Avid’s Acutus Dark Iron turntable alone weighs 10kg – so I know it’s deadly serious
Money is no object
Here at Ny Breaking we are happy to provide practical purchasing advice about the latest gadgets. But sometimes that’s even what we love more is to indulge in the most ridiculous, high-end, cutting-edge, luxurious technology in the world. That’s what we’ll show you in these Money no Object columns – you can read the whole series here.
The hunt for the best turntable never really ends, but I’m pretty sure I just found a very strong competitor. British analog hi-fi manufacturer Avid (see the beautiful Avid Volvere for reference) has launched Acutus Dark Iron, its first new turntable in six years and the first with a new integrated motor design.
The Acutus Dark Iron is handmade in Cambridgeshire, England, and the company tells us that the striking new, darker ‘Sparkling Iron’ finish is the result of customer feedback – with the added benefit of significantly reducing costs compared to the more company working hours. models with intensive chrome finishing (although make no mistake, it still costs a pretty penny).
The key to the Acutus Dark Iron is its new motor system. This motor is now linked to the main chassis, which Avid says ensures correct drive belt alignment even when the turntable is level using the adjustable feet.
Acutus Dark Iron’s high-torque AC synchronous motor boasts a “tenfold increase in power over competing turntables,” according to its makers, and because it features dual round-section drive belts, speed fluctuations shouldn’t be an issue either.
The power supply uses DSP technology and because it is equipped with an 80 VA mains transformer, it functions as an integrated amplifier matched to its own high-torque motor.
Heavy is the head that wears the crown
The Acutus Dark Iron features a hefty 10kg aluminum plate (reassuringly heavy, I always think), topped with a 10mm damping disc and a felt composite mat, although buyers can upgrade to Avid’s precision resin mat if desired.
This heavy platter sits on an inverted bearing design, where a tungsten carbide ball meets a sapphire gem. A self-lubricating sleeve provides “quiet, maintenance-free operation,” according to Avid.
The included Avid single-action clamp is precision machined from solid aluminum, but the company also offers a dual-action upgrade for greater control over different plate thicknesses, if, for example, you own a large collection of 3mm thick plates from the 1960s.
The Acutus Dark Iron is available to order now from Avid retailers, priced at $13,000 / £10,000 / €12,000 (which works out to approximately AU$19,250). And if you like those extras, the mat upgrade is $4,000 / £3,000 / €3,500 (so about AU$7,700) and the clamp upgrade is $700 / £500 / €600 (about AU$960) – so you’re looking at $17,700 or £ 13,500 for the fully souped-up offering.
Beauty is of course in the eye of the beholder and to me it is a beautiful thing. If money were no object, I would invite it to my house tomorrow.