Проигрыватели виниловых дисков — Clearaudio OVATION

The Clearaudio Ovation is a belt-drive turntable for 33 1/3, 45 and 78 rpm that the German company places at the centre of its range, taking technology from the Innovation series and fitting it into a deck of traditional size. It is supplied with a Clearaudio tonearm, either the Tracer or the Universal 9.

Key specs that matter

Speed accuracy is specified at 0.03 percent. The turntable measures 420 x 350 x 135 mm and weighs about 13.5 kg with a Clearaudio arm fitted. A decoupled 24 V DC motor drives the platter by belt and is powered from an included transformer-based 24 V DC unit. The platter is 40 mm of POM, the polyoxymethylene plastic, with a weighted outer rim, and it sits on a precision-machined aluminium sub-platter. The warranty covers five years.

Engineering and use context

Clearaudio builds the chassis as a layered sandwich of heavy machined aluminium plates around a core of Panzerholz, the dense laminated wood Clearaudio uses across its upper models. Inside it an internal mat holds roughly 100,000 small stainless-steel pellets, which add mass-loading as part of the resonance damping. Three locking aluminium cone feet level the deck and isolate it from the shelf. Speed is held both passively and actively. The Optical Speed Control uses an infrared sensor to read an engraved strobe on the platter continuously and adjusts the motor from that reading. The platter rides on an inverted version of the company's patented CMB design, in which a cut and polished ceramic shaft runs in a sintered bronze bushing while magnets carry the load. The Tracer arm has a carbon tube and a jewelled bearing of tungsten and sapphire, with anti-skate set by a dial. Its aluminium headshell allows azimuth adjustment, and the counterweight is underslung to keep the centre of gravity low.

Pairing

Armboards are interchangeable, so a 9-inch arm from another maker, such as an AMG 9WT, an SME or a Triplanar, can replace the supplied Clearaudio arm. The choice between the Tracer and the Universal 9 is made at purchase, and the cartridge is chosen separately. The 78 rpm speed allows shellac records to be played with a suitable stylus. Finishes combine silver or black aluminium with the wood core, and an all-black version is also made.

Alternatives

The Clearaudio Master Innovation is a larger belt-drive deck of the same maker, weighing about 60 kg and able to carry up to three tonearms.