The Clearaudio Ovation is a flagship-class turntable from Clearaudio of Erlangen, Germany. It brings technology from the company's statement-level designs into a refined, beautifully built deck. Named Turntable of the Year by The Absolute Sound in 2011, and winner of a Red Dot design award and stereoplay's Goldenes Ohr, the Ovation offers precision engineering, stunning looks and a sound of exceptional stability, detail and quiet.
Design & Engineering
At the heart of the Ovation is Clearaudio's patented ceramic magnetic bearing (CMB). Magnetic repulsion supports the platter's weight, so it effectively floats, with a polished ceramic shaft in a sintered bronze bushing. That dramatically reduces friction, noise and rumble. A high-torque 24V DC motor, made exclusively for Clearaudio, drives the platter via a flat belt. Its speed is monitored in real time by Clearaudio's Optical Speed Control (OSC), an infrared sensor system accurate to ±0.03%, across 33⅓, 45 and 78rpm. The 40mm-thick POM platter sits on an aluminium sub-platter. The chassis is a resonance-optimised sandwich of bulletproof wood between two aluminium plates, filled with around 100,000 tiny metal balls that absorb unwanted vibration. The result is a deck of remarkable stability and silence, with deep, controlled bass, pinpoint imaging and wonderfully natural timing.
Technical Specifications
The Clearaudio Ovation is a belt-drive turntable with a 24V DC motor and Optical Speed Control (±0.03%) at 33⅓, 45 and 78rpm. It has a 40mm POM platter on an aluminium sub-platter and a Clearaudio ceramic magnetic bearing (CMB). The chassis is bulletproof wood sandwiched between aluminium plates. It measures 420 x 135 x 350mm (W x H x D, without tonearm) and weighs approximately 13.5kg.