The notion of German engineering invokes a philosophy rooted in discipline, strength, innovation, precision, and the highest level of quality craftsmanship and materials. Some of the world’s most renowned brands have German origins, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Audi, BASF, Porsche, Bosch and Siemens just to name a few. ClearAudio was founded on the same German standards of excellence, and gained worldwide recognition when they invented the world’s first Moving Coil pickup (MC) in 1978. ClearAudio has a very simple philosophy, “take the best, do it better- then it’s just good enough.” That philosophy is evident in their systematic approach that analyzes the size, shape, mass and density of each component to assure the highest level of audio reproduction.
ClearAudio makes high fidelity turntables and accessories for audiophiles with different budgets while ensuring the same level of quality, precision and detail goes into every item that displays the ClearAudio logo. This article will look briefly at a few turntables produced by this renowned German brand.
Concept
Concept is ClearAudio’s entry level turntable, but embracing the philosophy that the company was founded on, there is nothing entry level about it. The Concept has been recognized with numerous accolades from around the globe including the German Design Award and ‘Best Turntable’ award from ‘What Hi-Fi? and Sound and Vision’ magazine. The clean, contemporary lines and simplicity of the design masks the tremendous amount of technical complexity that the engineers packed into the Concept. Every component and material used ensures that the Concept is a solid build and doesn’t transfer any unwanted vibrations to result in optimum performance. The quality combined with plug-and-play simplicity of the Concept makes it a music lovers dream at a price that should be considered a crime.
Performance DC
The Performance DC is the result of merging high-end performance with ease of set-up and use. Every aspect of the Performance DC is designed to the highest standard. The package combines a high-end turntable, tonearm and cartridge for which no expense was spared. The turntable utilizes a newly developed DC motor with high precision ceramic magnetic bearings, belt drive and a 40mm-thick platter. These score the Performance DC high marks with music lovers with discerning tastes and a no hassle attitude. ClearAudio utilizes technology found in its top end models throughout the entire line of turntables to produce the best across all segments.
Innovation
The Innovation is everything a high-end turntable should be, boasting quality design and mechanical superiority. An infrared sensor combined with ClearAudio’s optical speed control provides an outstanding level of speed stability. The Innovation operates in a virtually friction free environment thanks to ClearAudio’s patented ceramic magnetic bearing, ensuring the high-torque decoupled DC motor can effortlessly rotate the precision-machined 70mm-thick platter at a choice of three rotational speeds with perfect timing. As its name suggests, the Innovation is an advancement in how vinyl is played.
Statement V2
The Statement V2 pushes the design envelope and could be considered the pinnacle of turntables. ClearAudio’s entire philosophy is embodied in the design of this turntable. The Statement V2 turntable combines unprecedented functionality, beautiful design and superb engineering with innovative patented ClearAudio technology. The Statement V2 features a large, fully damped, integrated stand, comprised of four legs and eight curved supports made of Panzerholz, a high-density, bullet-proof manufactured wood, which is sandwiched between aluminum plates. If money is no object, these turntables are worth the investment and should be viewed as a masterpiece.