Avid Hifi Acutus Classic + Power Supply Turntable

ACUTUS CLASSIC - BUNDLES They said perfection was impossible, strive for excellence and settle for a job well done. Acutus was born from twenty years of chasing perfection and remains almost unchanged today after a quarter century in production. Launching not only the company, but an ethos to strive for perfection in everything we do, today it is the Acutus Classic. "it's the most incredible turntable you've ever heard" - Jimmy Hughes       Key Features Layer Damped Platter Unique Sapphire Bearing Dual Stage Clamping System Vibration Tuned Subchassis Frequency Adjustable Suspension Clean Slate Wiping away convention, the Acutus removes layers of distortion that haze the sound, so you hear only what is captured within your records. Vinyl sceptics turn into fans, marvelling at the superlative bass grip the Acutus displays and its vast widescreen projection of the soundstage, thunderous dynamics and crescendos always drawing a smile. "AVID is one dramatic-looking turntable" - Michael Fremer   Classic Power The advantage of direct-drive turntables is their motor torque; by comparison, to minimize motor vibration on the platter, belt-drive turntables normally use low power motors coupled to a tiny belt. Flying in the face of convention, AVID utilizes a powerful synchronous motor and twin drive belts, with dominating control over the heavy platter and the results are truly breath-taking, with deep dynamic bass and stunning rhythmic timing. "I think this is one of the great turntables in the world" - David Price WHAT'S INSIDE Clamp Our unique dual operation clamp is a critical element to the ultimate sonic performance you hear. First operation grounds the record to the main bearing, allowing vibration caused by the stylus to pass into the subchassis. This reduces the noise floor of the record and vastly improves the sound you hear. Second operation reflex clamps the vinyl flat to the platter surface, eliminating warps and air pockets underneath. The platter mat itself is a unique resin that reflects most vibration, keeping it in the record so it passes more quickly through the bearing into the subchassis.   Platter The 10Kg Chrome plated aluminium platter is the focal point of the Acutus. Secured with eight fixings, the 10mm aluminium disc which has had the resin mat cast and machined offers the perfect record interface. The mat reflects the most vibration except for very high frequencies, which after entering the platter body are rapidly constrained damped by the nickel and chrome layers.   Bearing The Acutus turntable features the lengthiest bearing spindle within our entire range. This spindle is meticulously press-fitted into the subchassis, securing it firmly in place. The innovative inverted design situates the contact point at the pinnacle so the bearing naturally has a low center of gravity. At the upper end of the precisely ground and tapered spindle, a tungsten carbide ball comes into contact with a specially designed sapphire jewel. This ingenious pairing establishes a fixed bearing point, completely devoid of any lateral movement. As a result, the typical rumble noise often encountered in other turntables is virtually eliminated. Furthermore, the self-lubricating sleeve employed in this design ensures that there's no direct metal-to-metal interaction during operation. This distinctive feature renders our bearing exceptionally silent and also grants it a maintenance-free quality for its entire lifespan.   Chassis It is critical for sound quality that the tonearm and bearing are rigidly coupled, any relative movement between them and information is lost forever. Our unique one-piece multi-fold aluminium casting provides maximum strength where required but allows for movement in non-critical areas, accepting the fact that nothing is totally rigid. To eliminate the vibration from the record passed through the bearing, the casting is coated with a damping media of specific thickness so that both high and low frequencies dissipate with linearity and time frame, giving a neutral sound.   Suspension Our adjustable suspension system allows each supporting spring to be tuned to the same frequency regardless of the load. This means that either a single or twin tonearm weight of up to 3Kg can be accommodated and the suspension perfectly balanced. With an isolation frequency of 2.5Hz the pickup cartridge will not skip, locked into position with all external vibration eliminated.   Motor Our hand assembled high torque AC synchronous motor spins the platter up to speed within seconds. Ten times more powerful than conventional turntable motors, this provides the ultimate control and stability. With twin round section drive belts the suspension is free to move without inducing speed variations common with flat belt designs.   Power Supply The Classic electronic power supply generates its own frequency using DSP technology, allowing the final speed to be accurately fine-tuned. With a large 80VA mains transformer, our power supply is actually a fully integrated amplifier providing a fixed output for the twin coils of the high torque motor.       REVIEW & AWARDS Avid Acutus Dark Iron Turntable Review - Read More "Avid's new Acutus Dark Iron is an outstanding turntable, then. It brings music to life with vibrant levels of detail and clarity, plus taut, tuneful bass and a fine sense of rhythm. It's all delivered with assured poise, fluidity and stability against super-quiet backgrounds. But it's not all drama and dynamics, it does subtlety too. Yes, it is expensive, but the quality can be seen and heard. As such, it's well worth an audition if you're fortunate enough to be looking for a no-compromise high-end vinyl spinner." -Dave Berriman    Acutus SP From AVID: The Source Of Sources - Read More "The AVID Acutus SP is a thoughtful, innovative and incisive design. Just roam your eyes over the chassis and you’ll only find features here aimed at enhancing sound quality. There’s no faff, no filigree and no wastage. You can see where you’ve spent your money and, more importantly, you can hear it too. I’ve rarely experienced a turntable that flows so well in design and sound terms. as such, it thoroughly deserves a maximum, Golden Groovy award.."     