SME Debuts New "Flagship" Model 60!
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- čas přidán 28. 03. 2022
- SME debuted a new "Flagship" turntable at an event held March 25th, 2022 at the company's Steyning, West Sussex U.K. headquarters and in the legendary listening room of the company's founder, the late Alastair Robertson-Aikman. When I asked CEO Stuart McNeilis if yet another factory tour was necessary, he said "you be the judge". The answer was "yes" as new owner Ajay Shirke has made considerable investments in SME including new CNC machines, a brand new state of the art plating facility and a new tolerance measuring system that produces even greater machining tolerances than the already legendary SME precision.
As for the new Model 60, it combines all-new thinking and engineering with what was best about the former "flagship" Model 30, including a new internally mounted "O-ring" suspension system the isolates both vertically as before and now horizontally as well. There's a new A.C. motor and motor control system in place of the 30's D.C. motor and now the transformer is externally mounted in its own chassis so it can be further isolated form the signal path.
The new Model VA arm is machined from a 'space age' polymer in place of the V's magnesium tube arm and the termination is now in chassis-mounted RCA jacks instead of the traditional DIN plug. There's more to see in the exclusive video. - Věda a technologie
Congratulations to SME on another masterpiece, it’s the first thing on my shopping list when I win the lottery.
This is what a call a manufacturing with finesse!
I pray that SME remain relevant in the precision engineering world let alone the Hi-Fi biz. Legacy matters. Great stuff, Michael.
@Chris Carson (Old And In The Way) That SME remains a viable, domestic (British) manufacturer. So many of the classic British companies don’t produce domestically anymore.
What's their legacy? Charging the price of a house for a turntable?
@@mikechivy ROFL
Best factory video ever.
DAMN! amazing works of art.
Astonishing! SME have a reputation for making every part in house. The attention to precision in every detail and the length of every process is amazing. I wonder how the playback sounds? I can’t imagine what that turntable might be capable of.
Normally I don't like colors other than silve/black/gold on audio equipment, but that blue TT is gorgeous.
Lol loved, "Digital in the service of analog." I love Michael's factory tours and comments.
Thanks for the vid! Really enjoy these behind the scenes tours. Even an appearance by the queen mother of turntables at the end! Smashing!
Wow - the engineering in that is incredible. I bet it sounds amazing. Many thanks for the excellent video.
I would love SME to start sell their tonearms separately again.
Agreed.
They have just worked out that is what they are famous for and are starting to sell them again 😒
@@Lee-dp6ji SME turntables aren't bad, but they are extremely over priced. Cut the price in half and it is still not the most competitive in that price range. Hope SME will figure that out one day.
@@GlaciaDay it’s all about money these days they wanted people to buy a deck to get the arm
That is an incredible amount of engineering with scientific methodology in action.
Oh my! This is a gem 💎for music lovers!
It’s like buying a piece of jewelry looks great 👍😊
Great video. Love SME. Thank you
Would be nice if SME starts selling individual arms again
How about just parts vtf tool vta screw ect…
This company is a dying breed in the U.K. true precision engineering still being done at its very best in the U.K. and not, like so many “U.K. “ companies farmed out to the Far East. Does it make a difference? Technically, probably not but as the end user emotionally and in terms of value it most certainly does for me. So many of the U.K. based HiFi companies now just design and farm out the manufacturing to increase profits but the cost to the end user does not go down, I then feel cheated.
With SME I’m spending a lot still but that is justified in so many ways as by buying their product I’m keeping engineers in employment and keeping engineering alive in the U.K. and that for me adds value and emotional content.
Michael, can you tell us what the new equipment in this hallowed listening room is now? It looked like Ypsilon amps but I’m not sure what the speakers are?
Thank you for such a wonderful in depth tour!
Boulder 1110 and 1160 amps
Rockport Aviors II
Siltech Cable 880
@@georgegimenez3881 wonderful, thank you George!
Thank you, Michael.
