Website author headshot
Cameron Oatley
ExtremeHiFi
Website author headshot
Julian Shapiro
ExtremeHiFi

Note that this is a discontinued product. You may want to visit the brand's page here to browse their newer products.

What reviewers think

Bloggers and YouTubers have tried this product—so we've summarized their strongest opinions below. Links to full reviews follow.

Product Strengths

  • Sophisticated design and mechanisms reduce vibration for improved sound quality
  • Pendulum design provides self-leveling
  • Can support up to four different tonearms
  • High-speed processor-controlled motor-drive unit

Product Considerations

  • Installation requires a qualified professional
  • Large size and weight may require a reinforced floor
  • Some reviewers found the look of the tonearm slightly unfinished

Comparisons (according to reviewers)

  • Compared to the SME 30, the SME 30 is the gold standard and a bargain

Takeaway: The Clearaudio Statement is a high-end turntable, resulting from decades of research and development, made for serious vinyl enthusiasts. It delivers rock-solid imaging, deep bass, and dynamic contrasts for an immersive listening experience.

What are hifi reviews useful for? (1) Identifying products you should demo in person at a dealer. (2) Learning which products reviewers unanimously praise as the best they've heard (this means they probably are legitimately great). (3) Identifying a product's attributes that satisfy your idiosyncratic needs and tastes. Beyond that, we often discount what reviewers say because they heap praise on most products—and are often apprehensive about publishing strong criticism or comparisons between products. Further, they seldom have more than a few products on-hand, often relying on their memories to compare past products. Always listen for yourself.

All

Statement

reviews

[{"title":"Is ultra high-end audio worth the expense? Absolutely, says Hi-Fi Choice's Neville Roberts, after an encounter with the Clearaudio Statement v2 turntable","link":"https://daviddenyerpr.co.uk/2016/09/14/is-ultra-high-end-audio-worth-the-expense-absolutely-says-hi-fi-choices-neville-roberts-after-an-encounter-with-the-clearaudio-statement-v2-turntable","source":"Hi-Fi Choice","datePublished":""},{"title":"Best Turntable in the world? Audio Excellence store with ClearAudio Statement","link":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jAjyEq3YR8","source":"Thomas & Stereo","datePublished":"2020"},{"title":"Clearaudio Statement Turntable Reviewed","link":"https://hometheaterreview.com/clearaudio-statement-turntable-reviewed","source":"hometheaterreview.com","datePublished":""}]
An excellent review of a great product
/
Publisher
/
3/1/2022
An excellent review of a great product
Publisher
/
3/1/2022

Manufacturer details

  • Total weight: 350 Kg (without tonearm and power supply)
  • Dimensions (WxDxH): 27.17 x 24.41 x 52.17 inches (690 x 620 x 1325mm) (with TT1 tonearm)
  • Speed ranges: 33 1/3, 45 and 78 rpm
  • Construction: Aluminium, stainless steel and bullet proof wood
  • Drive unit: High-torque 24V DC motor
  • Platter: 98mm / 3.86 inch main platter
  • Speed accuracy: < ±0.03%
  • Power consumption max: 19 watts
  • Power consumption operating: 8 watts
  • Power consumption off: 0.0 watts
  • Warranty: 10 years
Based on our love for music, we designed an exceptional new turntable that breaks the rules and boundaries of music reproduction. The results of our tireless passion and commitment are the outstanding Statement turntable and the Statement TT1 tangential tonearm, designed to reproduce music from vinyl records at the highest possible level.
Manufacturer Site

Brand highlights

Taking a step back to look at reviewers' thoughts of the brand's entire lineup—not just this product—what stands out most is the following:

  • Clearaudio turntables are often sold as complete packages, including a pre-mounted and aligned tonearm and cartridge, allowing for a simplified, plug-and-play setup experience.
  • The brand utilizes Panzerholz, a dense, resonance-damping "bulletproof" wood, often sandwiched with aluminum in their plinth construction, contributing to a unique sonic signature.
  • Clearaudio is an early adopter of ceramic magnetic bearings (CMB), implementing them to reduce friction and noise in their turntables for improved speed stability and transparency.
  • They offer various tonearm options, with carbon fiber variants to reduce resonance and improve performance, including innovative, often magnetic, anti-skating designs.

Concept

  • Positioning: The entry-level turntable, designed to offer high-end features at an affordable price.
  • Description: Features a friction-free magnetic bearing tonearm for low distortion. Unlike the more advanced models like the Performance DC, it offers a simpler setup with a focus on plug-and-play simplicity, making it ideal for small rooms and those new to high-fidelity audio systems.

