AVID - SEQUEL SP (BLACK)

A Supercharged Rocket of a Turntable

The AVID Sequel SP Will Give You a Whole New Record Collection

While Supplies Last, Save $3,500 on This Amazing Turntable

The affordable AVID Sequel SP transports the listener to within breathing distance of the reference-level AVID Acutus. The Avid Sequel SP employs an unmodified Acutus motor and outboard power supply for significantly better control, pace, timing and overall sense of the original recorded event. For less than half the price of the Acutus, the Sequel SP gets you much closer than you might expect in terms of performance. 

"The result is a turntable that doesn't sound like a turntable; it is highly neutral, neither euphonic like many rival high end decks nor dysphonic like expensive digital devices, and simply draws your attention to what is in the groove...the Avid Volvere Sequel does exactly what a high end turntable should do - which is bring you closer to your record collection."
-- HiFi World

Macro and micro dynamics are noticeably improved, resulting in better definition within the musical event. The Sequel SP is topped off with an external dedicated power supply featuring state-of-the-art, split-phase quartz-locked technology used for the Acutus. Of course, the new Sequel SP adds the new DSP power supply and twin belt design.

More than just a beautiful analog device, the Sequel SP is designed and built to protect the delicate stylus/record interface. By ensuring the least amount of interference from vibration, the stylus of your favorite cartridge can pick up nuances that simply get buried by other tables.

"Oh, the bass! Deep, deep, and very well defined...The Volvere Sequel never sounded anything less than excellent, and on wonderful LP's, it sounded amazing. Piano, soprano voice, and French horn, the trifecta of recording difficulties, never bothered the Avid."
-- Anthony Kershaw, Audiophilia, January 2004

DSP Vari-SPeed Power Supply
Against the growing trend of easy-option DC motor-driven turntables, AVID retains the use of synchronous motors and has developed a new power supply to finely control the final speed of the platter. By utilizing the latest DSP technology to control frequency generation, and using the synchronous motors’ unique speed locking abilities, speed can be adjusted precisely. Motor noise, vibration, and control is improved, with the twin belt drive controlling platter dynamics and stability, producing a smooth albeit dynamic sound quality as well as improved bass and treble definition.

The Sequel SP is a serious assault on cutting-edge analog playback and deserves to be at the top of any analog lover's turntable list.  Give us a call and we'll help you find the best cartridge and tonearm package to mate with your new Sequel SP.

"Importantly, I'd say a Volvere Sequel represents good value for money. I mean, how do you put a price on transforming your entire LP collection? Or your life? You can't!"
-- Jimmy Hughes, HiFi News, December 2003

Drive: Belt drive
Speeds: 33.3 and 45.0 RPM
Platter mass: 14.75 lbs.
Bearing: Inverted stainless steel
Thrust point: Tungsten carbide/Sapphire
Suspension:
   3 point, springs in vertical, o-rings in lateral frequency
   vertical 3.2 Hz (variable), lateral 4.5 Hz
Tonearms: Std. cut for SME (adapters to order)
Motor: Modified 24v 140mNm ac synchronous
Power supply: DSP Vari-SPeed control unit
Voltage input: 100-240vac 50/60Hz 20 watts max. (depending on region)
Dimensions:
   Turntable (overall) 16.75" x 14.5" x 8" (WxDxH)
   Turntable (footprint) 14.75 x 12.75" (WxD)
   P.S.U. 10" x 8.5" x 3.75" (WxDxH)
Net weight:
   27 lbs turntable only
   8 lbs psu only
Packaging : 17.75" x 19" x 19.66" (WxDxH)
Shipping weight : 44 lbs

December 2008, HiFi World Awards - Turntable Winner (UK)

This year has seen a good number of excellent turntables tested in the pages of Hi-Fi World, so much so that this category proved the most hotly contended of them all. However, one particular machine stuck out in our collective minds for its superb all round ability allied to its unassuming looks and small footprint.

Whereas £5,000 will buy you vast sculptural monoliths in Perspex, gold or chromium if you so wish, Avid's Volvere Sequel is an altogether more unassuming proposition-but no less effective. Indeed, it is more.

We've often asked ourselves, 'if you were going to do a turntable from first principles, how would you do it?' Well the Avid is pretty much best practice made visible; there's very little conceptually wrong with it, which sets it apart from so many other rivals...

