Turntables, Arms & Cartridges

Winter Warmer
On the other hand, the larger-scale action of ‘Winter’ from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, by the Virtuosi of England conducted by Arthur Davison [EMI CFP 40016], was a soaring delight. When everything broke into a crescendo, the Concept Signature rose to the challenge, conveying the sense of the orchestra in full flow.

The Concept V2 MM pick-up errs towards a slightly warmer balance, meaning that the crashing cymbals of this piece didn’t have that last ounce of jump-from-your seat impact. A counter to this is that the vigorous playing of the string section never strayed into bright or brittle territory. Ultimately, then, the top end appeared well balanced, with the Concept V2 MM’s solid tracking never missing a thing.

I was also taken by the way the Concept Signature could deliver instrumentation with a heightened sense of realism. Antonio Forcione’s guitar strings on ‘La Pasionara’, from his Heartplay LP [Naim Records LP101], sounded almost alarmingly vivid while Charlie Haden’s backing double bass was simultaneously warm, woody and atmospheric.

This package’s £3000+ price tag doesn’t make it a budget item, but the deck remains Clearaudio’s entry-level design so there’s always a risk that one might have to excuse a foible or two in order to justify the company’s more exotic models. In practice its performance is in the top drawer at this price, boasting impressive insight and poise, even if the likes of the Reference Jubilee reach another level. Lively basslines don’t trip it up either, as evidenced by the fulsome sounds of Mark Ronson’s ‘Somebody To Love Me’ [Record Collection RCA 88697736331], where the rhythm section sounded punchy and precise.

Untapped Potential
I couldn’t resist swapping the Concept V2 MM pick-up for my regular Clearaudio MC Essence and was surprised by the uplift in performance. The Concept V2 MM is no slouch, despite being a ‘budget’ pick-up, but the MC Essence opened the door to a wider soundstage and a generally punchier sound, all the while illustrating what the Concept Signature turntable and Profiler arm have lurking in the tank.

It also added a welcome crispness to the high treble that is otherwise slightly muted by the softer balance of the Concept V2 MM. The good news, clearly, is that while the package reviewed here makes for a potent combination, there’s still untapped potential to be realised.

Hi-Fi News Verdict
Clearaudio has played a blinder with its new Concept Signature range of turntable packages. The mix and match options are plentiful, allowing you to tailor a purchase to your budget and sonic preferences. Picking the Profiler arm and Concept V2 MM cartridge will give you a hugely enjoyable turntable set-up, while any future upgrades can be confidently picked from the Clearaudio catalogue.

Sound Quality: 86%