Проигрыватели виниловых дисков — Clearaudio REFERENCE JUBILEE

The Clearaudio Reference Jubilee is a belt-drive turntable released to mark 40 years of the company from Erlangen, Germany. Its boomerang-shaped design recalls the first Clearaudio Reference of 1993, and production is limited to 250 units worldwide. The UK price was GBP 15,000, or EUR 16,500, and the US price USD 30,000.

Key specs that matter

Push buttons select 33 1/3, 45 and 78 rpm, and speed accuracy is specified at better than 0.05 percent. The deck measures 495 x 343 x 180 mm and weighs about 22 kg without tonearm and power supply. The main platter is 50 mm of high-density material, paired with a 15 mm solid stainless steel sub-platter, both precision CNC-machined, and the platter assembly weighs 8.5 kg. The motor is a 24 V DC non-magnetic design running from a transformer-based 24 V DC supply. Power consumption is quoted at 5.0 W maximum, 2.1 W in operation and 1.8 W in standby. The manufacturer's warranty covers two years.

Engineering and use context

The plinth is 40 mm Panzerholz of 72 layers, the same material used in the Statement, covered at top and bottom with thick aluminium plates, and the chassis shape is optimised against resonance with a CNC-machined surface. The platter turns on a specially redesigned version of the patented CMB ceramic magnetic bearing and is driven by a flat belt. Motor control is digital, based on a 12-bit DAC. An optical sensor measures the rotation and the speed is corrected every 3 seconds as part of the Optical Speed Control, which counts 1,598 impulses per revolution. Deviations are corrected by adjusting the motor voltage through an operational amplifier, so the system combines digital and analogue regulation. The Innovative Motor Suspension, or IMS, carries the new motor, and the platter itself combines stainless steel with POM, a polyoxymethylene plastic. Speed setup is fully automatic, since a press of a button starts a self-calibration routine.

Pairing

An updated Jubilee MC cartridge was introduced with the turntable but is not included in its price, so the cartridge has to be bought on its own. Delivery includes the Statement record clamp, which rests on the label with three contact points, and the Outer Limit peripheral ring clamp for the record edge, which weighs 1.5 kg and adds to the flywheel effect of the platter.

Alternatives

Clearaudio's Ovation is a smaller turntable, 420 x 350 x 135 mm in size with a 40 mm POM platter.