The result is a turntable that doesn't sound like a turntable; it is highly neutral, neither euphonic like many rival high end decks nor dysphonic like expensive digital devices, and simply draws your attention to what is in the groove.

Interestingly, many analogue addicts actually admit the Avid is brilliant but don't like the sound, describing it is as to stark, too dynamic, too clear. But to criticise it for these reasons is to object to its proximity to live music, which possesses the same characteristics. It certainly isn't a machine to provide background music - being a seat-of-the-pants listening experience - but if you're satisfied that this is what you want then there's nothing at the price to touch it.

Beautifully made, functionally superb but not terribly sexy to look at, the Avid Volvere Sequel does exactly what a high end turntable should do - which is bring you closer to your record collection.

January 2008, David Price HiFi World Magazine - (5 Globes) (UK)

For me, one of the most interesting brands to surface of late is Avid. Although the company's been trading since the late nineties, it now has a mature range of turntables, all of which show genuinely fresh thinking on precisely what is (and what is not) needed to get the very best sound from this venerable fifty something year old format.

For me, a keen student of turntable best practice with some ideas of my own about how to (and how not to) do a record player, the Avid Volvere Sequel - at £4600 a mid-priced deck in the company's range - is a real eye opener. Above all else, what has impressed me most about this deck is designer Conrad Mas's joined up thinking, which informs every aspect of its design.

Rather that fixing on one component of a turntable, such as the motor, bearing or suspension, the Volvere Sequel exhibits current 'best practice' right across the board, and adds a twist or two. As such, unpacking, assembling and auditioning the deck proved a delight, and a constant source of eyebrow-raising pleasant surprises.

First and foremost, the Volvere Sequel is a belt drive, which regular readers will know isn't my favourite way of spinning a disc right now, but the way the drive system has been done is such that many of the problems intrinsic to them have been eliminated by lateral thinking. As the design of this Avid shows, although the drive system is important, it's less a case of what you do and more of how you do it...Whereas some decks have high torque motors driving light platters, and most others the opposite of this, the Volvere uses a very high torque motor driving a heavy platter and is powered by a split-phase quartz-locked purposed designed power supply. It's all very well having a seriously beefy motor, but like a high performance car it's pretty irrelevant if it can't put its power down, and this is where the next clever trick comes in. The key problem with belt drive turntables is their unstable suspension, which causes speed instability when the distance between platter and pulley changes as the stylus encounters differently modulated passages along the groove.

Avid's answer is to lock the lateral movement of the springs, so they can move up and down but not side to side. Designer Conrad Mas has done this very simply with three rubber bands, one of each suspension turret, that severely curtail sideways movement whilst having minimal impact on the spring's ability to go up and down. This suspension design, allied to the massy plinth, round section belt and torquey motor, give solid power transmission with minimal drama, and this in turn has a profound effect on the basic sound of the Avid. Setting up the deck proved very straightforward, thanks in no small part to the superb packaging the turntable comes in. It's a three tier affair, like the turntable itself, and everything goes together very straightforwardly in the space of about twenty minutes.

I often find that auditioning high end belt drives leaves me beguiled by the delicacy, finesse and subtlety but a tad under whelmed by other aspects of their performance - not pithily, many lack 'true grit'. Not so this one which was undoubtedly the strongest, most stable and powerful sounding rubber band spun design I've ever heard. Pithily put, the Avid Volvere Sequel 'is the belt drive Garrard 301'.The trouble with powerful sounding decks is that they can be 'all mouth and trousers', possessed of great bombast, bluster and general attitude but so full of themselves that they gloss over the very smallest subtleties that vinyl is so rich in. With the greatest respect to our esteemed publisher and assistant ed, I find Garrards err towards this a little more than I'd like, which is why I've nailed my colours to the direct drive mast as of late. Unfortunately, the results I got with the Avid were such that I feel I may have to un-nail them rather hastily.

For example, 'Simple Minds' 'Alive and Kicking' is an excellent torture track for a turntable, especially in highly modulated 45RPM 12" single form. There's a lot of energy in the groove, lots of crashing power chords, musical climaxes and dynamic contrasts. Other high end belt drives can sound just a little unstable, whereas I've found the 401 can be a little over exuberant and forward. The Avid pretty much got the best of both worlds; giving great solidity in the bass allied to a wonderfully neutral and open midband without a trace of hardness or opacity. The opening electric piano chords were an ear opener, sounding less 'cracked' than anything with a belt I've heard to date. Most impressive was the clarity, and lustrous harmonics practically 'glistening' there in front of my very ears. When the bass guitar, bass drum and snares kicked in, I was greeted with a delightfully tight, taut punch which again was totally devoid of harshness or grain. Singer Jim Kerr's melancholic strains were remarkably clear and direct, sounding far less nasal than I usually hear him.

