There was a post about the Concept on audiokarma about a month ago. Here's what I said there:
My opinion: I would advise you not to buy a Concept. After many months as a staunch defender of Clearaudio, I have now had sufficient quality control problems that I wouldn't recommend their products at all.
The short version is:
(1) June: Bought a Concept. Loved the sound, loved the looks.
(2) August: the stylus fell out of the cartridge while playing a record. Sent it to Clearaudio, they refused to cover it under the warranty. Spent another $200 on a new Concept MM cartridge.
(3) September: the locking screw for the tonearm's VTA adjustment fell out. Had to have Clearaudio send me a new screw.
(4) December: having fallen in love with vinyl and having found a good deal on an Innovation, upgraded to the Innovation. Within 2 days, it became apparent that the motor and/or bearing were defective.
(5) December: the power supply broke on the Concept. The male plug in the back of the turntable that the power supply plugs into broke off inside the plug.
(6) January: returned the Concept to the dealer for a refund in light of all the problems. Just bought a VPI Classic. Maybe it'll have reliability issues down the line, maybe not. But they couldnt be worse than the problems I've had with Clearaudio.
In sum, Clearaudio products have amazing sound and looks -- WHEN they work. For myself, i'd never buy another of their products in my life.
My opinion: I would advise you not to buy a Concept. After many months as a staunch defender of Clearaudio, I have now had sufficient quality control problems that I wouldn't recommend their products at all.
The short version is:
(1) June: Bought a Concept. Loved the sound, loved the looks.
(2) August: the stylus fell out of the cartridge while playing a record. Sent it to Clearaudio, they refused to cover it under the warranty. Spent another $200 on a new Concept MM cartridge.
(3) September: the locking screw for the tonearm's VTA adjustment fell out. Had to have Clearaudio send me a new screw.
(4) December: having fallen in love with vinyl and having found a good deal on an Innovation, upgraded to the Innovation. Within 2 days, it became apparent that the motor and/or bearing were defective.
(5) December: the power supply broke on the Concept. The male plug in the back of the turntable that the power supply plugs into broke off inside the plug.
(6) January: returned the Concept to the dealer for a refund in light of all the problems. Just bought a VPI Classic. Maybe it'll have reliability issues down the line, maybe not. But they couldnt be worse than the problems I've had with Clearaudio.
In sum, Clearaudio products have amazing sound and looks -- WHEN they work. For myself, i'd never buy another of their products in my life.