CLEARAUDIO CONCEPT ACTIVE
German high-end manufacturer has resurrected a very old idea. Its new ‘Concept Active’ turntable, which comes fitted with a Satisfy Kardan tonearm or Clearaudio’s own magnetic bearing tonearm (either of which can be fitted with one of Clearaudio’s own moving-magnet or moving-coil cartridges) has a built-in headphone amplifier so that the turntable and a pair of headphones are all you need in order to listen to your LPs. But if you’d prefer to listen through loudspeakers (instead or as well), Clearaudio has you covered here too, because it contains an RIAA stage and a preamplifier with its own volume control, so it can be connected directly to a power amplifier if required (though of course you can also connect it to any integrated amplifier).
‘ Essentially, this is Clearaudio’s all-in-one-system, ready to play,’ said Simon Zanin, of Kedcorp, which distributes Clearaudio in Australia. ‘ One immediate advantage—apart from the obvious—is that all critical parameters in the Concept Active, from cartridge tracking weight to antiskating force, are pre-adjusted in Clearaudio’s factory.’
The plinth of the Clearaudio Concept Active is made from a hightech synthetic outer layer that surrounds highly compressed wood at the core of which is a layer of natural medium-density wood-fibre. This can be surrounded by either aluminium or wood. The drive motor is a decoupled and resonance-damped d.c. type which drives a flat belt connected to an aluminium sub-platter. The synthetic main platter is 30mm thick and has a CNC precision-milled surface. The main bearing is a polished and tempered steel shaft that runs in a Tefloncoated sintered bronze bushing.
Pricing of the turntable varies according to the options you select. If you want an aluminium surround around the plinth, the Clearaudio Concept Active will retail at $3,695 with a moving-magnet cartridge and $4,395 with a moving-coil cartridge. With a wooden surround the prices are $4,595 (MM) and $5,295 (MC). You can also buy the same turntable without the integrated phono stage and headphone amplifier, in which case the aluminium surround version will retail for $2,595 (MM) and $3,395 (MC) and the wooden surround version for $2,295 (MM) and $4,095 (MC). [All prices are for models fitted with the Satisfy Kardan tonearm.]
For further information, please contact Kedcorp on (02) 9561 0799 or visit www.kedcorp.com.au