Excited, I moved onto my next torture track....UB40's 'Don't Let it Pass You By' has a very strong, under slung bass line that can take the song down like a lead balloon when played on most belt drives. Not so with the Avid, which offered up a wonderfully fleet of foot rendition of this finely recorded slice of classic reggae (the track harks from long before the shame of 'Red, Red Wine', you understand!). The song also showcased the Avid's wonderfully expansive midband, offering a deliciously wide stereo soundstage that fell back many metres too. Again I've struggled to hear many decks that can out do Michell's Orbe in this particular respect, but the Avid was head and shoulders above it - no small feat. Likewise, it proved wonderfully dynamic, making the sometimes 'matter of fact' sounding SME sound positively profound and uncharacteristically emotionally committed to the music in hand.

Moving to some late sixties jazz and Herbie Hancock's 'I Have a Dream' on a 1969 BlueNote waxing showed the deck working consistently across a range of musics. This song is delicate and brooding, with subtle rhythms breaking through to gently push the song along. It's the sort of music that Linn's LP12 really shines with, and it came as a surprise to find the Volvere Sequel doing no less well. Here, I think the gently romantic sound of the Koetsu cartridge helped, but it was Avid's startling transparency and rhythmic integrity that really swung it. This deck is truly exceptional in its ability to impart the natural tone of an instrument, conveying all its intrinsic texture and lustre in its entirety without colouring it, embellishing it or indeed dulling it. The result was a mesmerically live sound, with brass, piano and drums all sounding as if they were in the room with me.

The Avid's almost supernatural solidity really came into play here too, giving the track a mastertape feel that left me enraptured with what on lesser equipment sounds quite a mediocre recording. From down in the bass, where's it's only a percentage point or two shy of my heavily modified Technics direct drive in tautness, to the midband where it's eerily translucent, icily clear and yet smooth as silk, to the treble where it is spectacularly open and atmospheric and delightfully precise, the deck was nothing but a pleasure to listen to.

Over the past few weeks I've duly been running the gamut of my not inconsiderably sized record collection. The deck is music-neutral; time and again I've find myself letting the turntable I'm reviewing dictate the music I listen to; SMEs work wonders with classical. Michells are a joy with electronica, Linns love rock; the Avid seemed as happy as a pig in poop with everything it was asked to play. Now numbering nearly 3,000, I rarely reach the inner recesses of my vinyl vaults these days, but this turntable had me searching out some of my least played discs.

CONCLUSION: Eagle-eyed readers may have gleaned from all this that I rather liked the Avid Volvere Sequel, and they're right.

This is one of the most impressive ways to play music I've come across to date, showcasing vinyl's jaw-droppingly powerful and musical sound in no uncertain terms.

My reviews of high end turntables are often full of praise but invariably tempered with some caveat or another, but here I can't really think of none. It combines the rugged build and superlative mechanical integrity of an oil rig with the delicacy, precision and finesse of the best hand-made mechanical watches. Its sound is so neutral and open that it's almost impossible to ascribe character to; in this review, I felt I was listening the SME Series V tonearm and Koetsu cartridge far more than the turntable.

And on a personal note, I love its lack of showiness - we're not talking acres of black Perspex or superfluous gold adornments here. Its styling, if you could call it that, is simply a function of how it does what it does.

A brilliant high end turntable then; expensive - but justifiably so.

VERDICT: A high end turntable of rare completeness, it offers breathtaking all round sound from a superbly balanced belt drive chassis.
FOR: Superb stability; glassy transparency; breathtaking dynamics; unerring musicality; design, packaging, set-up
AGAINST: Nothing

January 2004, Anthony Kershaw Audiophilia.com (Canada)

"For the last three months, Avid's midrange 'table has sat front and center, and has not flinched at the avalanche of vinyl it has played."

"Careful examination of the chassis, bearing, and platter is witness to superb design and bulletproof workmanship. Audio gear to last the test of time. It looks dreamy, too."

