The turntable that’ll have you in a spin
The Concept vinyl player is so cool... and warm!
It’s a nostalgic time of year as friends, family and even the television start to gaze longingly at the past with a hankering for old comedy, faces and food. My preferred dose of nostalgia though, comes via music. If you’re going back in time musically, the resurgence of the vinyl record means that the memories can sound better than they have in decades if you have a player that’s up to the job.
Unpacking the Clearaudio Concept reveals the brushed steel body and minimalist, stylish looks of the German-crafted turntable. Measuring around 16.5in x 14in, it’s reassuringly sturdy at 7.5kg.
The slim, ergonomic dimensions mean it’s easy to position on a shelf.
The Concept is somewhat unusual among its peers, as it really is almost a plug-and-play device. The moving-magnet Concept V2 cartridge is shipped with this player but it is fitted to the tone arm with settings like weight and bias set before the turntable leaves the factory. That makes the set-up less daunting for hi-fi newcomers and leaves you with little to do except attach the included drive belt, platter and power supply.
I decided to use the included mini-spirit level to make sure the Concept was sitting perfectly flush on my shelf surface. If it wasn’t, all of the turntable’s feet are threaded allowing them to be easily adjusted to assist with perfect levelling. I connected the phonoleads to my amplifier, the same amp I use for TV surround sound and I was ready to go.
The Concept plays 33 and 45 but also 78rpm records. Its speed is controlled by a large rotary dial and after setting that to 33, I decided on something a little punchy, David Bowie’s Let’s Dance album.
The magnetically suspended tone arm is a joy to use. It feels almost as if it’s hovering in space and lowers neatly on the record rather than dropping down like players of the past.
The sound the Concept produces is warm, and so unlike today’s compressed digital audio. It deals with mid and high tones exceptionally well and deep bass sounds airy.
Three albums later I hadn’t experienced any of the crackle, pop or skip that was present when I owned a 1980s vinyl player. Clearaudio has built-in anti-skating technology to this player, and it’s adjustable – helping to give you a skip-free music experience.
As warm and enjoyable as the audio experience is, there is also a sense of satisfaction in using such a wonderfully engineered piece of tech. This is hand-crafted tech at its best and makes asking friends around to listen to records seem perfectly fashionable again.
Three albums in, there was none of the crackle, pop or skip that was present when I owned a 1980s player