As I have said many times, many, many times (best Round The Horne voice) , Clearaudio don’t get the recognition they deserve on this forum.
Not perhaps their fault , but there is a strong brand loyalty to Rega in particular
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You said it, @Ian2001. This is simply a great deck! The polished sapphire bearings in the Satisfy really makes it a joy to use.
I’ve admittedly never owned a Rega TT, but could see myself someday giving it a whirl. For some reason, the LP12 is about as British as I’ve gotten in 'tables. I already own British speakers, Integrated, streamer, DAC/CD player and phono preamp. 
Perhaps the reason is Micheal Fremer. He never reviews turntables with acrylic platters. He doesn’t like acrylic.
Shows Mikey doesn’t know everything. 
I’d think POM or Delrin or whatever one wishes to call it would be relatively ideal (as it ‘mimics’ vinyl surface-wise). My Well-Tempered uses a similar platter and I’ve yet to see a bad review of it.
Yes, I agree. Maybe if he listens one day to the Clearaudio Statement, he could change his mind.
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As a fanboy, I’m jumping in with a link to an old but very favourable (and kinda funny) Stereophile review of the (early generation) ClearAudio Ovation by said Michael F:
To @frenchrooster’s point, MF notes the improvement from moving to the Delrin/POM platter.
Bottom line on this, and almost all other reviews I slavishly read and watched before returning home to unbox my own new toy, is that it’s a strong performer, trivially simple to get going, and especially a very high level performer at the price point. I, naturally, agree! I am not sure that I didn’t benefit also from intro pricing on the Active of factory-preset packages here in Canada… further sweetening the deal.
Regards alan
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I forgot that review indeed. He gives apparently a positive review to it.
However I don’t see a lot of clearaudio reviews by him and he responded me one day by mail that he doesn’t like, in general, acrylic platters.
Very good to see that some Clearaudio fans are here as well. Thank you!
I am considering a Concept Wood at the moment due to lots of amazing experiences of a good friend who has a Concept in his system (partnered with Linn there).
At the moment the Concept MC cartridge and the Satisfy tonearm are on my list. I always wondered why Clearaudio is not more mentioned here. I am little worried that the reason is general missing synergy between naim and Clearaudio products. I hope that this is not the case.
Seeking for a nice phono stage is the next step of my project …
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@alan33, you are dead-on about how simple it is to get up-and-going. It would’ve been simpler if I wasn’t using an ART9 MC, which is typically overcomplicated to get right due to the way you have to affix the screws into any tonearm, but they’ve since rectified that with the new versions, I believe. Otherwise, it would’ve taken ten minutes, tops. Clearaudio’s package options are also a boon for those who value simplicity and, well…value.
I added an aftermarket 12VDC LPSU that I use with my Amadeus GTA and have the Concept dialed-in using my KAB Speedstrobe to within 0.03% accuracy, which is remarkable. I cannot believe I didn’t give in sooner to the Clearaudio. Beautiful piece of work.
To @colormind, there is little worry about synergy issues with Naim. I’m all Naim (for the exception of my PS Audio Stellar P3 AC Regenerator and Graham Slee Accession) and it has all the PRaT and finesse one could want. I’m certain the ART9 helps, too. I don’t think this TT would be out of its league with a $2,000 cart, either.
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I love the look of these. I used to work with someone who had one and it sounded very good.
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There’s no missing synergy between Clearaudio and Naim. I’ve been using an Ovation with a 282/250 and now 252/300 for the last eight years.
I don’t how there would be a synergy issue between a turntable and electronics anyway. It’s the phono stage and cartridge that provide synergy or lack therof. Maybe the tonearm can cause issues if you haven’t matched it well with a cartridge.
I originally had a Clearaudio Talisman and then Concerto v2 cartridge, with a Herron VTPH-2a tube phonostage. That all sounded great. Now I use a Dynavector XV-1s cartridge and Naim SuperLine phono stage, with a custom Z-foil Airplug I acquired from Peter at Cymbiosis. Even better.
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I agree it’s performant and fun, glad you are enjoying it too! I added the new Smart Power 12 and that was an overall improvement to me: more solid, or more “in focus” … doubly beneficial since it also powers the built-in phono pre on the Active.
There are a few with ClearAudio on here, obviously @JosquinDesPrez with the Ovation as joined the chat, but I spotted a lovely Concept Wood in a really elegant system pics photo from @Matthegerman iirc.
Regards alan
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I definitely am. I saw you had the Smart Power; a really nice match. I always felt an aftermarket PSU for certain 'tables can bring more solidity. I suspect because they stabilize the motor/platter so it’s not ‘hunting’ (in other words, not suggesting they have a ‘sound’, per se).
I was really close to getting a Concept Wood, but am a real sucker for the black.
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First loves take their toll.
It was a Rega Planar-something with a memorably-red Rega Bias cartridge in a record shop (“Ruby Records” - gone, unfortunately — next door to a Rega dealer) playing Keb Mo that turned my head in 2008, and changed my mind about keeping my vinyl records.
Nick
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He has, and I drool over it.
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I added a Graham Slee - with my Clearaudio Emotion it is producing a sound commensurate with my LP12 from years ago.
There should be a thread somewhere about the ratio of price of phono stage to turntable
With two incisional hernias, a weakened pelvic floor, a metre of cuts into the stomach I wouldn’t dream of wanting to move that …
it is a work of art though
The first job of a turntable is to sound good, the second is to look good, and the Master Innovation is about a quarter of the price of their top of range turntable
For me the main “issue” was the lack of dustcover, nothing related to sound. I hate the cheese dome, and my house isn’t exactly dust free, so need something. I suspect others might have similar reservations unrelated to performance.