"The silence from the workings of this table was eerie. Nothing from the motor, bearing, and almost nothing from the LP surfaces. Even dime store specials sounded superb after a good scrub. The Sequel is among the best I have (not) heard- the almost zero level groove noise and distortion."

"Extreme dynamics as well as a gorgeous midrange are the aural highlights of this turntable. A test par excellence: Varese's Arcana on Decca with the LA Phil and Mehta. About 5 minutes in, the Phil turns on a dime after some serious scratching from the strings. Thwack! A staccato explosion that will test most setups. This one didn't fidget, just replicated the great acoustics of Royce Hall perfectly. A test for the opposite extreme may be found in Marriner's great Argo of the Tallis Fantasia. The double string orchestra builds to a huge climax, but before the excitement, composer Vaughn-Williams treats us to some incredibly delicate string writing. Here, the Avid shines as much as it did in the knockouts. String separation was so clear, the contrapuntal lines were heard as if played singularly at your front door."

"Timbre of all instruments and voices was real and tangible. It was very nice to hear so much low level detail, too."

"Bass? Oh, the bass! Deep, deep, and very well defined..."

"The Volvere Sequel never sounded anything less than excellent, and on wonderful LP's, it sounded amazing. Piano, soprano voice, and French horn, the trifecta of recording difficulties, never bothered the Avid."

"The Avid separates musical lines extremely well. As turntables get better and better (where do we go from here?), the essence of the amazing analogue sound gets all the trappings of the silent backgrounds and unhindered dynamics of digital. The Volvere Sequel bathes itself in this technology. It celebrates it. It glorifies it. And you, the listener, are the better for it. I have not heard Conrad Mas' statement Acutus, but the sound he is attempting to draw from his designs really shines through this English Rose.

"But for my taste, the middle is where the meat is, and it will be very difficult for anyone to resist Avid's rich midrange, and one so balanced with the upper and lower octaves. The Avid is a superb example of English 21st Century craftsmanship and design. Conrad Mas is to be congratulated for his passion and commitment to excellence in vinyl reproduction. Yes, the bloom is definitely on this rose.

It is with great pleasure that we award The Audiophilia Star Component Award to the Avid Volvere Sequel Turntable. Congratulations!- Ed.

December 2003, Jimmy Hughes HiFi News (UK)

Avid's Volvere Sequel turntable falls midway between its £2000 'entry level' Volvere and the £5000 flagship Acutus. At £3500, the Sequel would seem to offer an effective compromise between cost and performance. But the basic Volvere already reaches an extremely high standard. It boasts excellent sonic performance, outstanding build quality, and solid engineering. So, how much difference, subjectively, should one expect? Isn't the 'cooking' Volvere plenty good enough?

It probably is. Nevertheless, the Sequel offers more-quite a bit more. Listening to the Volvere in isolation, you might think vinyl couldn't get much better - it's that good. Know what? You're wrong. There's further to go. And the difference isn't subtle. The good news for Volvere owners is the possibility of upgrading existing decks to Sequel standard at a cost of £1500.So you could buy a Volvere, use it for a while, then turn it into a Sequel without paying a premium.

The two turntables are essentially identical, sharing many common parts including base support, platter, and subchassis. The difference lies in a superior high-torque motor and beefier out-board power supply for the Sequel. For me, having lived very happily with a Volvere since the end of 2001, it was interesting to move up. The Volvere has no obvious faults or limitations, and I felt entirely happy with its performance. So, what sort of things might improve?

Avid designer Conrad Mas gave me a quick taste of the Sequel shortly before its launch at the Bristol 2002 show. And very good it sounded. But, if I'm honest, at the time the difference over the Volvere didn't strike me as huge. There was greater speed stability and a general firming-up of the overall presentation. The Sequel was slightly tighter and cleaner. By comparison, the Volvere was a shade looser and more relaxed - though still admirably solid and controlled.

When I finally heard the Sequel at home (having got thoroughly used to the Volvere over 18 months) there seemed much more difference. Immediately apparent were the gains in speed, stability and solidity, as previously noted. On difficult and demanding material-such as piano, harpsichord, classical guitar-the Sequel offered the sort of rock-like consistency one takes for granted when listening to CD. There's a sense of security that's very reassuring; it feels as if nothing could upset the flow of the music.

