CLEARAUDIO INNOVATION BASIC

Clearaudio has added the ‘Basic’ turntable to its Innovation range. According to Clearaudio, although it’s the ‘budget’ Innovation Series model, it borrows technology from the more expensive turntables in the same series, the Innovation, Innovation Compact and Master Innovation. ‘ While its name positions the latest Clearaudio turntable at the entry level of the Innovation series, in reality the Basic is anything but,’ said Nigel Ng of Kedcorp, which distributes Clearaudio in Australia. ‘ Its design and construction bear all the key Clearaudio hallmarks: intelligentlyselected materials, precision engineering, and painstaking craftsmanship, so it’s packing a raft of features into its elegant bijou form and delivers stunning performance at a more accessible price.’

The chassis uses a three-point design with Clearaudio’s signature ‘sandwich’ construction of Panzerholz and aluminium, while the optically speed-controlled motor (a decoupled custom-built high-torque d.c. type that offers 33.33, 45 and 78rpm speeds) drives a platter (two platters are available, one made of clear acrylic and the other of black high-density POM) that rotates on a ceramic magnetic bearing (CMB), so it magnetically levitates on an inverted and polished ceramic bearing shaft with a polished sintered bronze insert. The optical speed control works by using an infrared sensor to read a microscopically-etched strobe ring after which it auto-corrects in real time to maintain the correct rotational speed of the platter. The Innovation Basic is available with either a ‘Natural’ or blacklacquered Panzerholz wood layer, while the aluminium layer can be silver or black, giving a variety of finish options. Like all Clearaudio turntables, the Innovation Basic is handcrafted in Erlangen, Germany. In the Natural Wood finish, the Innovation Basis sells for $7,495 (without arm). Finished in Black Lacquer, it sells for $7,895 (without arm).