Oh boy! Now there might be a plethora of used 30s coming onto the used market. Got to start checking Audiogon for a deal. Congrats to SME for something very functional and stylish. Can’t wait to see an in-depth review of this one Mikey.
There's one on ebay. £16Grand
Great video! But I find it hard to believe that's it's just coincidentally 33:33 in length! :-)
Cool looking Table. Love the all black !
looks like these guys are pretty serious about making a great turntable
Loved it.
Yes, the software is Solidworks - this has been the CAD standard for many years now and I’ve been using it for over seven years! All the features demonstrated are standard and easy to access.
Checking a machined plinth on a CMM is really getting extreme.
Good video Michael expensive for my blood that's for people that's got money and don't know what to do with it the nice video nice product for sure good to see you again take care and God bless🙏👍👍🎸🎺🔈🎶
Interesting - if not to my taste (or wallet) turntable. Noticed Trevor Martin got in on that gig too - looks like you enjoyed your day!
Wow that's engineering on a different level probably the finest in the world Mike do a test the 30 model to this see what you can hear
Interesting comments,it's nice to see the production processes and development that went in to this combination,the attention to detail is undeniably impressive,however it would have been nice to know more about how they arrived at the decisions they made ie listening tests,precision measurements etc I guess if sent to Stereophile or Hi-Fi News they will to an extent be able to verify how much better it performs in terms of isolation and speed accuracy etc.
But pride of ownership certainly will feel justified in the assurance of how SME do things in a similar way to buying a Morgan,Bugatti,Rolls Royce etc
what type of phenolic resin is the arm made form
I've got a new type of bearing system if sme are interested,
an easier way than having a bore gauge is just have a jig much quicker and simpler
That's a Beauty
I'm surprised that the Model 60 doesn't have a 12" arm. Maybe a future model?
everything's on the table (no pun intended).
Love the way Kevin got out of a hole saying he moved the tolerance to get the red up he clearly messed up
Wonderfull insight into the manufacture of new turntable SME, General question for tone arms, this may be because of materials used which restricts the range of colours but why not sell Tonearms in a range of colours ? ( any colour you like but must be Black ! ) Look forward to seeing your video's ..
Very informative video nicely edited, thank you! Does the honeycombed surface finish serve a function or is it just cosmetic? Beautifully engineered-pity about the aesthetics and the lack of provision for a second arm, I hope it has a sound to match - review awaited!
cosmetic
Just a simple design with the function in mind. No flash. Just fine with me. It rings my bell ha ha Ha.
Can you imagine if Linn Sondek said the demand for the LP12 is so strong we've decided not to make it anymore because we can't cope with the demand. Well that's what SME did with their tonearms, why, who knows but I bet they would sell more tonearms than the model 60 and make more money in the process.
I really hope the U.S. distributor won't charge more than $65k in the U.S. The U.K. price of £50,000 translates to $52,000 USD in today's conversion rate because there is no VAT in the U.S. 20% of the U.K. price is the tax for U.K. Government, which U.S. people do not pay. Yes, there is a small luxury tax and customs fees, but shipping to the U.S. vs within the U.K. is negligible. Not sure if SME has the same distributor but their old distributor used to charge about 2X the price in the U.S. just because they have a monopoly in U.S. and consumers here do not understand VAT. That really hurt the sales figure of the old SME - almost made SME disappear in the U.S. for a matter of fact. Anyway, I LOVE the new design. I wish SME has a better U.S. distributor now or at least a better term with the distributor.
Excellent video - thanks Michael. Looks like a superbly engineered turntable. Had to smile at the horizontal damping - looks like they have copied an idea from Avid!
The other way around….
Exactly! SME copies no one especially avid😆
That's funny.
How come they don't publish the specs for any of their turntables? Wow and Flutter etc.?
The numbers are only punished with independent reviews, I am sure it will be soon in many magazines. This guys don’t fake anything
I’m guessing this turntable is a wee bit outside of my price range. Mike should go to the Crossley factory next for a comparison. I’m sure the Crossley attention to detail would be comparable. 😂
Back in the UK! 🇬🇧
Why is that CMM not scanning the holes to get a better idea of roundness? Honeycomb? You mean you machined a pattern in the top of the plate.