Dynamic range was enhanced, and there was increased contrast between loud and soft; climaxes expanded more. Compared to the Volvere, the Sequel's soundstaging was noticeably more holographic. Images projected out of the speaker boxes in a manner suggesting height as well as depth and width. It's almost as though the speakers had grown a couple of metres taller! Everything sounded bigger and more alive-as if it were somewhat more three-dimensional and vivid.

At any given volume level, the Sequel seemed to sound a shade louder. As a consequence, it proved possible to reduce volume levels slightly while retaining subjectively comparable loudness. One immediate benefit of this was the reduction in background noise-often to vanishingly low levels. The sound had a very impressive presence, making it seem as though voices and instruments were really projecting out-almost coming to greet you-rather than remaining localised in and around the loudspeaker areas.
Alas, the Volvere (once my pride and joy) now seemed slightly 'flat' and monochromatic! Dare I say it, more CD-like. That's not meant as a compliment. It's easy to forget that LP can (when everything's right) create impressive, vivid three-dimensional effects that CD still finds hard to equal. The overall result is somehow greater than the sum of the parts, and difficult to describe in just a few words. It's one of the reasons vinyl is still worth bothering with.

One particular recording that showcased the Sequels magic was Reinhard Goebel playing Bach's sonatas for violin and harpsichord on DG's Archiv label - an early digital recording from 1982/3. I've heard the LPs for 20 years, but always found them difficult to reproduce. Tonally, Goebel's violin usually sounds thin and reedy; likewise, the harpsichord will lack weight and richness. Also, left-right stereo separation between the two instruments is extreme - so creating a curious disembodied effect.

The balance between violin and harpsichord is not wholly believable. The sound is close and dry but, paradoxically, at the same time ill-focused and tonally under-nourished. All in all the sort of recording that got early digital (and DG/Archiv) something of a bad name. Eventually, the set was issued on CD. But, even in pristine DDD digital form, the same sort of problems were apparent - indicating that the LPs were probably reflecting the quality of the original master tapes.

A lost cause? I thought so. Yet playing these same LPs on the Sequel one could suddenly discern believable spatial depth and dimensionality. The balance remained close, immediate, and sharp; only now, both players were focused and distinct in a tangible acoustic. Their instruments sounded vivid and holographic, rather than like flat two-dimensional cardboard cut-outs. And what about pitch stability! The Volvere is excellent by any standards; the Sequel is better still - absolutely rock solid.

The slow introduction to the first sonata is very testing. Goebel plays without vibrato, and his lean, at times almost vinegary tone, is very exposed. And there's the harpsichord; an instrument where even the slightest pitch waver or tremor stands out. Being an original digital recording, pitch stability (in terms of wow and flutter) is theoretically perfect.Going back through past analogue recordings of Bach's violin and harpsichord sonatas, on LP and CD, one realises how few were totally free of pitch waver.

The question is, how demanding should one be with LP? If a disc is pressed even fractionally off-centre, pitch stability suffers, no matter how good the turntable and how perfect the original recording. Having Goebel's Bach violin sonatas recording on CD, I know how secure they can sound. Theoretically, LP can never be as good as CD in this respect. But, on Avid's Sequel, pitch stability was subjectively comparable to that found from silver disc reproduction - but with a much truer, more holographic sonic presentation.

Put simply, the music sounded better. And by 'better' I mean truer, more believable, more natural, and more real. Suppose Goebel's Bach sonatas set was a brand new recording I'd not heard before; were I hearing it for the first time on Avid's Sequel, I'd never guess how thin and disembodied the sound could be when played on lesser equipment. It was quite amazing the way the Volvere Sequel turntable magically created a vivid three-dimensional soundstage that had width, depth, and height.

Actually, that's wrong: I should say 'revealed', rather than 'created'. The Sequel's 'holographic' presentation is definitely not a false effect superimposed on each recording. Rather, the Sequel simply seems to reveal more of what's there. By comparison, the Volvere gave a more predictable and uniform presentation. The Sequel was more varied; better able to reveal individuality in terms of ambience portrayal, soundstaging, stereo placement, and, best of all for me, the tiniest subtleties in the manner of the playing itself.

The Sequel offers a highly cohesive musical presentation. Timing is outstanding, making rhythmic detail more telling. As a result, each musical performance gains in terms of purposefulness - if it's a fast driving piece, there's a greater sense of the music moving forwards. If it's slower, there's an increase feeling of ebb and flow - more sense of phrases being shaped and caressed. The music sounds so much more characterful; more true to itself.