Performance DC

  • Positioning: Positioned as a mid-range model, offering a step up in performance and features from the Concept.
  • Description: Known for its excellent tracking and speed accuracy, includes a ceramic magnetic bearing for enhanced resonance control. Compared to the Concept, it offers a more robust build, with options for both moving magnet and moving coil cartridges.

Master Jubilee

  • Positioning: A high-end model, offering advanced features and a luxurious design.
  • Description: Features a unique motor suspension system and a heavy-duty chassis for exceptional resonance control. It offers more advanced motor control and the ability to mount a second tonearm, setting it apart from the Ovation.

Master Innovation

  • Positioning: A premium model, designed for ultimate performance and flexibility.
  • Description: Distinguished by its dual-platter system and magnetic decoupling, providing excellent speed stability. It allows for up to three tonearms, offering more versatility than the Master Jubilee.

Statement

  • Positioning: Clearaudio's flagship model, representing the pinnacle of their turntable technology.
  • Description: A masterpiece of engineering, featuring a massive 350 kg build and advanced optical speed control. It offers groundbreaking sound reproduction, far exceeding the capabilities of the Master Innovation, and is designed for the most discerning audiophiles who demand the ultimate in audio performance.
See All Products
Avg. Product Price
$100,001+
Used For Sale
88
 Available (Scroll Down)
Brand Popularity
65
 of 900+
Badges
Top 50 Brand
Top 250 Brand
Products Listed
31
Founding Year
1978

Our take on the brand

Clearaudio stands out for its magnetic levitation technology in turntables and tonearms, which reduces friction and wear while enhancing tonal accuracy. The brand caters to both novices and audiophiles with features like their Optical Speed Control system that uses infrared sensors to maintain precise speed, and pre-adjusted parameters for easy setup.

Look inside the brand

Brand Page

Our interview with the brand

What are two key technological innovations or strong opinions that differ you from other brands?

What's your approach to customer support?

What are your favorite tracks for showcasing the strength of your products?

What other products pair best with yours?

From our interview with
.
Brand Page

What if you spend more?

No items found.

What competes at this price?

Kronos
Discovery
120000
/
Released
Kronos developed a wholly new way to attach the chassis to the suspension system, using completely different soft clamping methods. This treats the chassis more like the soundbox of a guitar or a violin because in that case how it's held dictates to some degree how it sounds.
Check Amazon
Kronos Audio's turntables feature a unique counter-rotating dual-platter system that cancels out rotational forces and minimizes vibrations, setting them apart in the industry. Their turntables also use supercapacitors to operate off-grid for reduced electrical noise, while their Discovery RS tonearm employs a proprietary bearing system for precise playback.
Expand Details

Our Summary

No items found.

Product Strengths

  • The Chronos Discovery Turntable's performance completely resets the bar for what can be achieved sonically with the playback of LPs and is the new milestone in reference-level LP playback
  • It presents an entirely fresh and previously unattainable level of musical experience, a new pinnacle of expressiveness and communication that is more than merely revelatory and bordered on transformative
  • Discovery presents with an amazingly black, stark background, yielding a noise floor so decidedly defeated that it is all but imperceptible
  • It exhibits this incredible ability to more finely differentiate and reveal the ever-so-specific size and locality, and with some recordings, even the shape, of each and every instrumental voice it regenerates
  • The new model comes equipped with a massive custom hand-wound power transformer and uses a bank of super-capacitors on its output—optimising damping (towards back EMF), improving the microdynamic motor control, and increasing drive stability

Product Considerations

  • The speed controllers on the front panel are not marked
  • It is an intricate and complex piece of equipment to install, best left to experts
  • Its size and Captain Nemo physicality may be a drawback

Comparisons (according to reviewers)

  • Compared to the Kronos Pro, the Discovery shares no components—it isn't the Pro writ large, but runs along common evolutionary design channels
  • The Discovery goes a lot further and is significantly better

Takeaway: The Chronos Discovery Turntable offers a new and improved music listening experience. It is considered a top-of-the-line product that uncovers sounds you may have never noticed before.

