SME New Turntable Presentation

Talk about sticker shock!

SME has just drawn the curtains on a new flagship record player, the Model 60. Starting at £50,000 (around $66,000/AU$88,000), it sits at the top of the company's turntable range and features all the immaculate precision engineering we've come to expect from the British brand. Luckily for us, we've already had the pleasure of its company.

I posted the following a couple of days ago on another thread, where it was only marginally relevant, so I have reposted it here (with apologies to those who have already seen it): 

The Model 60 costs in excess of  £20,000 more than the current Model 30/2, and offers, as substantial improvements:

(i) a new motor and motorcontroller (with separately-housed transformer);

(ii) a new resin armwand for the SME V. 

Apart from these two (let's assume) clear improvements, the suspension system has been reworked so that the 'o' rings are now hidden (many will consider this an aesthetic improvement) and also now work to impede horizontal movement of the top-plate (this may be an attempt to address the problem pointed out above by Dover), and everything has been made a bit more massive.

But:

- the basic concept is unchanged: heavy metal subchassis and heavy metal top-plate suspended with 'o' rings

- the drive system is unchanged

- the main bearing is (I think) unchanged

- the platter (and clamping system) is unchanged

- downforce, antiskating, damping and general adjustability of the arm are all unchanged

The word is that the Model 60 is a considerable improvement sonically. Aesthetically, it is definitely more stylish, but (in my opinion) only if you take the all-black version (the coloured versions remind me of  much cheaper turntables). 

Back in 1996 (when it was originally introduced) the Model 30 cost £10,000. Now the Model 60 costs five times as much. 

I am not sure Mr Robertson-Aikman would have given the go-ahead to this project. For him, the Model 30 was already the best that SME could produce, and also the best that the end-user could reasonably ask for. Sobriety was the watchword. 

The color option is there so that the really well heeled buyer can have one in each color, and swap them in based on the day, very clever marketing. Only problem is that the table probably should be priced much higher to really appeal to these lads, after all, what's a measly 50 thousand pounds!

Mike the price is cool, I will take it seriously.SME makes excellent products without being greedy, I have one of their turntable..

Until recently I was fortunate to be able to listen to a Model 20/12 with a Series V Arm.

I am assuming there will be a family sound from the TT's, and the Model 20, Model  30 and 60 if used side by side with the same Base Support Structure, Tonearm and Cart' would sing out the SME Sonic Trait, where the design for each might show the division that comes between them, or maybe not and my assumptions are very wrong.

Many years past, my assessment of the Series V in comparison to the IV, did not offer the impression the V was much more advanced in how the presentation was perceived to the Series IV. The outcome being my ears were the Judge and I bought a IV and still own a IV still to this day, even though it is rarely used at present.