Clearaudio Master Innovation Assembly pics


The Master is in the house. The sound is glorious. Saving you all the superlatives...in short the table is very dynamic, noticeable at lower playing volumes especially when compared to my innovation compact. Bass is tight, extended and articulate. It really seems like a well balanced table throughout the frequency range. Huge sound stage depth and precise imaging with lots of air around the instruments, vocals. The drive...aka PRAT is there. I think I should be satisfied for a long time to come. I'm using a Graham Phantom Supreme 10" (Mint LP setup), A90 and XP-25 phono stage.

Here is a link to my photo's of the assembly process.

http://gallery.rennlist.com/gallery/album850
128x128rockitman

Showing 3 responses by lewm

Dear Rockitman,
So as far as I can determine, that lower platter, which appears to be made of acrylic, has magnets imbedded in it. It is driven by the belt. The upper platter assembly is driven by the magnetic attraction between its base and the magnets in the lower driver platter, i.e., magnetic coupling. Is that correct? As a consequence, a magnetic force pulls the lower platter up toward the upper one and also pulls the upper platter downward, reciprocally. Is that the case?
Whilst making your decision to purchase, did you also consider the EAR turntable that apparently works by a similar principle?
Or the Verdier?
it's a beautiful piece of workmanship. Use it in good health.
I am still trying to understand the drive system. You wrote, "The upper acrylic magentic platter is attached via a shaft to the record platter up top and they both ride (Float) on one ceramic magnetic bearing. The magnetic bearing levitates both the record platter and the upper acrylic magnetic drive platter so the magnets between both magnetic drive platters never touch....the magnetic force is not that strong between the two."
I don't quite get what is levitated and what is driving what (because in the photos I don't see any open space between the stainless steel part of the lower platter and the white acrylic part and similarly for the two parts of the upper platter), but I will take a look at the Clearaudio website. The idea I get from what you wrote above is that BOTH platters are magnetically levitated in the vertical direction and that the lower platter drives the upper platter via magnetic interaction in the horizontal plane, but in the vertical plane the space between the two composite platters is effected by mechanical means (a shaft). Thus the upper composite platter (ss and black acrylic) is constrained mechanically from moving out of line with the lower one (by the shaft), but is rotated magnetically. Anyway, it is obviously ingenious.