I’m not tempted. I own three tables, an SME 20/12 with the V12 arm, a Technics SP10 Mk2 with the EPA 100 arm, and my favorite, a fully restored Garrard 301. The Garrard blows away the other two. Idler drives bring a sense of rhythm and bounce no belt or direct drive seems able to match.
New SME Flagship Model 60
- Thread starter TLi
- Start date
Yes, and stretchy belt with very little “free” belt. The motor pulley is very close to the sub platter so there’s only about an inch and a half of exposed belt between the two. It seems very similar to my former SME model 30. New motor and new motor controller.
The new suspension isolates in 2 axes rather than the original in the vertical axis only. The arm is specifically designed for the 60 and is made in polymer not magnesium. The overall weight of the 60 is quite a lot more than the (other 9” arm TT) SME 30/2 although similar to SME30/12. I wouldn’t underestimate the impact of a new controller and motor on the final sound. That is quite significant change.
Thank you Bill. I focused on the “ drive” aspect of Tang’s question. You describe the other differences between the 60 and 30/12 well including the new arm. I wonder how different they sound and whether or not there will be a 12” or two arm version down the road.
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I assume there must be a 12” version coming but might be wrong. It seems logical to have one since many of their existing customers will prefer a 12” arm. 2 arm version would be very welcome but somehow I doubt it.
I believe we will see the first commercial review in Hifi News next month.
Thank you, PieMan. Unbelievable that they are achieving that measured performance with belt drive.
"Dear Santa, I've been a good boy all year, done what my parents and teachers said I should do, eaten all my greens, not once complained, I think I deserve the SME60 for Xmas"
Signed a very sad, starstruck vinylphile.
Signed a very sad, starstruck vinylphile.
It is very nice to see such a venerable company coming out with new designs. I wonder if they will reversed their decision not to sell tonearms separately.
I just read the article. Thank you for posting it Simon. There is a side bar about the new owner of the company in which he states that the development of new materials will allow longer tonearms, longer than 12 inches, and a cost no object model 75. This model designation number is based on anniversary dates, so I hope they don’t wait 15 years for that next turntable above the model 60. It is possible to hope for a two arm version of the turntable with longer tonearms.
From reading the review, I have the sense that the big innovations in this new model are the new motor and its control mechanism, and the new tonearm.
I lived with the model 30/12 for about nine years. I liked it very much but when I compared the V 12 tonearm to the vintage 3012R, I found the former to be more damped. This highlighted certain aspects of the sound and created a background silence which I found appealing until I recognized that I preferred the nuance and quality of the bass from the vintage arm. I’ve later heard something similar from the turntable when I compared it to my less damped suspension-less massive Micro Seiki turntable.
I am intrigued by the listening impressions in the review observing increased subtleties in the music that are not heard with the prior flagship. I think it’s great that this company with superb manufacturing skills is also continuing to explore new designs and materials.
From reading the review, I have the sense that the big innovations in this new model are the new motor and its control mechanism, and the new tonearm.
I lived with the model 30/12 for about nine years. I liked it very much but when I compared the V 12 tonearm to the vintage 3012R, I found the former to be more damped. This highlighted certain aspects of the sound and created a background silence which I found appealing until I recognized that I preferred the nuance and quality of the bass from the vintage arm. I’ve later heard something similar from the turntable when I compared it to my less damped suspension-less massive Micro Seiki turntable.
I am intrigued by the listening impressions in the review observing increased subtleties in the music that are not heard with the prior flagship. I think it’s great that this company with superb manufacturing skills is also continuing to explore new designs and materials.
Mark, I’m quite surprised to see that you are sad. I don’t recall you having any love for the model 20, and thus not having any interest in the model 30. You were quite relentless in sharing your opinion whenever given the chance. Why the sudden change of heart?
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What’s very sad about companies like SME is that even though they have a lot of resources, they lack ingenuity and creativity to investigate novel solutions. It’s the same old suspended belt drive made many times before. Here are some features that are missing:
1. The vast majority of LPs are pressed off center. Take a look at your record as it plays on your turntable. This wobble induces a pitch variability that dwarfs any other wow flutter measurement. Yet, aside from Nakamichi, with their self centering drive, no one was brave enough to address this problem.
2. It is 2022. Do we still need to drag a diamond stylus through plastic. How about using lasers like ELP did, except do it right.
3. Stop using a wimpy clamp to hold a warped record to the platter when it makes little difference. Many companies from SOTA to Basis to more recently Air Force have shown vacuum hold downs are far superior. Is there a novel way to do this that has better properties?
I could go on (e.g., linear tracking so we can dispense with the silly Berwald alignment gauges), but hopefully I’ve made my point. I’ve no interest in upgrading any of my current turntables for the SME 60 or 75, until they show me something new and innovative. I fear we have to wait until someone like Elon Musk shows up to shake the vinyl world a bit!
1. The vast majority of LPs are pressed off center. Take a look at your record as it plays on your turntable. This wobble induces a pitch variability that dwarfs any other wow flutter measurement. Yet, aside from Nakamichi, with their self centering drive, no one was brave enough to address this problem.
2. It is 2022. Do we still need to drag a diamond stylus through plastic. How about using lasers like ELP did, except do it right.
3. Stop using a wimpy clamp to hold a warped record to the platter when it makes little difference. Many companies from SOTA to Basis to more recently Air Force have shown vacuum hold downs are far superior. Is there a novel way to do this that has better properties?
I could go on (e.g., linear tracking so we can dispense with the silly Berwald alignment gauges), but hopefully I’ve made my point. I’ve no interest in upgrading any of my current turntables for the SME 60 or 75, until they show me something new and innovative. I fear we have to wait until someone like Elon Musk shows up to shake the vinyl world a bit!
Have you heard some of the SOTA turntables of years past, the original American Sound, or new AS2000? Sometimes, the old technologies of the past are extremely hard to surpass in terms of sound quality. Sure record eccentricity is an issue, but how audible is it? The solution there lies ideally in the pressing technology, not in the turntable where solutions can cause other issues. Vacuum hold down is great, but it complicates things. The right weight and platter surface shape can solve that issue as well as or better than vacuum hold down. Linear tracking arms have advantages in theory, but implementation and sonic trade offs prevent them from being the standard.
What amazes me is that turntables arguably reached their peak in the '70-80s, or darn close. The very best of them are not what is holding back the sound of today's top systems. Thirty years into the revolutionary technology of digital, some lunatic audiophiles still prefer the sound of a rock being dragged through plastic. Elon Musk has much bigger problems to solve.
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