AVID Acutus Dark Iron – First Look

All Image Credit: AVID HiFi

The British Hi-Fi manufacturer AVID has just released its first new turntable in six years. Replacing the current 2018 Acutus Dark Limited Edition, with the new Acutus Dark Iron that features improved engineering, a new integrated motor design, a sparkling dark iron finish and is ‘more affordable’.

The Acutus Dark Iron is designed, engineered, and hand-built in Cambridgeshire, England and features a new motor system, where the motor is coupled to the main chassis. AVID says this new design not only eliminates speed-related issues but maintains correct drive-belt alignment at all times, even during turntable levelling using the adjustable feet. This new high-torque AC synchronous motor providing a tenfold increase in power over competitive turntables.

Using twin round-section drive belts, the high-torque motor drives a 10 Kg aluminum platter, that is topped with a 10 mm aluminum damping disc and a TMShrunk felt-composite mat, both in order to reduce unwanted vibrations. The platter sits upon an inverted stainless steel bearing design, helping to lower the center of gravity. While a tungsten carbide ball and  sapphire jewel thrust bearing, eliminates lateral movement and rumble noise. The self-lubricating bearing sleeve ensures silent, maintenance-free operation.

The high-torque motor includes an integrated amplifier that is tailored to drive the high-torque motors twin coils. The separate power supply uses an 80VA transformer that also powers the DSP technology that independently generates stable frequencies for precise speed control.

The one-piece multi-fold aluminum casting that supports the platter, up to two arms and the motor is coated with damping media of specific thickness; “so that both high and low frequencies dissipate with linearity and time frame, giving a neutral sound.” This chassis is coupled to a suspension system that provides a 2.5 Hz isolation frequency that eliminates effects of external vibrations.

Finally, AVID offers two upgrades. The first being AVID’s precision-machined resin mat, the second is the replacement of the bundled single-action clamp with a dual-operation version that offers improved control over various record thicknesses. Both upgrades are said to improve the reduction in vinyl vibrations.