Video review

Our take on the brand

Kronos Audio's turntables feature a unique counter-rotating dual-platter system that cancels out rotational forces and minimizes vibrations, setting them apart in the industry. Their turntables also use supercapacitors to operate off-grid for reduced electrical noise, while their Discovery RS tonearm employs a proprietary bearing system for precise playback.
Website author headshot
Julian Shapiro
ExtremeHiFi Writer
Product Page
Product Page
NAGRA
Reference (Turntable)
128000
/
Released
2024
Following in the footsteps of Nagra's flagship Reference Anniversary turntable/tonearm system, Nagra's research and development team devoted an additional two years applying all that was learned in the preceding four years of Anniversary system development to expand our commitment to LP reproduction to a wider audience of vinyl lovers. The Reference turntable/tonearm maintains the same level of obsessive attention to detail embodied in the limited edition Reference Anniversary turntable/tonearm, including our insistence on technical achievement validated by extensive listening. Its concept, design and execution are befitting of its inclusion in Nagra's flagship Reference line of products.
Check Amazon
Nagra Audio, a Swiss brand with roots in professional recording and film (including two Oscars for soundtracks), brings watchmaking-level precision to their hifi equipment through extensive in-house manufacturing of components like transformers. Their HD Preamp and Classic DAC showcase unique technologies, including virtual battery power supplies and PCM-to-DSD conversion, while their commitment to quality is demonstrated by rejecting over half of their tested valves to maintain exceptional standards.
Expand Details

Our Summary

No items found.

Product Strengths

  • Designed specifically for Nagra's 70th anniversary, with only 70 units produced, making it an exceptional and exclusive piece
  • Provides a silent listening experience, with surface noise remaining at an almost inaudible level
  • Offers precise sound reproduction, where all instruments are perfectly distinct with great definition
  • Excellent instrument separation, allowing listeners to discern individual instruments within orchestral formations, creating a sense of depth and space
  • Clean and well-defined low-frequency response without any muddiness

Product Considerations

  • A complex piece of equipment, requiring 4 years of development and production

Comparisons (according to reviewers)

  • The sound is closer to an analog master tape listening than to vinyl as we know it—rounder and softer

Takeaway: The Nagra REFERENCE ANNIVERSARY turntable is a technologically advanced and meticulously crafted product designed for exceptional vinyl playback. It is a premium option for audiophiles seeking the highest level of precision and clarity in their listening experience.

Video review

Our take on the brand

Nagra Audio, a Swiss brand with roots in professional recording and film (including two Oscars for soundtracks), brings watchmaking-level precision to their hifi equipment through extensive in-house manufacturing of components like transformers. Their HD Preamp and Classic DAC showcase unique technologies, including virtual battery power supplies and PCM-to-DSD conversion, while their commitment to quality is demonstrated by rejecting over half of their tested valves to maintain exceptional standards.
Website author headshot
Julian Shapiro
ExtremeHiFi Writer
Product Page
Product Page
Gryphon
Apollo
160856
/
Released
2024
Never before has so much intellectual horsepower been devoted to the service of Analog Playback. The culmination of a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration between Soren Slebo of The Gryphon Design Team, Turntable Legend Helmut Brinkmann, Cartridge Master Ortofon and the Aarhus Technical Institute, Apollo by Gryphon is more than a turntable: it is a seminal event in the history of High End Audio.
Check Amazon
Gryphon is one of the most respected high-end amplifier brands in the world. Its bass grip is phenomenal, thanks to an unusually high level of capacitance, which keeps everything tight and controlled, even with demanding speakers. Gryphon is also known for its bold, brutalist design—a look that a lot of people love. You’ll find their gear all over Europe and Asia, and the Diablo 333 is often considered an ‘endgame’ amp by those chasing the very best sound and aesthetics.
Expand Details

Our Summary

No items found.

Product Strengths

  • Huge, open, and relaxed sound, with a touch of sweetness in the upper registers
  • Focuses on the deeper meanings of the music
  • Might be a turntable for the ages

Product Considerations

  • MSRP of $150K
  • Demos were sometimes interrupted by the room next door

Takeaway: The Gryphon Apollo turntable offers a stunning sound that is huge, open, and relaxed. It is worth checking out if someone wants something that can really dig into the music.

Video review

Our take on the brand

Gryphon is one of the most respected high-end amplifier brands in the world. Its bass grip is phenomenal, thanks to an unusually high level of capacitance, which keeps everything tight and controlled, even with demanding speakers. Gryphon is also known for its bold, brutalist design—a look that a lot of people love. You’ll find their gear all over Europe and Asia, and the Diablo 333 is often considered an ‘endgame’ amp by those chasing the very best sound and aesthetics.
Website author headshot
Julian Shapiro
ExtremeHiFi Writer
Product Page
Product Page

Questions? Ask the brand's dealers.

All Dealers

How to buy

Turntables

Search all hifi products

Explore our database of 10,000+ new and 25,000+ used hifi products.