AVID Acutus Reference SP – UPDATE - Read More "Everyone has a personal preference when it comes to sound, so it’s tough to call something “the best.” However if you want a table that has a big, weighty, dynamic, yet open sound, the AVID Acutus Reference SP might be the best turntable to suit your needs. It remains mine. I highly suggest you audition one at your earliest convenience." - Jeff Dorgay   Avid Acutus Reference Sp Turntable (£12,000) - Read More "With its fabulous detail retrieval and focused sound, the Acutus Reference SP delivers a captivating performance. Moreover its elaborate suspension makes it immune to the vagaries of positioning – not something that can be said about most turntables. Beautifully made, compact, easy to set up and maintain, the only reason not to want it is the high-end cost. Aaah… the price of luxury." - John Bamford & Paul Miller   Avid Acutus SP - Read More "The Acutus SP offers all the top features that make an Avid: the extraordinary sub-chassis construction with a special suspension system including stabilization against lateral vibrations, the extraordinary and complex inverse bearing, which has the smallest contact surfaces and therefore the lowest friction, the double belt drive for more dynamics - and last but not least the powerful, oversized, synchronization-optimized motor and the external power supply, which ensures high-purity voltage and, thanks to electronic control, guarantees an extremely constant speed. In total, these features result in an audiophile reference drive that is characterized by extremely smooth running and, with the right choice of tonearm and scanner, enables excellent record playback. In our test, the SME IV and the Goldring Ethos were used - and with this complete package, the Acutus offers a naturally relaxed sound with breathtaking plasticity, excellent dynamics, wonderful transparency, wonderful detail and great spatiality. In the test, we experienced magical music enjoyment with this record player - and this listening pleasure also reconciles with the price, because with the Avid Acutus SP you have a drive for life." - Volker Frech & Philipp Thielen   Von oben herab... - Read More "The thing is very simple: The Avid Acutus SP is the best turntable I have ever had in my system. It is a reference that I would not like to be without in the future and that is why I am very, very reluctant to let it go. But how As the saying goes: you always see each other twice in your life."    Analog Corner #94 - Read More "I wrote about the Boltz LP shelves in the January 2001 "Analog Corner" (www.boltz.com). Recently I found out about optional casters, which would make my life much easier—sometimes I have to move the free-standing rack, which requires me to first remove all the records. Unfortunately, the casters don't fit my original rack—Boltz has taken my and others' suggestion to greatly improve the design by extending the shelves' depth to 12", so you can fill the entire rack instead of having to leave spaces for the uprights. I wanted a shelf with casters right away (three shelves, base, and casters, $699), but Boltz couldn't comply: their LP shelves are back-ordered because they can't make them fast enough. The analog revival grows." - Michael Fremer   Analog heavyweight - Read More "serious and purposeful design; excellent reproduction even with a cheap portable; the record player deserves a top MC portable" - Miroslav Láb   HART WIE MAR- MELADE - Read More "The Acutus SP has astonishing purity in its tone, it doesn't delay any entries or tremble, even though it is so fragile statically. Rhythm and timing are without compromise on par with the best sub-chassis drives, but it also offers a stupendous foundation with the finest colors Gradations that are only possible in analogue form and are usually the domain of mass drives. In this regard, you shouldn't be blinded by supposed reticence: Even if mass turners in this price range present themselves with more thunderous reverb, the Acutus shows excellent fine and gross dynamics. act what it is - without any reverberation. With uncompromising intransigence, it presents itself from its soft and flowing side. A fantastic record player.."    VAID AV ENTUSIASTER - FOR ENTUSIASTER - Read More "You have to be well above average vinyl enthusiast to lay down NOK 120,000 on the table for a record player, but if you've already been bitten by the bug, have a large record collection, or are planning to get one, then an Avid Acutus SP doesn't have to be anyone stupid investment. What you get back is at least an excellent player with ditto sound. I've actually started to like the design too..."    Avid Acutus Reference SP (£12,000) - Read More "With its fabulous detail retrieval and focused sound, the Acutus Reference SP delivers a captivating performance.Its elaborate suspension system makes it immune to the vagaries of positioning.Beautifully made, compact, easy to set up and maintain... the only reason not to want it is the cost." \   Philosophy NOW - Read More "It's hard to review a turntable such as this, which is so clearly brilliant in so many areas. Instead, the debate becomes not about its relative merits but whether its particular nature suits you, sir! I'd venture to suggest that if you've got £7,300 to spend on this slice of audio esoterica, then you should take a few days off work (if indeed you're not already 'post- economic' as they used to say in the days of the dot-com boom) and listen to it, and its rivals from Linn, Thorens, Roksan, SME et al., to see which sound you prefer. As for me personally, I think this about as close to the sound I am looking for. " - David Price       SPECIFICATIONS DRIVE TWIN BELT DRIVE SPEEDS 33.3 & 45.0 RPM (ADJUSTABLE) PLATTER MASS ALUMINIUM 10KG BEARING INVERTED STAINLESS STEEL THRUST POINT TUNGSTEN CARBIDE/SAPPHIRE SUSPENSION 3 POINT SPRING Vertical 2.5Hz,  Lateral 4.5Hz TONEARM FITTING SME TEMPLATE ADAPTERS AVAILABLE YES: SINGLE OR TWIN TONEARMS MOTOR HAND BUILT 24V 140mNm AC Synchronous POWER SUPPLY DSP VARI-SPEED CONTROL UNIT VOLTAGE INPUT 100-240VAC 50/60HZ 20 WATTS MAX.  DIMENSIONS Turntable (overall) 460 x 400 x 210mm (WxDxH) Turntable (footprint) 410 x 360mm (WxD) P.S.U. 250 x 215 x 95mm (WxDxH) NET WEIGHT 19.0Kg (42lb) turntable only 3.5Kg (8lb) psu only