Audiophilepure

Late in the audition an Acoustic Signature Montana Neo arrived. With all the accessories, the entire Ovation kit costs less than half of the cost of the Montana Neo without a tonearm. The sound of the Montana Neo is bigger and bolder, more dynamic, and with a larger, better-defined sound stage. Incrementally better, for sure. But what surprised me more than any specific improvement is that none of these upgrades in the sonic presentation reflected poorly on the excellent performance of the Ovation turntable. If the Montana Neo gets an “A+” rating, the Ovation is not far behind with a solid “A” rating. The Ovation simply blew the tonearm off a Technics SL-1200G, when the direct drive table sounded significantly inferior.

The Clearaudio Ovation, with options, is an excellent music maker, simple to operate, easy to set up, and reliable in long term use. I am happy having the Montana Neo, specifically for its ability to support two tonearms. But knowing what I know now about the apparent but small improvements attainable with more than double the cost, it is without reservation that the Clearaudio Ovation is recommended as a very high performance and enjoyable turntable.

The design and engineering involved in putting this thing together are beyond impressive. The direct drive system on this alien-looking device feels about as accurate as an atomic clock and seems strong enough to drive a mill wheel! The tonearm is a thing of engineering beauty and is a joy to dial in and use. The entire construct feels as solid and immobile as the rock of Gibraltar. The rock itself is actually less impressive as it doesn’t play music! I lucked out that both the Avenger Direct and Audio-Technica ART20 cartridge made for a superior-sounding pair. In hindsight, it shouldn’t have been much of a surprise as that’s the company VPI works with to help design and produce its own Shyla and Goldy cartridges.

For most people, $36K is not a whim to go dropping on a turntable and VPI builds and sells several fine turntables at a variety of price points to satisfy many a vinyl buff. And while the (over) the top-of-the-line Vanquish turntable system is very much a statement piece, the Avenger Direct is more of a benchmark. It very much embodies everything you could possibly do to wring every last bit of analog goodness from the grooves of a record. And aesthetically, it’s a lust-worthy piece of gear to boot.

https://www.hifichoice.com/content/pro-ject-debut-carbon-evo

I’m also impressed by the balance between accuracy and emotional content that it delivers. Without ever feeling anything other than consistently believable, it finds the angst and anguish in Christine And The Queens’ What’s-Her-Face, while capturing the very personal nature of the lyrics for vocalist Héloïse Letissier. The Carbon EVO never leaves you a simple onlooker to material, instead it involves and demands your attention in a way that is fairly unusual for such a relatively affordable design.

The foibles of the turntable by contrast are commendably limited. With a more aggressive pressing like The Desired Effect by Brandon Flowers, the Pro-Ject makes it clear that this is not a great piece of mastering. Some of this is down to the 2M Red cartridge that is bundled as standard. The Ortofon is a capable but somewhat unforgiving device and the Carbon EVO delivers its performance in an entirely unembellished way. Happily, the simple expedient of switching to a 2M Blue stylus (HFC 375), which I’ve always found to be a little sweeter in its presentation, significantly reduces, if not eliminates this and so represents a simple enough upgrade for any would-be owner.

https://www.hifichoice.com/content/elipson-chroma-400-riaa-bt

The Chroma 400 RIAA BT is a useful step forward over its predecessor without losing the aesthetics and design flair that made the original so appealing. The changes add up to a more capable and user-friendly turntable that still looks and feels more special than most of its rivals. Thanks to its decent on-board phono stage and fundamentally benign characteristics, the Elipson is a fine option for anyone looking for a capable plug-and-play turntable that doesn’t compromise when it comes to the business of vinyl replay. The Bluetooth section doesn’t feel like a ‘must have’ extra, but judged in comparison with similar fitments there is no arguing with the performance it offers. Elipson is sticking around in the turntable market and, based on this, that decision looks like a very good one.