I would like to see vacuum hold down on the SME tables.
Fluid damping only around the main bearing would suggest this aspect of design is based on 20/3 topology, while higher mass is retained from the 30/2. Possibly confirming suspicions that SME found the 20/3 to be the most musical of their previous designs, if not the most hi-fi or expensive?
There is more mass in this turntable than in the 30/2 and same fluid damping. What is your point ?
@@georgegimenez3881 The 20/3, 20/12 had fluid damping around the main turntable bearing only. The 30/2 and 30/12 had fluid damping inside the suspension towers and none around the main turntable bearing. This model 60 appears to follow the 20 models in this regard as far as I can ascertain from the video.
How does the honeycomb design improve the sound?
just for looks
Not too shabby ...
Just put a record on please ;)
Why place the transformer chassis so close to the tonearm area that carries the signal? I guess it's for looks in the presentation... I suppose.
The point is, separated from the controller, the transformer case can be placed far away
Thanks. I was referring to the debut presentation at the founder Alastair Robertson-Aikman's house at 31:28 where the transformer housing is sitting very close to the tonearm area. It could have been placed on the far left side. Doesn't matter. Amazing video!
CROSLEY Factory tour next please, great products
@Ruben Ramero all hand made in Japan and Switzerland, market experts thought it was impossible to bring such good craftsmanship for the price! 8th wonder of the world
I'd love to see one too but you know how secretive they are about their engineering techniques.
absolutely, this sme rubbish doesn't even have a pre amp or transformer built inside! cables going everywhere! crosley have everything inside, so streamlined and elegant. lightyears ahead and again cheaper price
@@davidkavanagh4966 plus, you get this expensive turntable (which doesn't even have a lid BTW) and you still need to add speakers!
Instead you can have everything in a convenient, briefcase sized package. And has anyone ever done an A/B test between them?
Crosley FTW
@@leehazlewoodism I'm sure the results would be one sided, cosley have such heritage and expertise in turntables. I think the testers would be embarrassed and would laugh this sme player. btw never heard of it, probably a crypto scam. also cosley have a sapphire stylus as standard! literally no one can even make them anymore! not ortofon or pickering
ironically, for an audio channel, the sound in this video is not very good. Turned on CC to understand what was being said.
ironically, recorded under very difficult circumstances. Not possible to wirelessly mic the host, most of the video was shot in a noisy MACHINE SHOP so I did the best I could.
A lot of machining on these components. Especially on the transformer box. I would think casting the box first and then do final machining. I know, they are probably manufactured in small numbers. But machining all this from a solid block is also expensive.
SME does not do Casting. Is all machined from a solid 3kg aluminium block.
Have an SME 10 can’t buy setup kit. When I moved movers lost all my tools to my 10. Can’t get them for months. so I have a sme 10 paperweight. I can’t believe that the company is going to flourish by not selling parts or keeping parts in stock in America or selling tonearms in America. People are going to stop buying their products. I know my friend was going to buy a 20 and after he heard about my situation he backed out of the deal. Why would you spend that much money on a turntable and not know that you can get service if you would ever have a problem. And the only reason that is because you live in America. The dealer that I bought my turntable from couldn’t even help me with the parts. He told me to get in touch with Sme he’s out of the loop. And he’s sold all his turntables off below retail and he won’t be selling SME ever again. I guess SME does not understand is how many people are going to be upset about this my dealer was generally sorry and pissed that he couldn’t supply the parts for me. They want happy customers and if this is going to be what SME is going to be about I think they’re done and I’m done. SME in America might be done as far as new sales. I definitely think they will lose a ton of money because of this, we all know how this could end. Rant over from a very unhappy SME customer. I never thought I would ever say that😫🥲
Have you tried contacting SME directly in the UK? They are all about keeping happy customers.
