Clearaudio Innovation Wood vs. TW Acoustic

A good friend has Inovation Wood and I have TW Raven AC.
Both are really good but very different sounding turntable so personal preference and the rest of your system will be very important. If you want a turntable that is a bit more lively, clean, clear, detail, fast, Clearaudio would way the way to go. TW will be more relax, richer sounding, more quiet background. This is for Raven AC-1 (the one motor version). To compete with Clearaudio in the bass area, you will definitely needs the new 3 motors pod (I have not heard the standard Raven AC-3 though so I am not sure of the sonic quality of 3 separate motors units)/
However, some of the sonic quality can also be improved or change depending on your choice of tonearm and cartridge as well though.

I've never heard the TW but owned the Innovation Wood for a couple of years, so I can comment on it. I found it fast and lively with deep, solid bass and pretty good tonal balance that was biased toward leanness. I used a Phantom II and a Clearaudio Universal arm, much preferring the Graham. The Universal is fast and lively, itself, resulting in too much of that character for my taste. The combination was exciting but could sound hard and glassy on some LPs.

Speed stability is good, although the molded rubber belt has a lumpy joint that causes an inconsistency when passing along the motor pulley. Inaudible, perhaps, but visible when watching the belt or monitoring speed with a KAB strobe. The supplied spare belt had this issue, too.

My DC motor was a little noisy and grew noisier with age, which may be characteristic of the breed. Because it is integral to the plinth and tripod support-structure, the motor transmits some noise to the armboards, readily audible through a stethoscope. I don't think it's a big deal but it adds to the noise floor.

I found this table to benefit hugely from the use of a Minus-K vibration platform. Everything improved, especially suppleness, depth, clarity, and tonal richness. After a few months, I removed the platform as an experiment, placing the IW directly on my Adona shelf and rack. The leanness that was merely a tendency when on the Minus-K became the deck's dominant characteristic, although it hadn't been so noticeable before I added the platform.

All this might sound like I'm bashing the Innovation Wood but I don't mean to be. It's a very good TT with a lot of solid and innovative engineering behind it, like its ceramic/magnetic bearing and optical speed control. The selection of tonearm and vibration control can really raise its game, as is the case with any 'table. And the accessory Statement Clamp and Outer Ring, while pricey, help to bring its focus and musicality to a higher level. The combination looks pretty cool, too, like an extra-terrestrial wedding cake, one friend said.

Hello Suteetat,

Thank you for your reply and sharing your experiences between the two tables in question.

Out of curiosity, could you share what type of equipment your friend is using with his Innovation Wood, or whether it was tube based or solid state? Your system, by the way, looks very impressive!

How does the speed stability seem to be with the TW?

Thank you again for taking the time to respond to my thread!

Hello Wrm57,

Thank you for taking the time to give me such an in-depth and honest review of the Innovation Wood. I appreciate the helpful tips in regards to tone arms, platform support, clamp and ring.

Do you still have the Innovation Wood or have you moved on to another table?

Another table I am considering is the Spiral Groove….have you had any experience with this and how do you feel it would compare to the Clearaudio?

Thanks again for sharing your experiences with me!