CLEARAUDIO
nad masters
sttaatement oftheartPOWER PRE COMBO UNDER $20,
NAD M12 PRE-AMP & M22 STEREO POWER AMPCLEARAUDIO
STATEMENT V
TURNTABLE
German company Clearaudio has improved its range-topping Statement
turntable... a turntable most hi-fi reviewers said was the best in the
world when it was launched in 2006. The new Version 2 has a piano-
black lacquer fi nish and matching black turntable platter. Its massive
integrated stand, which comprises four stainless steel legs separated
and supported by eight curved supports, is completely damped against
resonance. The supports feature a sandwich construction of aluminium
plates fi lled with Panzerholz, a high-density bullet-proof manufactured
wood renowned for its acoustic damping properties. The top layers
of the stand now incorporate thousands of tiny metal ball bearings
embedded within the aluminium and Panzerholz sandwich. As with the
original Statement, the new V2 uses magnetic bearing technology, in
which the platter is magnetically suspended so that there is no mechani-
cal connection between platter and drive motor. Essentially, the platter
fl oats on a cushion of air. A motor drives the lower of two sub-platters,
which contains a series of strong magnets. Floating above it is an upper
sub-platter containing an opposing set of magnets. The two platters are
held at a precise distance from each other by the resulting magnetic
fi eld. Attached to the upper sub-platter is a bearing spindle, which is
in turn connected to the main platter. In the Statement v2, the bear-
ing spindle is replaced with an enhanced design manufactured from
Wolfram carbide, to which a nano nitrate coating is applied by laser—a
process that Robert Suchy, of Clearaudio, says provides vastly superior
strength and stability. ‘The spindle’s design also now features a two-piece
construction in which the two parts are joined by a special high-technology
adhesive, resulting in improved energy transfer and resonance control,’ he
said. ‘We’ve also replaced the previously acrylic main platter with one that has
higher density and superior damping properties.’ The Statement can accom-
modate up to four tonearms. Clearaudio recommends your primary arm
should be its own TT1 tangential tonearm, because it was designed and
built specifi cally for the Statement. This arm is now also in its second
iteration, having been upgraded for the Statement V2. Whereas the
tonearm carriage was originally above the glass rail, the carriage in the
new TT1 v2 now hangs below the
glass rail and the carbon-fi bre arm
tube now has improved internal
damping and carries a black ano-
dised aluminium headshell. Such
is the complexity of the initial
set-up of the Statement v2 that
no matter where in the world you
happen to live, a senior member
of Clearaudio’s team will travel
to your home to perform a full,
expert set-up. ‘Happily, subsequent
operation of the Statement is surpris-
ingly simple,’ reassured Suchy.
‘And, as you might expect from such
a masterpiece of audio engineering,
the sound quality will stop you in
your tracks.’ Available now, the
Clearaudio Statement V2 retails
for $189,395 and the TT1 tangen-
tial tonearm for $44,695.
For further information,
please contact Kedcorp on
(02) 9561 0799 or visit the
website http://www.kedcorp.com.au