Interesting, but there are so many boxes that this fails to tick. No second arm capability, no 12 inch arm capability, and the arm still appears to have no azimuth adjustment.
I recall a certain New Jersey turntable company that switched from metal to plastic resin arms a few years ago, with somewhat mixed results. The cynical might say that this is actually a cost cutting move, allowing them to stop subcontracting the arm tube to White Metal Casting in the USA.
Did anyone ask if they ever plan to resume selling tonearms that don't come with a turntable attached to them?
There is no comparison between a 3D printed arm and this material! If you spend this much, you can afford to send your cartridge to WAM Engineering, which will measure azimuth and provide the correct shims to adjust azimuth. They will still make the magnesium arm but this they say is a step up.
3D printing is a form of additive machining as in the VPI tonearms. But the SME arm in the video is a form of subtractive machining - shaving off unwanted parts. Probably cost more than casting since each arm is machined individually and time consuming. Also, SME is not a believer in longer length as that would sacrifice rigidity, even though they were pressured to make 12 arms for the vintage market - for those refinished idler drive tables - in the prior regime.
@@HP_____ SME has offered a 12 inch arm with the 3012 pretty much since day one in the late 50s, back when "vintage" was new.
I know all about 3012 as I owned the original one and multiple 3009 arms. I was referring to the period since they started making SME V arms or the "black arm" period. They have their own philosophy and that's what the buyers are conforming to. Flexibility is not their thing, just like their arms are all about rigidity. Heck, they don't even sell arms anymore! Not saying I agree with their philosophy but at least they have one!
Beautiful but definitely out of my price range. If you like them though, please enjoy them.
What’s needed now is for the vinyl to match the purity of this turntable which it at present doesn’t I am sure.
The records that do are not cheap!
So you've heard it then...?
I hope in their future tone arm material SME will design an arm developed from recycled Star Bucks ice coffee cups for the sake of the environment, not saying much for the crappy coffee.
It's a pity that SME owners of earlier turntables can't upgrade their motors and speed controls to the latest technology offered in the model 60.
Any one else think this is very similar to Transrotors Dark Star turntable. The resemblance is very close.
SME makes world-class turntables IMO- I have a 20/2 with a V arm with which I'm quite happy. And I've always really liked their looks as well, particularly the 15, 20, and 30 models. But this one- which I'd expect as their new flagship, sounds frickin' incredible- is a bit of an ugly duckling to me. Still, if you have the bucks for it and are going for insanely-great sound, I'm sure it does that. I certainly wouldn't turn one down if you handed it to me, looks be damned!
How did it sounds ?
@24:37 "It's digital (the machine) in service of analog"... as if you never said it. No reaction.
Either the host was in his own world, or your joke went over his head.
I wonder how it compares with other equivalent priced machines? More cosmetic bling over substance? Loads on surface finish etc which seems to define a lot of also called hi-end kit when what we're really interested in is sound quality and technical specs. I do wonder whether it's acceptable or sustainable these days to boast about one piece cnc billet construction...loads of wastage, when alternative methods which are less wasteful seem the more acceptable option. Lovely deck and arm but I dont't think I'd change my acoustic signature deck for one. I do wonder if these upward spiralling costs make a deck which is obviously and audibly superior to current or older decks from the competition? Some of the best I've heard are from the 80's and 90's. Technology for technology's sake??? Itrrespective, sme seem to have done a great job there.
I tend to agree. Very little breakthrough design, if any, compared to the Kronos Pro or Continuum Obsidian, to name two examples.
wayne carr
Monty Pythons Flying SME Circus.And what does this spinny thingy cost? Only $66,000 U.S. dollars.My God they are absolutely bonkers charging so little! Is Michael off his knees yet? Anyone, anyone?
Says a wanker with 2 subscribers to his channel.
oops, I tipped it from 433 to 434 #iykyk
This video is good for those who asks why hi end audio is so expensive 😆
This is not high end audio, this is scam. Just a computer with a good sound card and a DVD player gives better results at a much lower price
So id like them to explain and prove the benefits in sound quality using a forged and machined psu case vs that 100% machined from billet piece they are using that they charge an exorbitant amount of insane $$ for. Do they really think they have an argument?? Lmao To sit there on cam and make that a talking point as if billet alu will do anything to enhance anything is preposterous
it's 100% machined from a billet piece. Where do you get the idea that it was otherwise?
