A Precision Turntable Drawn From the Synergy
The SME Model 12 MK2 takes the engineering SME developed for the award-winning Synergy and leaves the final choices with the owner. The chassis, bearing, platter and MK2 drive follow the same published specification, while the choice of cartridge and phono stage stays open, so the turntable can grow with a system over many years. SME makes every part in-house at Steyning and fits the Series Vi tonearm, wired with Crystal Cable silver, before the turntable is packed.
For an owner with a treasured cartridge, or a phono stage already in the rack, the SME Model 12 turntable is the more open route into the current SME range. A spare phono input and a cartridge chosen to suit the music complete the picture.
A Foundation of Machined Mass
SME machines the main chassis and the suspended sub-chassis from premium aluminium billet, and the sub-chassis holds bearing, platter and tonearm together as one assembly. An isolation system beneath that assembly tames resonance before any reaches the stylus, while four adjustable feet, decoupled from the main chassis by isolators, keep the support from adding colouration.
The main spindle is ground and polished from high chrome tool steel and turns in individually fitted sintered bronze bearings inside a sealed housing. Above the bearing rides a platter machined from aluminium alloy and weighing in excess of 4.6 kilograms. The isodamp top layer, diamond turned with a fine scroll, lifts a myriad of tiny fibres against the vinyl, and a clamp working on the reflex principle presses each disc into full contact, warp and all.
The MK2 Drive System
The MK2 designation marks an all-new drive system, built for steadier speed, closer accuracy and greater stability. A bi-phase AC synchronous motor, custom made for SME, drives the sub-platter through a belt, and the speed control unit creates two pure sine waves in a dedicated DSP engine, matching both waves to the motor so that frequency, phase and amplitude stay in strict order.
Mains power comes from a separate power unit, so the transformer sits apart from both the speed control electronics and the signal cables. Each of the two speeds keeps an independent memory, and the rotary control adjusts pitch by the smallest increments against the supplied stroboscopic disc, so a piano holds true pitch through the longest sustain.
The Series Vi Tonearm
SME supplies the Model 12 MK2 with the Series Vi, an improved development of the celebrated Series V. Where the Series V relied on magnesium, the Series Vi arm is machined in one piece from a dense polymer resin chosen for acoustic inertness, giving a very low resonance signature, an optimised effective mass and a generous range of cartridge weights.
Inside the arm, mono crystal silver conductors from Crystal Cable carry the signal in a very pure form, and the base allows fine adjustment of arm height. With the cartridge of choice fitted to the headshell, the arm accommodates a wide variety of designs.
Your Cartridge, Your Phono Stage
The SME Model 12 MK2 leaves the factory without a cartridge, and the signal exits through RCA phono outputs rather than a built-in phono stage. That openness lets the owner match the arm to a favourite moving coil, perhaps the Ortofon MC Windfeld Ti that SME fits to the Synergy, and to a phono stage of real stature, such as the Rega Aura MC. A Crystal Cable audio lead comes in the box for the connection.
Four Finishes, One Specification
Three painted finishes are available, each with contrast detailing: traditional SME Black, Dark Grey or Dark Blue. The Diamond finish takes a different path, with metalwork machined to crisp lines, detailed by hand and set off with black chrome highlights. Under every finish the turntable, tonearm and drive are identical, so the decision belongs entirely to the room and the eye.
Between the Model 8 and the Model 35
The SME Model 8 opens the SME range with the SME 309 tonearm, while the SME Model 35 brings the Series Vi to a design derived from the Model 60. Between the two, the Model 12 MK2 pairs the Series Vi with the compact, high-mass design shared with the SME Synergy, the integrated sibling that adds a factory-fitted cartridge and a NAGRA phono stage.
Hearing the SME Model 12 at Audio Lounge
An SME Model 12 MK2 audition at Audio Lounge is best arranged with a cartridge and phono stage chosen alongside the turntable; enquire to book one, and explore the wider turntables collection for further SME and Rega designs. A single ex-demonstration example of the SME Model 12 MK2, fitted with the SME 309 tonearm, is also in stock.
