Steyning
Supplied by: SME Ltd/Cadence Distribution, London
Telephone: 01903 814321
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