The Model 60 is the most technically advanced SME turntable ever made, evolved from 75 years of engineering excellence, innovation and perfection, delivering precise and pure audio reproduction. Extremely high build quality, close tolerance precision engineered componentry, striking design and a range of none painted uniquely engineered finishes.
Introduced 60 years after SME entered the elite high end audio world, the Model 60 is far superior than the highly credible Model 30 which has been the reference precision turntable for over 3 decades. The new flagship is an entirely new turntable design with clever engineering and technological advancement.
Design features include: de-coupled adjustable feet with multipoint isolation, an intelligent suspended suspension system with horizontal and vertical control, hydraulically dampened main bearing, acoustically treated main chassis, sub-chassis and platter, sophisticated new generation drive system with highly accurate speed control, AC motor and independent power transformer.
The Model 60 is equipped with the new Series VA tonearm which is an advanced version of the famous Series V tonearm which has been extensively sonically improved by use of a non-metallic tonearm CNC machined from an advanced polymer resin material with high density and high rigidity properties. The Series VA tonearm tube is acoustically inert with a significantly reduced resonance signature, optimised effective mass and a wide cartridge balance weight range
Brushed Black
Brushed Metal Black Anodised Surface Finish with Black Detailing.
Brushed Silver
Brushed Metal Silver Anodised Surface Finish with Black Detailing.
Honeycomb
Machined Honeycomb Pattern with Anodised Surface Finish and Black Contrast Detailing available in Black, Blue, or Silver.
Diamond
Machined Cosmetic Pattern with Hand Polished Surface Finish. Polished Aluminium with Black Anodised Contrasting.
Additional Information
Test Results
Turntable Speed Error at 33.33rpm: 33.33rpm (-0.005%) Time to Audible Stabilisation: 5 – 6 seconds Peak Wow/Flutter (Peak wtd): 0.01% / 0.02% Rumble (silent groove, DIN B wtd): -75dB (-75.4 dB with Clamp) Rumble (through bearing, DIN B wtd): -76.5dB Hum & Noise (unwtd, rel to 5cm/sec): -62.5dB Power Consumption: 18w (1w standby)
Drive System & Speed Range
The turntable is driven by a custom made bi-phase AC synchronous motor. The speed control unit uses a dedicated DSP engine to generate two independent pure mathematical sine waves which provide total control of frequency, phase relationship and amplitude. These in turn are matched (tuned) to the motor for accuracy to obtain the best possible performance. The output driver stage is a 2 channel, class AB Bi-polar design with low distortion and relay coupled directly to the motor. The entire design is implemented using high quality surface mount technology on a gold plated FR4 PCB.
The speed range is 33.33 and 45rpm with independent memory settings via a switched encoder.
"It's a masterclass in instrument positioning. Its semi-circle of musicians has never sounded as spacious or as beautifully defined to my ears than through SME's flagship."
"The Model 60 should be considered the new real-world reference against which other turntables can be judged. By 'real world' I mean that, while it may cost as much as a nice car, the Model 60 doesn’t cost as much as a nice house, like some of its competitors do."
"This turntable is almost impossible to beat in terms of effort and precision. It noticeably displaces our references. And so clearly that the price seems rather justified. You hear and marvel at the result of SME's entire knowledge and manufacturing know-how culminating in one spot: the exceptional Model 60!"
"The new SME Model 60 with Series VA arm is an overwhelmingly successful upgrade to what was formerly the company’s flagship Model 30. It achieves new SME greatness without forsaking the vision of founder Alastair Robertson-Aikman, who would surely appreciate both this new turntable/arm combo and where his company is headed."
The SoundStage Network – Model 60 ReviewDecember 2022
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The Model 60 in the Spotlight
Press Reviews & Awards
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Write a compelling headline that sells
The SME Model 60 is your LP zenith, a sign of you reaching the vinyl summit. The SME Model 60 One of One turntable is the ultimate seal of that ‘forever home’ deal.