The Sequel gives the lower frequencies greater power and weight. Basslines seem enhanced - less buried in the mix - while at the same time going deeper. I've noticed this time and again with superior audio components; bass lines seem to cut through more cleanly, letting you follow (say) bass guitar parts more easily. Orchestral double basses come through more audibly too,allowing you to hear distinct pitch values, rather than nondescript, gruff rasp.

Playing various tracks from Joe Sample's LP Rainbow Seeker demonstrated the extra presence and fluidity of the bass parts. This album is a very good test of cohesion; there's bags of individual detail to seduce the ear, but ultimately it must sound like a team effort with everyone playing together. My US pressing is not the quietist, but the Sequel minimised background ticks and pops, projecting the music over the noise cleanly and powerfully into the room.

I don't know how Rainbow Seeker was recorded - whether it was single takes with everyone together 'live' in the studio, or track-by-track with lots of over-dubs. Subjectively, depending on the equipment being used, it can seem like either. Usually, it just sounds like a collection of individual parts that fit together very well; occasionally you play it and experience real performances where people strike sparks off one-another. the Sequel gave the latter. It really doesn't get any better than that...

Conrad Mas himself converted my Volvere to a Sequel in under an hour. It worked immediately and seemed fine, but Conrad wasn't happy. The time taken for the platter to reach operating speed from a standing start was too long, he said, indicating transmission problems. So the belt was replaced, and the various drive surfaces cleaned. The result was noticeably faster take-up, and more importantly, the sound improved. Definition increased, and everything seemed much more crisp and better focused.

Which just goes to demonstrate the importance of a clean, solid drive. Even with a heavy 5kg platter, a high torque motor, and massive power supply, all can come to naught if belt and driving surfaces aren't clean and in perfect condition. Actually some turntables benefit from a little belt-slippage (remember putting Mr Sheen on Linn belts?); it helps iron-out the 'cogging' effects of poorly regulated synchronous motors. That the opposite is true with the Sequel indicates the quality of Avid's outboard power supply.

I used the Sequel with Avid's version of Rega's RB300 tonearm, fitting it with the latest Temper W moving-coil cartridge from Transfiguration. Although there's something of a mismatch here on paper - expensive turntable and cartridge/ relatively cheap tonearm - the combination worked extremely well. Tracking proved excellent, and surface noise (background hiss and ticks, and louder clicks and pops) was very low and well controlled. Rumble is virtually non-existent.

No turntable, even one as good as Avid's Sequel, can totally eliminate LP surface noise. But on a good, clean, quiet pressing there should be little or no noise to speak of. Even when playing worn or damaged records, the Sequel succeeds in focusing the music so that it projects over any noise that might be present. It's as though the noise itself is in a different plane - behind the music, if that makes sense. Having a good phono stage helps too.

The Sequel's platter is permanently fitted with a cork mat, and a raised brass housing near the centre spindle pushes the centre part of the LP up slightly, allowing the clamp to tighten down on the edge of the label, thereby flattening warped or dished records. This makes using he supplied clamp or external record weight more or less essential - otherwise the LP edges float free of the mat. Unlike some clamps, the Sequel's does not mark the LP centre label.

Being an open skeletal design, there's no supplied hinged lid. However, Avid offers two lid options. The first is a simple cover to protect the platter from dust and the tonearm/cartridge from prying fingers; the second (which I haven't seen) is a large cover, designed to keep the whole assembly dust-free and protected when not in use. Being open construction, the Sequel's a bit of a dust trap. But it's easily dismantled for cleaning when the time comes.

With CD having been around for over 20 years, and some form of super disc like SACD hyped to replace it, it's remarkable to find LP still part of the serious audiophile's agenda. And not just holding on by its finger-tips, but gathering strength. Turntables like Avid's Sequel enable vinyl to compete at the very highest level, offering a vivid holographic presentation that's impressive and exciting. But that in itself does not explain why LP has such a hold over audiophiles.

