Authorized dealers for Clearaudio Master Innovation

In Living Stereo — in-store — New York City, New York, United States (website)
The Music Room — online and in-store — Erie, Colorado, United States (website)
3mA Audio — online and in-store — Houston, Texas, United States (website)
A/V Solutions — in-store — Pleasanton, California, United States (website)
Acoustic Sounds — online and in-store — Salina, Kansas, United States (website)
Acton Gate Audio — online and in-store — Cymru, United Kingdom (website)
AES — in-store — Mitte, Hessen, Germany (website)
Ahead Stereo — in-store — Los Angeles, California, United States (website)
Alpha High End — online and in-store — Brasschaat, Vlaams Gewest, Belgium (website)
Analogue Seduction — online and in-store — Whittlesey, England, United Kingdom (website)

and 181 more verified dealers

89%

Clearaudio Master Innovation

Name: Clearaudio Master Innovation
Brand: Clearaudio
SKU: turntables-innovation-master
Rating: 89 (13 reviews)

View at Clearaudio

33/45 RPM

78 RPM

Speed Control

High flywheel mass

The dynamically balanced platter consists of 70 millimeter resonance-damping plastic and a 15 millimeter thick sub-platter made of precision-turned stainless steel. Compared to the Innovation, the flywheel mass has almost doubled.

Precisely regulated drive

The patented Clearaudio magnetic bearing is supplemented by an additional flywheel. A high-torque DC motor with electronic speed control and Optical Speed Control (OSC) ensures consistently precise speed.

Low resonance construction

The magnetic decoupling of the drive reduces interference and supports the extraordinary smoothness of the drive. The Master Innovation offers space for up to three tonearms.

Owners of an Innovation turntable have the option to upgrade to Master Innovation level.

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Professional Reviews 89/100

Nicely Roasted

Sound Quality

92/100

Build Quality

84/100

Features Usability

83/100

Value for Money

85/100

The Master Innovation delivers microscopic resolution without sacrificing musical scale: HiFi News heard a spacious, airy and assured presentation, with forceful bass, quick drums and convincingly focused images. Its contactless magnetic drive and optical speed control support rock-steady pitch, making it a formidable foundation for a reference analogue system.

What Reviewers Are Saying

"It does seem that the special bearing and drive system give it a sound with exceptional detail retrieval, as well as a stable, neutral and open quality."

— HiFi News

"The goal is to attain pitch stability and thus sonic purity from the turntable."

— Dagogo

Pros

Highly resolving, spacious sound with powerful bass, quick drums and convincingly focused instrumental placement.

Optical speed control is engineered to maintain stable rotation despite stylus drag, preserving rhythmic momentum.

Contactless magnetic coupling between drive and main platters helps isolate motor effects from the stylus and record groove.

SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 92/100

HiFi News found a spacious, airy presentation with convincing drive and momentum, alongside powerful bass, quick drums, vivid vocals and exceptional detail retrieval. Its account also describes a stable, neutral and open character, with instruments placed convincingly in space; the available review evidence says less about the supplied arm's individual contribution.

Overall Sound

94/100

HiFi News praised the sound as spacious, airy and rhythmically purposeful, with a firm, impulsive bass performance. Using the Ortofon Cadenza Black, it heard tremendous detail, powerful bass-lines, quick drums and vocals with real presence and grit; classical instruments were firmly and believably placed.

Speed Stability

94/100

Dagogo reports that the optical speed-control system maintains stable speed regardless of stylus drag. HiFi News also heard proper musical drive and momentum, consistent with a presentation that keeps rhythmic flow intact.

Tonearm Performance

87/100

The Master Innovation is designed to accommodate up to three tonearms, offering unusual flexibility for a high-end system. The reviews do not directly assess bearing quality, adjustment range or tracking behavior of a particular arm.

Noise Isolation

90/100

Dagogo highlights the contactless relationship between the drive and main platters, intended to isolate motor effects from the stylus and record groove. It also notes that the optional Smart Power supply further isolates the sensitive speed-control system from mains noise and voltage fluctuations.

Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.

Build Quality

84/100

The specifications describe a 60kg, CNC-machined wood-and-aluminium chassis, a substantial dynamically balanced platter assembly, adjustable feet and ceramic magnetic bearing technology. The reviews offer little direct commentary on fit, finish, long-term durability or the execution of these parts in daily use.

Features Usability

83/100

Electronic optical speed control supports 33⅓, 45 and 78rpm playback, while the platform can carry as many as three tonearms. This is a specialist, configurable design rather than a plug-and-play record player, and the reviews provide little detail about setup simplicity or day-to-day operation.

Value for Money

85/100

At approximately $28,200-$37,500 before considering arm and system configuration, the Master Innovation competes in an uncompromising high-end segment. The reviews praise its performance and engineering but do not directly compare its asking price with competing decks or make a clear value judgment.

Reviews

Online Reviews & Mentions

Sound Fowndations introduces the Clearaudio Master Innovation turntable

Clearaudio Master Innovation turntable system Review

6/11/2020

Clearaudio Master Innovation (£14,500 (black, £15,400); Tonearm £3350; Stand £8000 (black, £8500))

12/22/2014

Editors’ Choice: Turntables $50,000 and Up

6/21/2022

Clearaudio Master Innovation turntable system $28,000 Review

6/30/2020

YouTube Reviews

Thumbnail of the video review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd1JYxBZS3s

AVshowreports

World's Greatest Audio Systems- Rockitman, Pass Labs, Wilson, TechDAS, UHA Phase 12

9/28/2015

Thumbnail of the video review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPW4luZ1kTQ

AVshowreports

VAC, Valve Amplification Company, Focal, Esoteric, HRS, Shunyata, Clearaudio, Ortofon, RMAF 2014

11/15/2014

Thumbnail of the video review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvOoSym0RSA

AVshowreports

Musical Surroundings, Clear Audio, Wilson Audio, Absolute Phono, Aesthetix

3/17/2014

Thumbnail of the video review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVpz_EuxnCc

AVshowreports

Focal Utopia, Pass Labs, Clearaudio, Quintessence Audio and more

3/24/2013

Thumbnail of the video review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXx6B7SGJ_o

AVshowreports

Kef Blade, Chord Electronics, Clearaudio CAS

8/22/2012

Thumbnail of the video review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXeL3C4X4SQ

AVshowreports

Musical Surroundings with Master Innovation, Clearaudio; Vandersteen; Aesthetics RMAF 2011

11/5/2011

Thumbnail of the video review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu34LGTAxvE

Analog Planet

CES 2017: Clearaudio's Impressive Turntable Line Up Explained

1/10/2017

Forum Mentions

No forum mentions found yet

Verified Dealers

Online Dealers

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Authorized dealers for Clearaudio Master Innovation

In Living Stereo — in-store — New York City, New York, United States (website)
The Music Room — online and in-store — Erie, Colorado, United States (website)
3mA Audio — online and in-store — Houston, Texas, United States (website)
A/V Solutions — in-store — Pleasanton, California, United States (website)
Acoustic Sounds — online and in-store — Salina, Kansas, United States (website)
Acton Gate Audio — online and in-store — Cymru, United Kingdom (website)
AES — in-store — Mitte, Hessen, Germany (website)
Ahead Stereo — in-store — Los Angeles, California, United States (website)
Alpha High End — online and in-store — Brasschaat, Vlaams Gewest, Belgium (website)
Analogue Seduction — online and in-store — Whittlesey, England, United Kingdom (website)

and 181 more verified dealers

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