HEADSHELL

Produced through a precise laser cutting process on solid aluminum, ensuring the highest degree of accuracy in terms of tolerances and providing a steadfast base for the cartridge, but without the presence of weight reducing holes frequently found in other headshells, which can negatively impact the transmission of vibrations and lead to a distorted sound, especially hindering image focus and sound solidity. The headshell is then fitted to a solid aluminum collar, ensuring a seamless integration with the arm tube, resulting in a heightened sense of dimensionality in the representation of vocals and instruments, offering a more realistic sound experience.

ARM TUBE

Ensuring the secure placement of the cartridge above the record is vital to preventing distortions or loss of information in the music. Poor rigidity of the arm tube can result in loss of detail, especially for backing vocals, and to mitigate this, the Altus uses an arm tube with a 2mm thick wall. A rigid arm tube enhances vibration transmission away from the cartridge, reducing the impact of higher frequency vibrations on sound quality.

BEARINGS

The overall rigidity of the tonearm structure is critical to ensuring faithful reproduction of everything that is captured within your records. In the same way the bearing of the turntable is critical to performance, tonearm bearings are no less vital and directly affect the quality of the sound you ultimately hear.

For this reason, all AVID tonearms are meticulously hand-built and individually tested to extreme limits. High specification ball race bearings are painstakingly fitted and both horizontal and vertical bearing shafts are machined and ground to micron limits to ensure the only movement possible is in the desired directions with almost zero friction and zero loss of sound quality.

BIAS

Building on the introduction of our tonearms in 2023, our ongoing research has revealed that the bias force required for optimal tracking varies across the record surface. Higher levels are needed at the beginning and end, while less is required in the middle, with additional variations depending on the cartridge's stylus profile. Addressing these challenges, our new tonearm incorporates an innovative bias compensation system, allowing independent adjustments for each section of the record. This ensures exceptional accuracy and unparalleled sound quality across the entire playback surface.

Our latest model, featuring this revolutionary advancement in bias control technology supersedes the previous version, setting a new benchmark for precision and performance in vinyl playback.

Effective Length:  233 mm

Mounting Distance:  216 mm

Offset Angle:  23 degrees

Overhang:  17 mm

Effective Mass:  Medium / 15 g

Weight:  680g

Arm Cable:  Detachable 5 Pin DIN connector, RCA termination, 1.3M Length

Optional XLR termination, fully balanced

This item will usually ship within 1-2 working days.

the ear

the absolute sound

We try and keep on top of our pricing, but it's a mammoth task for one person. So, if you see this product offered cheaper elsewhere, or you are offered it for less elsewhere (proof will be required) and you feel like supporting an extremely independent retailer, do get in touch and we will do our very best to match or beat wherever we can. We can't promise to do so, as there may some extenuating circumstances where we just wouldn't be able to, but we'll always do what we can.

Needs to be like for like - new for new, ex-demo for ex-demo, same colour and specs etc.