@@AnalogPlanet I believe he meant can they prove making this psu case machined from billet offers better sound than by some other process , possibly cast metal .
Without using a solid piece of billet aluminium, cut using a five axis CNC mill, you lose the cohesiveness of uninterrupted molecular sonority. The introduction of tungsten inert gas soldering and grinding will introduce enough heat to send warm signals into the circuitry killing all hope of highly resolving wave forms. It's science y'all.
-✌🏼
@@Finn-McCool very fawny.
A hilarious "Frankenstein" turntable using old obsolete technology!
you are hilariously pathetic and obsolete.
It's all about sound quality. The phonograph record format, based on the microgroove technology, was indeed introduced a long time ago in 1948 by Columbia. Against the background of it's SNR of approx. 60 to 70 dB (CDs typically 96 dB) it's surprisingly not obsolete at all regarding sound quality. CDs (even DSD files to a certain extent) sound like crap in comparison, flat and liveless. This is a well known fact since decades. And there exists of course an explanation for this: the inevitable noise shaping and digital filtering mess things up soundwise. I tried NonOS DACs without digital filtering, using my own vinyl test records in 24/176.4 PCM: better, but still liveless. You lose sound quality in the process of digitising. There is nothing to do about it. This very insightful video is all about the recent technological approach of SME to make our beloved vinyl records sound even better. (I do use a sophisticated and nice looking vinyl record playback system 😀).
Beautifully made, uninspiring looking and i wonder how it will sound. SME tonearms aren’t the best in the sound department.
mikey that dude seemed nonplussed by your birthing banter
I love vinyl and what it offers, but who in their right might would argue that high quality playback is accessible to even an above average consumer? Fremer is great and has helped the vinyl resurgence, but he regurgitates garbage about how digital sucks, while he's at home listening to 30K tonearms, 10K carts, and 100K decks. Kinda ridiculous.
I also review budget turntables and don't say "digital sucks".
There is no added value to the customer in inspection. The parts should be within 3 sigma to reduce from 100% inspection.
How hard is it to make a lid for these over priced turntables?
It's not overpriced and a "lid" is really unnecessary.
I am sure it sounds great, but to me it looks really ugly.
These esoteric products baffle the practical minded music aficionado. Because the fact remains, if one compares turntables with:
Same room
Same record
Same speakers
This turntable does not perform even twice as good as a $500 modern turntable. Insofar as "twice as good" can be quantified. The turntable is probably the most heinous offender when it comes to diminishing returns in the audio industry.
Speakers and DACs hold their own. But turntables plateau as "adequate" well before even the $1000 mark. It's bragging rights and busy work that infect the exorbitant spending compulsion in a music lover. Because the highest quality of playback is achieved with far less fiddling and fussing with billets and o-rings and feeler gauges and micrometers in other less expensive turntables.
That's why these rooms are filled with silver haired dinosaurs with discretionary dollars of trust fund overruns.
I compare it to a chest of drawers found in a meth head's trailer and a Bombay chest in a luxury home in Dubai. They both hold clothes in exactly the same manner. Therefore the only difference is in the mind of the beholder. The facts remain indisputable. The price and the manufacturing process are ultimately the only quantifiable differences.
I love watching the machines hum though, that's for sure. And if I could, I would choose the Bombay chest every time.😉
-✌🏼
Wow, such an expert! I'll listen to every word you say!
Thank you for the really informative response - "This turntable does not perform even twice as good as a $500 modern turntable." Since you have offered this opinion, I'm presuming you have heard it & judged it's performance yourself. Because you have imparted your expert knowledgeable advice on this turntable, it has saved me spending my hard earned cash on one.
