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SME Model 6

just thinking about the package however, what's a cadenza black now...nearing £2000? The arm is about the same...say 3750 for both (if bought separately ofc), and the speed controller must be 500 so that makes the deck alone1750, which suddenly seems quite reasonable for an SME. I still hate the looks but it should sound amazing. I had a Cadenza black in an M 2 9" arm on my Palmer and they were worth every penny of the then cost of £3000.
 
With the Cadenza and fancy cable it’s north of £8K


The Model 6 doesn’t come with a cartridge but our review sample is supplied with an Ortofon Cadenza Black moving coil (£1825, $2729, AU$3959). This is a capable, balanced performer that works well in this context.
 
I wonder if these companies use design clinics involving dealers & potential or long term customers ?

Surely some negative feedback would make you reconsider a less than impressionable design.
 
I was looking at the arm and thinking that I don't see where the money is in it? Then it occurred to me, I wonder if SME stopped selling their arms separately so that people couldn't compare them to other arms? Call me cynical.
 
I still hate the looks but it should sound amazing.

Why do you think it should sound amazing? Who do you know at the factory who knows anything about music and how to tune a turntable for a life like sound? ARA used to do this and he's been gone for years...
 
I wonder if these companies use design clinics involving dealers & potential or long term customers ?

Surely some negative feedback would make you reconsider a less than impressionable design.

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Why do you think it should sound amazing? Who do you know at the factory who knows anything about music and how to tune a turntable for a life like sound? ARA used to do this and he's been gone for years...
Who do I 'KNOW' at the factory???
WTF does this mean. Who do you know at Ferrari who understands suspension set up, but I guess you wouldn't complain if someone lent you one to try for a day.
OFC I don't know anyone. I'm a retired art teacher living in Scotland, but I've heard lots, own some of their products and don't see why one mans engineering experience might not have been passed on, esp. since his contribution was to ensure neutrality of sound reproduction.
Course if you just want to argue, then crack on. Ill be here later.
 
I was looking at the arm and thinking that I don't see where the money is in it? Then it occurred to me, I wonder if SME stopped selling their arms separately so that people couldn't compare them to other arms? Call me cynical.

I wouldn't have thought so, they did make some very good tonearms and I the the Models 10, 20, 30 turntables are widely held in high regard. The M2 series tonearms sounded excellent, okay the IV did really gel with the NA TT but sounded really good on the Gyro SE. I would love to know why they stopped selling the tonearms as individual items, seemed an odd move for a company that made their name in the Audio industry designing and selling tonearms.
 
A turntable is one aspect of hifi where you can get something much more aesthetically pleasing than a black box with lights and knobs.

This is a black box with a big knob. And some lights.

It's horrible. Can't say much more. Just horrible.
 
Disappointed with it. I liked the Model 10 and could see me owning one but this? I'm sure it sounds good but so does my current and it looks gorgeous and has an iconic name.
 
Looking through pictures of the entire SME turntable line, none are even remotely attractive. So much flat black. I'm not sure why there is so much vehemence in the opposition to the cheap one, it seems to fit right in with its dreary-looking siblings.

Hopefully they all look better in person than in pictures (which is all I'm ever likely to see), and sound better than they look.
 
Why do you think it should sound amazing? Who do you know at the factory who knows anything about music and how to tune a turntable for a life like sound? ARA used to do this and he's been gone for years...

I have to say I miss those wonderful days when I used to visit the stokes and the Music room regularly and watch with enthusiasm Alistair unveil his new turntable or tonearm he had real passion for sure, the great team work of Alistair and Reginald Eddie, has to be considered as legendary many people to this very day enjoy there creations. I still own the first working prototype of the Model 30 the turntable that Alistair took to Ces vegas to unveil to the world, every part was manufactured to match perfectly the platter was made to such tolerance that it could not be used on any other Model 30. This was just one example of ARA'S attention to detail.While I no longer represent Sme after 30 years with the brand, I wish them every success maybe the new turntable does not fit in my way of thinking what do I know.

From what I have heard the model 6 has been accepted as a mixed bag some distributors and dealers adore it, and some are not so convinced this applies to any new product. I do know that for what ever reason there are many on order despite what I may or may not think its a good thing.

All I can say long live Sme the industry will not be the same without them. Great investment has been made by the new owner to take the finish and build a stage further so lets hope it pays off. I do often wonder what my dear friend Alistair is thinking about the new direction his baby SME, I then think to myself at least its there and someone is trying.
 
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The platter was perfectly matched to the particular sub platter and spindle so tight is the tolerance. On the production turntables they were generic you could interchange easily.
 
The platter was perfectly matched to the particular sub platter and spindle so tight is the tolerance.

Yeah, I get it, but if your engineering really was shit hot you'd be able to make them all exactly the same? What you're saying suggests to me that the parts were made on ye olde steam lathes and turned until they fitted. Which is what you'd expect on a prototype.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with this, not at all, but full moo production parts should all be so similar as to be interchangeable.

I think it's very cool that you've got a piece of history there. Very cool indeed.
 
Alistair said he actually wanted to match each platter to each sub platter but in production was not so practical.

Tom Fletcher (Nottingham Analogue) used to do that on the Mentor Reference models when the numbers of turntables he made were small, before his company took off. He used to lap each bearing in by hand, normally whilst watching Coronation Street. This was done so the two parts of the bearing were perfectly matched. If you are making in numbers, then tolerances are generally eased to meet production runs where there will always be greater margins. SME did this with the first runs of the SME V tonearm. SME soon realised that the super close tolerance bearings didn't always fit, or they were too tight, so SME ended up using the slight lower spec bearings (still very high) that were used in the SME IV. After time the SME IV and V ended up using the same bearings.
 


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