The word ‘precision’ is redundant with SME. It’s all ‘precision’. It’s baked into the very fabric of the company. However, it also applies to the Series VA tonearm, which is only available on the Model 60 and Model 60 One of One.
Selling Point 1
SME’s bespoke 'One of One’ concept was mastered by the SME works chemist who developed a unique range of anodised colours. These aren’t just RAL colours to let your turntable match your Lamborghini. The company’s resident Walter White of the pigments has cooked up 75 colours, celebrating three-quarters of a century of SME.
Selling Point 1
If you like the control and grip any that SME turntable and arm brings to music, you are already in the market for a Model 60; you – and your bank balance – just don’t know it yet.
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Stereophile Product of the Year Award & Editor’s Choice Award!
It is no overstatement to rank the Model 60 turntable with its Series VA tonearm as the new standard by which all high-end turntables should be judged.
With its Model 60, SME has taken the deck many already considered to be ‘the best’ and made it even better. Both turntable and arm are exquisitely engineered and finished and combine to weave a musical spell that’s at once both compelling and exacting.
Selling Point 1
Without doubt, the Model 60 is the most pitch-stable belt-driven deck we have tested. Its presentation has an effortlessness and neutrality that is nothing short of enthralling, and completely free of unwanted ‘character’.
Selling Point 1
The astonishing, incredible level of detail never once left the Model 60 sounding like a surgical instrument heartlessly dissecting the music. Rather, its level of insight worked to knit the music together as a whole. Detail is definitely not the enemy; I’ve always found that more information equals more musical enjoyment, and the Model 60 showcased this theory exquisitely.
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The Model 60 should be considered the new real-world reference against which other turntables can be judged. By 'real world' I mean that, while it may cost as much as a nice car, the Model 60 doesn’t cost as much as a nice house, like some of its competitors do.
The SME Model 60 can dance on its tiptoes, with finesse and fine gradations of tonal color that go beyond even the formidable Model 30/2 turntable with Series V tonearm combination.
Selling Point 1
Intense dynamics and tight, powerful bass extension have long been hallmarks of SME turntables, and the Model 60 pushes that reputation even further. But it wasn’t just the low end that impressed. The Model 60 also offers a sense of ease and effortlessness.
Selling Point 1
The Model 60 should be considered an heirloom turntable, as its build quality should allow it to continue making music for several generations.
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Hearing the SME Model 60 in full flow is an extraordinary experience and a vinyl-lover’s perfect dream.
Across the lower registers, the Model 60 sounds impeccable. The deck’s bass delivery is extended, fluid and taut, and when impact is required, it happily provides it. It is flawless, too, when it comes to the detail and texture of bass instruments.
Selling Point 1
The sense of sumptuous clarity continues into the top end, with vocal performances in particular an absolute joy to behold.
Selling Point 1
No matter what sort of music we choose to pass under the stylus, the Model 60 lifts every element out of the groove and serves them up in a way we’ve seldom encountered.
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This turntable is almost impossible to beat in terms of effort and precision. It noticeably displaces our references.
The Model 60 may be a precision instrument but it still has the aura of something that's intended to be passed down between generations even with heavy use.
Selling Point 1
We’re treated to an impressive sense of scale, with the sound spreading well beyond the physical edges of the speakers. The stereo imaging is focussed and nicely layered. It displays impressive stability when the music becomes demanding, locking instruments in place regardless of the complexity.
Selling Point 1
This deck is an evolution of the original flagship; one that follows the same engineering principles but takes advantage of modern production techniques and materials where they're deemed desirable.
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Sonically, the SME Model 60 sets a new standard – not just for SME, but for vinyl replay in general. In short, I have heard no better way of playing vinyl records.
The new SME Model 60 with Series VA arm is an overwhelmingly successful upgrade to what was formerly the company’s flagship Model 30. It achieves new SME greatness without forsaking the vision of founder Alastair Robertson-Aikman, who would surely appreciate both this new turntable/arm combo and where his company is headed.
