No Hi-Fi gear can offer an audiophile gratification quite like a turntable does. Pick any record player in the world, and I bet it will be more elegant looking than any modern-day sound system. But turntables aren’t just about elegance. They boast superior sound quality and evoke a sense of nostalgia that’s hard to match, even for streaming services like Spotify or other digital music players. In a time when vinyl is experiencing a global resurgence, with audiophiles rediscovering the warmth and depth of analog sound, Hi-Fi brands are leaving no stone unturned in capitalizing on the trend. One such maker that has risen from the dead and introduced a turntable after 12 long years is British audio equipment manufacturer AVID HIFI.
The Cambridgeshire-based company has launched a turntable dubbed Relveo, blending cutting-edge innovation with the company’s rich heritage to offer audiophiles a compelling new option in the competitive high-end vinyl market. Unveiled to commemorate the company’s 30th anniversary, the Relveo turntable is designed from scratch by AVID’s founder and CEO, Conrad Mas.
From plinth to platter, every component of the turntable has been meticulously crafted to enhance musicality. Notable hi-fi blog ecoustics points out that the turntable draws inspiration from AVID’s flagship Acutus model, incorporating key design elements that have made the brand a favorite among vinyl enthusiasts since its founding in 1995.
The biggest talking point of the turntable is the newly developed conical suspension system. “Our resilient, coupled suspension system provides exceptional immunity to acoustic feedback, ensuring a focused and richly detailed listening experience. Utilizing our conical Sorbothane, an advanced, high-absorption elastomer, it effectively damps both vertical motion and micro-vibrations. This makes it particularly effective in environments with suspended floors, maintaining clarity and stability even under challenging conditions,” the company states. When tuned to a low 3.5Hz frequency, the suspension system ensures that unwanted vibrations from speakers or other sources are minimized, allowing the cartridge to track records with exceptional precision and clarity.
From a design perspective, the turntable looks more like a UFO and less like a record player. But it’s not just the obnoxious looks that elevate the stature of the turntable to a high-end record player. AVID HIFI backs the strange design with Relveo’s high-mass, edge-weighted platter, machined from a solid billet of aluminum, which is designed for rotational stability and minimal resonance. Weighing in at 15lbs, the platter is coupled to a high-torque AC synchronous motor via twin round-section drive belts, ensuring rock-solid speed accuracy and dynamic performance. The motor is powered by a dedicated external DSP-controlled power supply.
The platter is supported by AVID’s proprietary inverted bearing, featuring a tungsten carbide ball and sapphire jewel, which eliminates lateral movement and rumble noise, ensuring a silent, maintenance-free operation for the life of the turntable. Other features include a single-action clamp crafted from solid aluminium with a stainless-steel grounding point. As per the company, “this automatically flattens the records to the platter surface and aids the negative vibration present within the record to pass through the spindle to the subchassis below.”
The Relveo turntable is available in two configurations: a complete version with AVID’s Altus V2 tonearm or a bare version for users who already own a compatible tonearm. The Altus V2 features micron-tolerance bearings and a unique dual adjustable bias compensation system, designed to extract every nuance from vinyl records. In case you have spare tone arms at home, the Relveo turntable standardized mounting specifications ensure compatibility with a wide range of tonearms, offering flexibility for audiophiles to customize their setup.
Also Read: McIntosh Gives Its Elite Turntable a Refined Upgrade
Beyond its technical prowess, the Relveo is a visually striking piece of equipment. Its sleek, minimalist aesthetic, inspired by the iconic Acutus, combines form and function in a way that appeals to both the eyes and ears. Available now through AVID’s global retailer network, the Relveo can be availed at $10,995 (With the Altus V2 tonearm). The bare version is available for $8,995.
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