Model 60

The SME Model 60 is a precision-engineered high-end turntable introduced 60 years after SME entered the high-end audio market. It uses close-tolerance componentry, a choice of non-painted engineered finishes and a new design incorporating mechanical and electronic developments beyond the Model 30, which has served as a reference precision turntable for over 3 decades.

Its construction includes an acoustically treated main chassis, sub-chassis and platter, together with de-coupled adjustable feet using multipoint isolation. The intelligent suspended suspension system provides horizontal and vertical control, while the hydraulically damped main bearing supports the platter. Drive is provided by an AC motor with an independent power transformer and a new-generation drive system with precise speed control.

The Model 60 is supplied with the Series VA tonearm, an advanced development of the Series V. Its tonearm tube is CNC machined from a non-metallic advanced polymer resin with high density and high rigidity properties. This acoustically inert material reduces the resonance signature, while the tonearm provides optimised effective mass and a wide cartridge balance weight range.

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 uses a custom-made bi-phase AC synchronous motor. Its speed control unit contains a dedicated DSP engine that generates 2 independent pure mathematical sine waves, allowing control over frequency, phase relationship and amplitude. These signals are matched and tuned to the motor for accurate operation.

The output driver stage is a 2-channel, class AB bi-polar design with low distortion, relay coupled directly to the motor. The complete circuit is implemented using surface-mount technology on a gold-plated FR4 PCB. Speed selection covers 33.33 and 45rpm, with independent memory settings controlled by a switched encoder.