The perfect turntable?

AVID HiFi was founded by Conrad Mas near Cambridge, England in 1995. Conrad’s interest in designing turntables goes back to 1977, when a friend showed him a DIY turntable and declared it to be “perfect.” Conrad thought differently. In 1999, he introduced the Acutus, a design featuring a suspended high mass platter assembly with rotational damping rubber rings secured to a three-point framework. This design approach, which relies on heavy platters and plinths, remains intact, and the turntable lives on as AVID’s flagship model.    

AVID’s products have always caught my attention. The moment I saw the Acutus turntable, I was taken with its modern sculptural aesthetic. But there is a new turntable from AVID, one that aspires to be a bit more accessibly priced than is the Acutus, which starts at over $30,000/all prices USD. 

Enter the Relveo 

The new Relveo turntable ($10,995 with Altus V2 tonearm), which is the subject of this review, has clearly inherited the Acutus’ design DNA. With a platter weighing in at a hefty 7kg, the Relveo continues the high mass approach, but here AVID eschews the sprung isolation for a conical coupled suspension. I can attest to its effectiveness since my knuckle raps on the credenza which held the Relveo’s had little to no effect. The precision 24V asynchronous motor rotates the platter via a dual-belt drive. A standalone DSP speed controller provides selectable 33 and 45 rpm speeds via small buttons and LED indicators on the front panel.  

Also included with the Relveo for this review was the AVID Ionic MC cartridge ($3,000), which features a rigid aluminum body and an elliptical diamond-tipped aluminum cantilever. 

Setup 

The Relveo turntable’s setup was refreshingly straightforward.  At no time did I feel out-witted or over-matched by what was required. If you are looking for a turntable that assembles more like a fiddly erector set, look elsewhere. In an hour, the platter was spinning and the needle was dropped. All that was required from that point was refining the anti-skate adjustment. 

I really like this AVID combo’s approximately $14,000 price point, which gets you into a very high-quality turntable and cartridge product range. While the AVID Ionic MC cartridge is not exactly inexpensive, it does leave room for future upgrades (more on that later) without having to buy an entirely new rig. 

The Relveo may lack the hung suspension of the Acutus, but it is very soundly built. Its matte black steel triangular plinth is held in place by the three contrasting dark grey adjustable pillars with adjustable feet, and a screw-down record weight completes the parts list. 

My analog front end includes a Triangle Art Master Reference turntable and Triangle Art Reference tube phono stage. Finishing off the system is a Vitus Audio SIA-030 integrated amplifier powering Estelon’s X Diamond MKII Signature speaker.  

Listening 

The first album I gave a spin was Deep Purple’s Machine Head (Warner Bros. BS-2607). Precious few albums rise to the level of perfection, and for me this is one of them. When you consider that “Smoke on the Water,” one of the most iconic rock songs ever, isn't even the best song on the album, it goes to show the pile of cheddar that Machine Head packs.

One of Machine Head's great sonic charms is the sense that it provides of musicians jamming together in one room. The music slaps with an energetic forward momentum along with a loose swing that really shines through my Vitus/Estelon combo. I was able to enjoy this album straight through on the $14K AVID Relveo and Ionic combo without any of the recording's charms being diminished – an impressive feat considering that my reference turntable, the Triangle Art Master Reference (with Triangle Art Osiris MKII tonearm and Apollo MC cartridge), retails for around $60K. 

Keeping with the upbeat groove, I next brought out an 80s gem, Talking Heads’ Speaking in Tongues (Sire 9 23883-1). This is another slab of vinyl packed with outstanding music from start to finish. The production is warm, yet dynamic and clean. Vocals land naturally, and the overall sound flies in the face of the heavy handed productions of its era.

“Making Flippy Floppy,” which is my favorite track on the album, bounces and slides as its art-house groove is propelled by Tina Weymouth' s economical bass playing and the cool, low-droning synth. Again, the Relveo may not have revealed anything that my reference Triangle Art misses, but it didn’t commit any sonic felonies either. The music was, for the most part, evenly rendered with no overemphasis of the treble region. I heard a slight bias towards the midbass, but it was nothing I couldn’t live with. And the bottom end, while agile, did not have the resolution to match the midrange. Again, these are hardly felonies, but more like misdemeanors.  

What really made the case for the AVID combination was vocals, which had a fresh-out-of-the-dryer warmth and a supple texture. The Best of Sade (Epic 88875180591), despite being a mixed bag in terms of recording quality, gave the Relveo multiple opportunities to shine. It’s always amazing to hear hits we are all so familiar with played through a competent source component and system, and “Smooth Operator” was rendered with impressive texture, presence, and dynamics. 

At this point, I decided to swap the AVID Ionic cartridge for my reference Triangle Art Apollo. The Apollo is three times the Ionic’s price, but since I was getting all handsy anyway, and thinking that a new cartridge for the Relveo could be a good upgrade path, I thought I would give it a shot. 

The Relveo really took to the upgrade, even a bit more than I had anticipated. The bass on Keith Jarrett Standards Live Vol. 2 (ECM Records ECM 1289) improved, with the slight veil I had noticed before disappearing. Even more noticeable was a boost in the vibrance and vividness of sonic images.  These observations bolstered my view that a cartridge upgrade down the road is a valid path for the Relveo, which strikes me as a very capable deck that will grow right along with you.

Final Thoughts  

I was thankful for this opportunity to get acquainted with AVID via the Relveo turntable and Ionic cartridge. Even with spoiled-silly ears from reviewing decades’ worth of very fine audio gear and owning an analog setup nearly six times the Relveo/Ionic combo’s price, it still impressed. It did very little to get in the way of the music, and certainly nowhere near enough to dismiss it. The combo tilted slightly toward a midbass warmth, but music overall was very naturally presented. 

The Avid Relveo is a great-looking, sensibly designed turntable that delivers outstanding sound. Of course, there is a vast landscape of options at or near this price point, but judged on its own merits, I have no qualms whatsoever in recommending this Relveo turntable/Ionic cartridge duo, whether to a seasoned analog lover or to an aspiring audiophile. 

Relveo turntable 

Price: $10,995 (US) 

Warranty: two-year limited, five years with product registration 

Dimensions: 17.32”W  x 14.57” D x 7.87”H 

Weight: 29 pounds 

AVID HiFi 

Cambridgeshire, UK 

www.avidhifi.com 

Associated Equipment: 

• Turntable: Triangle Art Master Reference 

• Tonearm: Triangle Art Osirus II 

• Cartridge: Triangle Art Apollo 

• Phonostage: Triangle Art P-200 

• Speakers: Estelon X Diamond mkII SE 

• Amplification: Vitus SIA-030 

• Power Conditioner: Triangle Art RA Ultimate 

• Cables: WyWire