Clearaudio Ovation
Don’t let the Clearaudio Ovation’s conventional shape fool you: this is a turntable packed with intelligent solutions to engineering problems that have troubled designers for years.
The company has attacked issues to do with resonance in the plinth and the noise generated in the arm and main bearings head-on, and has delivered a hugely capable product.
Clearaudio also makes an extensive range of cartridges, and here we’ve chosen the £1095 Talismann v2 Gold – a moving-coil design that’s a natural partner to the Ovation deck and Clarify arm when it comes to price.
Classic design
You’ll nd all sorts of skeletal shapes and odd-looking structures when it comes to high-end turntables, but many prefer the traditional look of a rectangular plinth, and the Ovation is Clearaudio’s attempt to make this design work as well as it can.
It has a sandwich construction made up of two plates of aluminium fitted on either side of a Panzerholz layer – this is a dense, heavily processed wood that’s very strong (bulletproof, apparently) and an effective damping agent. Together these ingredients make for a wellbehaved, strong, low-resonance platform for the other components to work from.
We’re taken with the Ovation’s magnetic main-bearing design. There’s a ceramic shaft that keeps the bearing central, but no contact between the two parts of the bearing apart from that, while the platter part just floats in air above the plinth section. The result is very low levels of noise and friction.
The Ovation uses a DC motor because of its smooth operation, but the downside with such motors has always been the difficulty in regulating their speed. Clearaudio has attacked this problem with the use of a micro infrared-sensor, which regulates rotational speed.
Damping resonance
Drive is by a flat precision-ground belt to the aluminium sub-platter. The speed change is electrical and even has the option of 78rpm.
The main platter uses a material called POM (Polyoxymethylene), a thermoplastic used to make precision parts that has a density comparable to that of vinyl, which (it’s claimed) means any unwanted resonances in the record sink into the platter.
The Clarify arm – included as standard – is equally innovative, using a magnetic bearing to reduce noise and friction. Clearaudio’s Talismann v2 cartridge completes the package, using an ebony body reinforced with alloy to control resonance and add rigidity. The screws fixing it to the arm are plastic rather than metal to further limit interference. Inside you’ll find 24-karat-gold coils connected to the boron cantilever.
Good for grunge
Sonically, the Ovation is beautifully balanced, treading well the line between excitement and refinement.
Play an album such as Nirvana’s Nevermind and this package responds with enthusiasm. There’s plenty of drive, a good level of rhythmical precision and a large dose of punch.
Songs such as Come As You Are charge along with plenty of bite and attitude. We’re taken with the bass control and the agility of the record player at low frequencies. Moving to Dukas’ Sorcerer’s Apprentice, the Clearaudio is happy to respond with a large-scale sound full of authority and a generous helping of dynamics.
There’s a huge amount of control here too without the player ever sounding as if it’s damping down the excitement. We consistently enjoy high levels of resolution and plenty of precision throughout the frequency range.
Given a few days to run in, the Talismann v2 cartridge complements these qualities by producing a neutral sound yet remaining informative and entertaining with it.
Nice nuance
A spin of Nat King Cole’s Nature Boy shows off the Clearaudio’s clear and insightful midrange. There’s a good dose of body and refinement to Cole’s smooth vocals, but enough analysis to reveal the nuances in his delivery as well. This deck can relax when the music demands, too.
Clearaudio has long been a strong contender at the high end of the turntable market and this Ovation package reinforces that tradition. It’s beautifully made, pleasing on the eye and a pleasure to use. Most of all, it’s as fuss-free as turntables go, yet is still able to compete with the best at the price on sound quality. Recommended? You bet.
”Sonically, the Ovation is beautifully balanced, treading well the line between excitement and refinement”