Perhaps it's the wealth of material on LP for second-hand collectors - so many unusual things still turn up, and there's still so much of the LP back catalogue that hasn't been issued on CD. I don't know about you, but I nearly always feel a bit smug and virtuous listening to material on vinyl that's unobtainable on CD. Especially when the sound is fabulously clear and flawless.
When such an LP is played on a turntable of Avid Sequel standards, the results can be breathtaking. To think that something so technologically crude and unpromising - a lump of black plastic being scraped by a diamond tip - can produce music that captivates and moves is nothing less than a minor miracle.

Inevitably, the Avid Volvere Sequel costs a lot of money. But how could something so lavishly and extravagantly be built on the cheap? Buying the best has always been an expensive proposition. Importantly, I'd say a Volvere Sequel represents good value for money. I mean, how do you put a price on transforming your entire LP collection? Or your life? You can't!

Hi-Fi Choice "Product of the Year" 2002/2003

A cross between the company's flagship Acutus and its base model the Volvere, this is a heavyweight suspended turntable that means business from the outset.

The three silver posts contain the suspension springs while the external power supply allows electronic speed selection. It's a simple but heavily engineered design that has all the ingredients to turn its users into vinyl junkies.

Put a favourite LP on the platter, screw down the fine threaded clamp and let the needle into the groove and you'll hear things you never expected vinyl to deliver. Killer bass that goes all the way down and shakes the furniture, the most transparent of midranges that lets everything through, and the sweetest highs imaginable. Absolute results depend on the arm used but if these are half decent you'll be revelling in analogue audio heaven.

Its transparency means that not all your records will sound great-there is plenty of variation in record quality and the Volvere Sequel lets you know it. On the other hand it will make the most of whatever you give it, and most recordings are much better than you might imagine. The degree of precision available means that you will hear every detail within the context of a fluent musical whole that cannot be ignored, such is the coherence and integration of the performance.

July 2002 Jason Kennedy, Hi-Fi Choice - Editors Choice (UK)

"This turntable has the platter and chassis from the Volvere coupled with the external power supply from the Acutus. The motor is fundamentally the same as that on the Acutus but in basic unmodified form."

"This is a very impressive turntable, there’s no getting away from it. Put a great record on and you hear everything, or put it another way it extracts so much more than is usually encountered that you feel you're hearing everything there is worth hearing. The humble vinyl groove has an extraordinary ability to store information, much greater than most turntables will let you hear, in fact. The Avid taps deep into that store."

"First impressions were of a bold, powerful and confident sound, with an image that sits in front of the loudspeakers to a greater degree than other sources. There's an architectural solidity to its presentation that you don't get with many analogue or digital sources, in fact hardly any of the latter, but which gives the music being played a presence and realism that is reach-out-and -touch-it real."

"The above is actually a description of the music reproduced by the Avid rather than the deck's character-this is one of the most transparent turntables I've heard and its sound seems purely to be that of the record you put on it. It reveals huge variations between recordings, to the extent that one selection of discs can leave you thinking it's nothing special while another has you leaping about the room with excitement. The difference between good and bad recordings has never been starker, so prepare for disappointment and elation, because while it will make the most of a great record it won't enliven a poor one."

The deck's precision is such that even within individual albums it draws out the great tracks from the lesser ones with ease. Take Radiohead's I Might Be Wrong Live Recordings- quite a few tracks sound pretty messy but the less complex acoustic guitar-based ones are clear and strong. Which could lead you to imagine that the turntable is struggling with denser pieces but Captain Beefheart's Floppy Boot Stomp put paid to that notion, this rhythmically contorted piece sounded supremely coherent and engaging. Other records reveal that different instruments within a piece were clearly recorded separately and in slightly different environments, Anouar Brahem's fine sounding Barzakh on ECM being a great example. Featuring only a few acoustic instruments recorded in ECM's characteristically clear style the Avid brought to light a wide degree of variations in acoustic surroundings of each instrument."

VERDICT
"Remarkable transparency and resolution to the finest detail plus tremendous coherence and power."
"Very impressive heavy-weight turntable that will deliver all the passion, grace and fire of your favourite vinyl."

At Music Direct, we offer our customers a 30-Day Money Back Guarantee on components, hardware and audio accessories. This allows you time to ensure you made the right choice. If you are not satisfied with your purchase, contact our customer service department or your audio consult directly to arrange for a return.
 
This guarantee is not applicable on all Fluids, Phono Cartridges, and some special order merchandise.
 
Music is only returnable if it has not been opened.

To view our full return policy, click here.
Contact us with any questions about this policy.