Clearaudio Emotion package review

Spending more than £600 on this package might seem extravagant – but not once you’ve heard this Award-winning deck in action Tested at £1140.00

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

With further upgrades since we first awarded the Emotion five stars, it’s not surprising it’s an Award-winner

Pros

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    A beautifully balanced sound that excites or soothes in equal measure

Cons

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    Admittedly, over £600 is a substantial investment, but if you want the best…

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

This is a great-value package: the Emotion turntable comes equipped with Clearaudio's Satisfy tonearm and Aurum Classics Wood cartridge – which all work together superbly.

Clearaudio's engineers clearly can't leave things alone. Since this deck debuted, it's gained an improved belt and a matching motor pulley. The result is a greater sense of sparkle and clarity, the icing on what was already a beautifully balanced sonic cake, with an even tonal balance and few weaknesses. Rhythms are gripped with determination, and pounded out with a great deal of enthusiasm.

Class-leading clarity
REM's Automatic for the People can sound messy and confused on many turntables, but certainly not here: the Clearaudio delivers vocals with class-leading clarity without sacrificing body or warmth.

Detail, dynamics and attack are all first-rate, but don't worry, subtlety isn't sacrificed in this bid to excite. Put on a mellow tune such as Nick Cave's Wonderful Life, and the Clearaudio combination shifts gear effortlessly to produce a sumptuous yet insightful performance.

Build-quality is impressive, too, with each part of this package feeling solidly engineered and lovingly finished.

Spending more than £600 on this package might seem extravagant – but not once you've heard this Award-winning deck in action.

What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

Read more about how we test