About SME
Alastair Robertson-Aikman founded SME in 1946, and SME still designs, machines and assembles every turntable and tonearm at Mill Road in Steyning, West Sussex, pairing modern CNC manufacturing with traditional hand craftsmanship. For more than three decades the SME Series V set the reference for tonearm design, and the Series Vi shows SME refining the tonearm after more than sixty years of arm engineering. The current range runs from the Model 8 to the flagship Model 60, with the Synergy and the Model 12 sharing one precision platform. Owners can register a new SME turntable with SME to extend the guarantee to five years. Audio Lounge presents every current model in the SME turntables and tonearms range.
Questions About the SME Model 12 MK2
What is the SME Model 12 MK2?
The SME Model 12 MK2 is a belt-driven precision turntable from SME, supplied with the SME Series Vi tonearm, internal Crystal Cable wiring and a Crystal Cable audio lead, but without a cartridge or a built-in phono stage. The MK2 version brings SME’s newer drive system, with a custom AC synchronous motor and a DSP speed control unit.
Which finishes are available for the SME Model 12?
Four. SME paints three, in Dark Blue, Dark Grey or Black, with contrasting details, and the fourth, Diamond, is machined to precise lines, finished by hand and accented in black chrome. The tonearm, drive, platter and every published specification stay the same whichever finish is chosen.
Does the SME Model 12 come with a cartridge?
SME supplies the turntable without a cartridge, so the owner chooses one to suit the music and the phono stage. The Series Vi tonearm balances cartridges weighing from 7 to 18 g and applies tracking forces of up to 3 g, and the leads take cartridge pins of the standard 1.25 mm size, which must never be soldered. Ask Audio Lounge for advice on cartridge choice and set-up.
Does the SME Model 12 need a phono stage?
Yes. The cartridge signal travels straight to a pair of RCA phono outputs on the rear of the turntable, with no phono stage inside, so a dedicated phono stage, or a phono section built into the amplifier, must be matched to the chosen cartridge. A Crystal Cable audio lead is supplied for that connection.
Which tonearm does the SME Model 12 use?
SME fits the Series Vi, a one-piece tonearm machined from a high-density polymer resin, which measures 233.15 mm from pivot to stylus, has an effective mass of 10 to 11 g and carries Crystal Cable mono crystal silver internal wiring. The tonearm mounting base also accepts the SME Model 309, Series IV and Series V, should an owner prefer one of those arms.
Is the SME Model 12 a belt-drive turntable?
Yes. SME’s custom bi-phase AC synchronous motor spins a sub-platter by means of a belt, with the 4.6 kg platter resting on that sub-platter. The speed control unit generates the drive signal digitally, as two sine waves from a DSP engine matched to the motor, and the transformer sits in a separate power unit, well clear of the turntable.
What speeds does the SME Model 12 play?
The turntable runs at 33⅓ and 45 rpm. The rotary control on the fascia of the speed control unit selects either speed, and each speed stores an individual setting. Holding that control for two seconds opens fine adjustment, in which pitch moves by ±0.01% per step, verified with the stroboscopic disc in the box.
What are the dimensions and weight of the SME Model 12?
The turntable is 370 mm wide and 350 mm deep, rising to 178 mm at the top of the tonearm, and weighs 21.16 kg, with a platter 302.5 mm in diameter. The separate speed control unit occupies 170 by 305 mm at a height of 68 mm, weighing 2.88 kg, while the power unit is 190 mm wide, 243 mm deep and 83 mm high, at 4.04 kg. Choose a sturdy table or a solid audio stand.
How long is the SME Model 12 guaranteed?
Cover for faults in materials or workmanship runs for a nominal 24 months under the SME guarantee, and registration with SME lengthens that cover to five years. Damage from any cause is excluded and the guarantee is not transferable; Audio Lounge can help with registration at the time of ordering.
How has the SME Model 12 MK2 been reviewed?
Hi-Fi News gave the SME Model 12 MK2 a sound quality score of 88% and judged the MK2 upgrades a clear step towards the flagship Model 60, while Germany’s Stereo magazine called the turntable “reference class”.
