Turntables — AVID ACUTUS DARK IRON

The Acutus Dark Iron is a belt-drive turntable from AVID, built with a substantial aluminium platter and a separate power supply chassis. This model represents a serious expression of AVID's turntable engineering, part of the brand's respected Acutus lineage known for careful attention to speed stability and vibration isolation.

Key specs that matter

Two speeds are supported - 33 and 45 rpm. The platter is 10 kg aluminium, driven by an AC motor. The turntable weighs 19.0 kg with a separate 3.5 kg power supply, at 460 x 400 x 210 mm for the deck and 250 x 215 x 95 mm for the PSU - this physical separation of motor power supply from the platter assembly is a deliberate engineering choice intended to keep electrical noise and vibration as far as possible from the delicate business of tracing a groove.

Sound and use context

Expect a settled, speed-stable presentation consistent with the heavy aluminium platter's mass and the separate power supply's isolation from motor noise - the considerable 10 kg platter mass should deliver genuine flywheel-effect speed consistency, smoothing out the kind of minor speed fluctuations that a lighter, less substantial platter design would be more prone to.

Pairing

No cartridge or tonearm is specified separately here, consistent with the deck being supplied as a base platform for a chosen arm, such as AVID's own Nexus V2, which shares the brand's engineering philosophy and is likely to integrate particularly cleanly given common ownership.

Alternatives

The Relveo and Ingenium Plug&Play sit alongside this model in AVID's turntable range at different tiers, worth comparing directly on platter mass and power supply configuration with a specialist dealer before choosing between these positioned AVID options, since the brand's various tiers differ meaningfully in exactly these engineering details. A qualified installer should handle cartridge fitting and alignment to extract the full benefit of this deck resonance-controlled aluminium platter and isolated power supply design. AVID extensive dealer network across the UK and beyond makes arranging a proper demonstration practical for most serious buyers considering this level of turntable investment. Overall this remains a serious turntable choice reflecting AVID characteristic engineering priorities. A dealer visit remains the simplest way to compare this model against the Relveo and Ingenium Plug&Play.