Careful evolutionary engineering has resulted in one of the world’s most capable turntables
This deck is an evolution of SME’s original flagship Model 30, first made in the early ’90s; one that follows the same engineering principles but takes advantage of modern production techniques and materials where desirable.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the SME 5A tonearm. This is an update of a long-running favourite that swaps the original’s tapered magnesium armtube with one that is machined from a block of high-tech polymer resin. In cross-section it looks like a curved-sided triangle, a shape SME has chosen in order to improve rigidity. The move to a well-damped material such as this resin is a bid to reduce armtube resonances to a minimum.
Each of the Model 60’s corner towers houses a revised version of the SME’s distinctive isolation system. This uses multiple rubber ‘O’ rings to filter external vibrations, and a silicon bath for the main bearing housing to dampen any unwanted resonance in the turntable structure. Even the adjustable feet in the base of the towers are decoupled from the rest of the structure with a special polymer to provide further isolation. The aim is to make the deck more immune to unwanted external vibrations, so as to maximise performance. The Model 60’s AC motor is driven by a new outboard power supply that comes in two boxes rather than one. The main controller unit switches between 33⅓ and 45RPM and also allows fine speed adjustments if required.
SME’s reputation is built on exceptional build quality and the Model 60 is a beautifully made, robust design. The deck’s hefty 48kg weight merely reinforces the point. The Model 60 may be a precision instrument but it still has the aura of something that is intended to be passed down between generations even with heavy use. We suspect it will need little more than a drive-belt change and a refresh of oil in the main bearing to fulfill that promise.
We listen to a recording of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and the SME couldn’t sound more at home. A breathtaking combination of muscle and authority allows the music’s dramatic nature to shine through. It is almost brutal in the way it renders the symphony’s savage dynamic swings, yet it never sounds anything less than in total control. There is a slight feeling of detachment in the way this player produces sound that makes it seem like an impartial observer to the act of music replay rather than the integral part it is.
CONVINCING PERFORMER
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