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Clearaudio concept

Name: Clearaudio concept
Brand: Clearaudio
SKU: turntables-concept
Rating: 4.4 (30 reviews)

View at Clearaudio

The best concept

clearaudio’s vision for the concept: Design an elegantly styled turntable package featuring a level of ground-breaking technology usually only found in high-end turntables, combining plug-and-play simplicity with outstanding sound quality and affordability.

The concept achieves these highest of requirements, realising the Clearaudio vision.

Beneath the sleek, contemporary exterior is a level of technical sophistication unique to Clearaudio.

The concept‘s body is carefully crafted from medium-density wood fibre (or, optionally, pressure-formed solid wood) with a selection of smart made-to-match surface finishes. The body’s upper layer incorporates a special high-tech satined plastic compound designed to minimise unwanted resonance.

The DC motor is fed by an external voltage-stabilised power supply and is completely decoupled from the chassis, isolating the record from any mechanical interference.

The concept tonearm features a magnetic bearing that is friction-free for extremely low distortion and superb performance. The package is completed with the high-quality Clearaudio concept MM or Clearaudio concept MC cartridge (toneam and/or cartridge upgrade possible).

With the concept turntable package, Clearaudio offers you an extremely innovative design that is very affordable.

concept edition

Concept edition series, is a limited edition of 250 units. It is combining special colors and improved material features.

In this edition the chassis top insert plate is made out of artificial stone with a special coating. Thus is improving the overall rigidity and giving some extra weight. The chassis is lacquered with a special white, giving the extra modern look. An eye and ear catcher, made to last forever!

Color variants:
silver with white chassis
gold with white chassis

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Overall Score 88/100

Nicely Roasted

Built for effortless, musical vinyl listening, the Concept delivers striking instrument separation and a lively, immediate midrange that places performers convincingly in space. Reviewers including Chris Heinonen and Neil Gader praise its speed stability and nearly plug-and-play setup, making it a compact, finely engineered option for serious analog fans.

HomeTheaterHifi

"Once you’ve gone to a quality vinyl setup, you might never go back to digital again."

The Absolute Sound

"the Concept Active turned out to be a helluva lot of fun."

Audiophilepure

"It tracked so cleanly that audible mistracking was rendered essentially theoretical."

HiFi Choice

"It takes a time signature and delivers it with an assurance that means you simply dial into the music."

What Hi-Fi

"The Concept Active MM wastes no time demonstrating its sonic elegance and sophisticated manner."

The Audio Beatnik

"From first listen, I was impressed by the sense of presence and immediacy in this vinyl playback system."

Dagogo

"The Clearaudio Concept turntable is one of a very few below $2,000 offering just these things."

Audiophilia

"Out of the box, the Concept comes out kicking and screaming, ready to rock and roll."

Audiophilepure

"And don’t be misled by Concept Active’s compact visage."

SoundStage Solo

"yes, it is rather odd stating the words “volume control” in the context of a turntable…"

Audiophilepure

"For the benefit of symmetry, though, we wish the small roller volume wheel on the plinth’s front right-hand side matched the larger rotary speed dial on the opposite side."

Pros

Exceptional instrument definition and staging that creates convincing depth and separation.
Very accurate and stable platter speeds (measured ~±0.05%) with audible pitch steadiness in listening tests.
User-friendly, nearly out-of-box setup with factory-set arm/cartridge options and useful onboard features (MM/MC phono, headphone amp, variable outputs).

Cons

Headphone output can sound less refined and a bit muddy compared with the RCA outputs.
Some reviewers note a slightly warmer/softer character and occasional bluntness in the lowest bass versus higher-end references.

Sound Quality

88/100

Weighted average of sub-criteria below.

Overall Sound

91/100

Reviewers consistently praise the Concept's musicality, natural midrange and dynamic conviction: words like 'musical', 'natural', 'engaging' and 'very dynamic' recur (HomeTheaterHifi, The Absolute Sound, Audiophilia). Multiple reviewers note strong staging, instrument definition and a convincing 'live' quality (Chris Heinonen, Anthony Kershaw, The Audio Beatnik). Minor coloration is mentioned (a slightly warmer/softer skew in some Active-config reviews), but consensus is clearly very positive.

Speed Stability

88/100

Measured speed accuracy (±0.05%) and reviewer measurements and listening impressions describe very close-to-rated speeds and 'rock-solid' stability (SoundStage, HomeTheaterHifi, Audiophilepure). A few reviews note the need for a trim adjustment on one sample or that heavy brush pressure can slow the platter slightly, but overall pitch/pitch stability is excellent.

Tonearm Performance

87/100

Included magnetic-bearing arms (Concept tonearm or Satisfy Kardan) and factory pre-setting of tracking/anti-skate produce reliable setup and confident groove tracking in multiple reports (SoundStage, The Absolute Sound, Dagogo). Reviewers cite very low mistracking and stable image placement; some note the fixed minimalist headshell limits swap convenience compared with fully modular high-end arms.

Noise Isolation

86/100

Decoupled, resonance-damped DC motor and belt-drive give a low noise floor and quiet operation per reviewers and measurements (SoundStage, HiFi Choice, HomeTheaterHifi). A few authors report a small 60Hz spike on a graph or modest mechanical feedback when deliberately tapping the plinth, and one reviewer called the headphone output a bit muddy versus RCA, so isolation is very good but not absolutely flawless.

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Build Quality

89/100

Construction receives repeated praise: 30mm CNC-machined POM/Delrin platter, polished/tempered spindle in sintered-bronze housing running on a Teflon thrust pad, and well-damped, resonance-optimised plinth options (SoundStage, Dagogo, HomeTheaterHifi). Fit-and-finish, selectable wood/metal trims and tidy engineering (including an external Smart Power PSU option) are noted as strong points; reviewers describe the assembly and engineering as 'exacting' and 'well executed.'

Features Usability

87/100

The Concept Active bundles valuable conveniences: built-in MM/MC phono stage (with gain and subsonic switches), headphone amp, pre-mounted cartridge options, factory-set tracking, easy three-speed switching (33/45/78) and optional Smart Power supply to reduce mains noise (SoundStage, What Hi-Fi?, HiFi Choice). Minor ergonomic quibbles appear (no dustcover standard on Active, placement of headphone jack, headphone output a bit muddied), but overall setup and day-to-day use are very user-friendly.

Value for Money

89/100

Across regions and variants reviewers repeatedly call the Concept a strong performer for its price: 'highly recommended', 'mighty fine', 'rare in the high-end', and 'one of a few below $2,000' sentiments appear depending on configuration (The Absolute Sound, HiFi Choice, The Audio Beatnik). Even against pricier references it gives up relatively little, and reviewers emphasize the package's combination of performance, convenience and finish as a justified or competitively priced offering.