SME Model 8

SME is not a company known for rapid product changes.

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Typically, its record players take years to develop and stay in production for decades. Witness the company's first ever turntable, the Model 30: launched in 1991 and still being made today. The same applies to its second deck, the Model 20, released in 1992, and still in production. So, when SME replaces its entry-level Model 6 after just five years, it's something of a surprise.

The SME Model 8 feels more like an improved Mk II version of its predecessor than the all-new product the name change suggests. Generally, that's no bad thing, considering how much we liked the older deck. But we also note that the new model's price has increased significantly from the original's at launch.

We all know that the price of most things has gone up in the hi-fi industry in recent years, but even so, the level of increase here could well be a stumbling block. It not only raises expectations, but puts the Model 8 in the same ballpark as Vertere's terrific MG-1 MkII turntable, and well above excellent alternatives such as Michell's Gyro SE and the VPI Prime 21+. The question is whether it is good enough to rise to the challenge.

The new design hardly deviates from its predecessor's basic template. The Model 8 remains a compact, belt-drive deck with an outboard speed-controller. SME has continued to use some interesting and unusual materials in its construction.

The plinth is a dense structure made of CNC-machined resin material rather than the aluminium slabs seen in the company's other record players. It is considerably thicker than before and has 40 per cent more mass. The choice of resin not only reduces cost compared to aluminium, but is also claimed to offer excellent rigidity and damping properties.