SME chose the exquisite Hyatt Regency London–The Churchill to premiere its next-generation Model 35 and Model 8 turntables as well as the remarkable new SME Series Vi tonearm. Given SME’s standing in turntable and tonearm engineering, this was one of the hottest tickets in old London town on that early April evening. I was one of a small coterie of invited guests drawn from employees, key distributors, dealers, and press. We assembled with hushed reverence to sip fine wines and nibble canapés at the unveiling. The products were shrouded in a Union Jack until they were unveiled; I half expected the first record to be a chorus of “Rule, Britannia.”
A couple of years ago while reporting from High End in Munich, I was enjoying the superb million-dollar system in Nagra’s room, when they introduced a presentation by a recording engineer named Mike Valentine. With so much to report on, I wasn’t sure I could spare the time to stay, but thanks to my fascination with the recording process, I couldn’t resist. What followed was one of the most engaging presentations I have ever heard—on any subject.
Earlier this year, SME launched one of the world’s truly great turntables, the state-of-the-art Model 60 flagship. Evidently, engineers have been busy at SME, in Steyning, West Sussex, UK, because the company is now releasing updated, Mk2 versions of every model in their range, from the Model 12 and Synergy to the Model 30. When you consider that the Model 30 has been in production since 1990 without major revisions and is still regarded as one of the world’s finest vinyl spinners, the significance of this launch is obvious.
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