Clearaudio has announced its most affordable turntable yet, the Clearaudio Compass.
It has a tonearm based on the acclaimed Satisfy version, and a newly developed moving magnet cartridge.
German Hi-Fi firm Clearaudio is famous for its exquisitely engineered and generally pricey luxury turntables, some of which come with five-figure price tags. However, the Clearaudio Compass is much more affordable than its eye-catching flagships.
It effectively makes Clearaudio products available to a wider range of customers, with a price point of €1,290. That's about £1,087 / $1,473 / AU$2,272.
The company's CEO, Robert Suchy, says that it's a "ready-to-play turntable" and boasts that it delivers a "vinyl-listening experience that far exceeds expectations in this price range".
It's just gone into production for a September launch.
Clearaudio Compass: high quality for a lower price
While some of Clearaudio's more expensive turntables have very unusual and striking designs, the Compass sticks to a form factor you'll often see on the best record players from rivals. It resembles the firm's Concept and Performance models.
The Compass comes with the new Clearaudio T1 tonearm, which is a smaller version of the firm's acclaimed Satisfy – that's a tonearm that usually costs more than the entire Compass package. It also comes with another new component, the N1 moving magnet cartridge.
The belt-driven deck has a precision bearing, plus a specially manufactured platter and sub-platter that Clearaudio claims delivers excellent stability and reduced noise and vibration. The chassis is medium density wood fibre, and there's a steel plate on the bottom to add weight.
We haven't had the chance to hear this turntable just yet, but the next model up, the £2K Clearaudio Concept, has been widely praised for its sound quality,
Clearaudio is also highly regarded for its expertise in audiophile products, so there's a lot expected from the Compass – especially at its reasonable price ticket.
You can find out for yourself when it launches in September.