You really do a lot of ass-talking. You have no clue. Your assertions are preposterous and easily refuted. You can write "The facts remain indisputable" and you are correct, but your facts are no facts. They are a pile or rubble.
@@AnalogPlanet
Yes but you CAN'T refute them. We ALL know music. We ALL know sounds. We all know what 440 Hz sounds like. There are quantifiable facts at work in this debate. I know thy name is rubble, I know it also be blarney.
Blarney Rubble. Your proof comes in the way of
"People just don't understand"
&
"You're just a dummy"
No one need listen to every turntable through every amp through every speaker to know that there is only so much quality one can wrench out of a system. Period. But it's fun to watch you play the game for your fortune and fame. Being the top expert and head cheese and big kahuna and purveyor of popular opinion. Now go film another audio show with your shaky cam and clicky microphone and impatient banter. And make sure that cantilever is dialed in!
I'm sorry - that's nonsense. A proper demo can easily show the differences between turntables. I'm sure there are bargain products that out-perform at their price points, and also expensive products that might disappoint, but I'm sure SME could demonstrate the improvements available by moving up their range, and a good dealer could demonstrate the differences between a good £1000 (or £10,000) TT and good £500 one regardless of manufacturer.
The design is boring and lacking innovation !
Define "innovation"
Love the extreme engineering and craftsmanship I really do - but really, every year its the same thing with the insanely expensive exotic tables isnt it. Continuous minute and overly expensive improvements at the point of completely diminished returns on something thats already been improved about as far as it can possibly go because at its core its still 140+ year old needle in a groove technology invented in 1877 that began as wax cylinders. At the end of the day for what they manage to con people into paying for these over engineered boutique works of art its 2022 and by now we should be reading grooves with a laser for this kind of money, but then it would still just be a compromised version of a CD players pickup wouldnt it.
It keeps getting better.
my mark 2s are my soulmate without having to sell a kidney for something as ugly as this
boring..prob sounds no better than a model 30
Next, SME need to start making lathes good enough for their turntables.
sounds much better at least upon first listen.
People who buy that are crazy, or professional
Not really.....
@Yves I don’t agree. Some people I know just spent £14k on a holiday for one week and now after one week all that money is gone.
I find it hard to listen to Stuart for more than 10 seconds...he sounds like he's trying to sell windows.
I couldn't give a shit about the honeycomb! Obviously I'd love to hear it but can't help thinking it's over-egineered...
SME, overengineered? Surely not
Love SME…He does sound like a guy who’s had 40 minutes to read the brief before setting up his stand in the shopping centre though…
"I couldn't give a shit....". There's a lot of things that you couldn't give a shit about.
@@cjay2 Oh...I had no idea you had been following my entire life...what are all those things then...?
@@cjay2 I may have misconstrued your post...! Having seen your other replies it appears you're one of us...!
Beautiful, but the definition of over engineering 😂.
So why does it still sound mediocre????
Because it may not be any better then many turntables made before, how ever the price is not mediocre, that is where your pocket gets emptied
Have you heard it?
You haven't heard it, troll.
@@cjay2 I've heard it TROLL
It sounds outstanding.
Thousands of dollars to play $20 record. The stupidity of "Audiophile" equipment. At the end of the day isn't it the needle that determines the quality of sound of the vinyl? Some of these turntables remind me of stocked Hondas with body kits to make them look "Fast"
The short answer on a $199 system is yes. On real h-fi it's no, there's considerably more to it.
No. The "needle" does not determine the quality of the sound. I'm glad you asked the question.
@Ruben Ramero ortofon themselves call it a needle
If you're that stupid why are you watching this...?
Over engineered no doubt. I cannot see the point if audiophiles cannot hear the differences. Well if I spend a 10k on a TT, I will hear a difference 😁. And that would be if I feel my ass😂
I find it ugly.
your pricing strategy is ridiculous. for this amount of money I expect a model in a bikini putting the records I ask 24/7 and the base to have been made of Tesseract
Awesome Turntable Combo; my guessing for the Price would be €50K