Hi-Fi: Clearaudio Solution AMG Wood Turntable – Review

Audio products of German origin have a reputation for excellence in both design and construction. Certainly, the Clearaudio Solution AMG Wood turntable did absolutely nothing to disprove this cliché.

Clearaudio rests near the summit of Everest among the makers of turntables and analogue replay electronics and accessories. Luckily for me I drew the short straw when it came to the listening test.

What I encountered upon unboxing the Solution was a statement of design and peerless construction. The plinth comprises 72 layers of a highly compressed wood known as panzerholz, which is in turn sandwiched between top and bottom alloy plates. The plinth rests on three solid steel cones, and three tone arms can be accommodated – one on each of the Solution AMG Wood’s three legs.

Once located on the motor shaft the heavy acrylic platter practically ‘floats’ on Clearaudio’s ceramic magnetic bearing for almost frictionless and decoupled rotation.

The tone arm on the review sample was the Unify Unipivot with a carbon fibre arm tube, it was also a work of art and the build quality flawless. Rounding off the turntable was the Concerto MC cartridge, a low-output moving coil device that sits about mid-table in Clearaudio’s extensive MC cartridge range. The outboard motor assembly is enclosed in a billet of solid stainless steel; further decoupling is provided by a separate motor base, which rests on a number of vibration-resistant soft synthetic ‘blobs’ (that’s the technical term).

Accompanying the Solution was Clearaudio’s Symphony phono stage ($3100) and the Accu+ battery psu ($1550), elevating an already special vinyl rig into another league.

As fabulous as this turntable system is, by the lofty standards of Clearaudio it is virtually entry-level – the flagship Statement sells in the US for around NZ$200,000 without a tone arm or cartridge, and would make a fine centrepiece for your Bel Air mansion. However, the modular design of the Solution means there is an upgrade path with dual plinths, thicker platters and better motors as your own budget allows.

A variety of equipment was used for listening including my Korsun/Wharfedale Opus 1/Voigt system, while additional equipment in the shape of the Radiance R200i from Perreaux and a pair of fine Castle Howard S3s provided back up.

I began my listening session with an East German pressing of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. The Solution AMG delved deep into the recording with an insightful and detailed presentation, and the sensuous descending violin motif that recurs throughout was beautifully rendered. Moving right along, Marvin Gaye took residence on the platter and soon What’s Going On rang out through the house. This was terrific, Gaye’s plaintive voice taking centre stage among the instruments surrounding him.

I decided to test the Solution’s rock credentials by replacing Marvin with U2′s Achtung Baby, and although the turntable put on a generally excellent showing, the Solution just missed the last degree of clout and dynamics on the Lanois/Eno-produced classic.

There is no doubt the Clearaudio is a fine plattenspieler indeed. Perhaps it isn’t suited to grungy rock or really heavy metal, but play anything else and the Solution Wood AMG will delight.
And let’s not forget the stunning looks and outrageous build quality.

GARY PEARCE

Clearaudio Solution AMG Wood Turntable – Specifications

Drive: Belt
Speeds: 33 1/3 and 45RPM
Platter: 2.5kg 30mm GS-PMMA acrylic
Tone Arm: Unify 9-inch Unipivot
Main Bearing: Polished and hardened steel, polished bearing housing, sintered bronze, inverted
Motor: Separate heavy motor housing
Dimensions: 500 x 400 x 140mm (W/D/H)
Weight: 14kg

CONTACT

www.audioreference.co.nz

This article is from Tone issue 80. Click here to check it out.