Turntable and Accessories Reviews

AVIDHIFI ALTUS and NEXUS Tonearms

Christiaan Punter 5 June 2023 No Comments

Listening – ALTUS

Upon first handling the ALTUS it feels reassuringly sturdy as well as perhaps more lightweight than one might expect from the AVIDHIFI brand. Nevertheless, this arm sounds anything but lightweight. Its sonic presentation is concrete, focused, down-to-earth, very neutral, and beautifully linear. Simultaneously, it is highly resolving and quite refined, certainly given its friendly price.

Tracking is excellent, confirming that the arm is well-suited to being fitted with the relatively low-compliance AVIDHIFI BORON cartridge. I was anticipating the need to re-adjust the VTF, but as it turned out, the same 2.27 grams that I used with the Audio Origami arm seems to be ideal with this arm as well.

As part of my initial AVIDHIFI turntable review, I listened to the TA-1 and TA-3 tonearms which are the equivalent of Rega RB-220 and Rega RB-330, and it is immediately clear that the ALTUS may be AVIDHIFI’s entry-level tonearm but its performance is anything but. There’s really no contest with the ALTUS performing miles better in many areas such as liquidity, refinement, airiness, and nuance. Of course, it may be expected for the ALTUS to outperform these budget tonearms but also when compared to other tonearms in its price range, the ALTUS remains a really good proposition. The Sorane SA 1.2, for example, starting at 2.150 euros, does not sound quite as linear and balanced and it does not have the same level of resolution and refinement as the ALTUS.

The ALTUS is elegant from all angles.

It’s only when you move the price point way up that you encounter competition. The Audio Origami PU-7 adds more liquidity, resolution, clarity, spriteliness, and delicacy/refinement, along with a more spacious presentation that manages to elude more magic from the Sequel SP turntable. That’s only fair, of course, given the PU-7 costs roughly double. At the same time, this comparison neatly establishes the ALTUS’s excellent performance at its price level.

Its all-around great performance is further cemented by its excellent bass precision and articulation, as well as its exuberant dynamic behavior, all of which is more or less on par with the PU-7. I’d say that is quite an achievement

Listening – NEXUS

The NEXUS arm feels considerably heavier than the ALTUS and it seems that this is reflected in the sound. The arm features the same AVIDHIFI hallmarks as the ALTUS, sounding exceptionally solid and concrete, well-focused, and down-to-earth. With its Titanium arm, the NEXUS is inherently sturdier which I feel translates to the sound that feels more rigid and down to earth and arguably less exuberant and playful. Nevertheless, the NEXUS further ups the game with even bigger bass, deeper tonal saturation, creamier mids, and more expansive soundstaging. Meanwhile, although very confident, the NEXUS manages to also sound rather relaxed.

At 19 grams, the NEXUS’ effective mass is only 1 gram higher than that of the ALTUS but given its sturdier feel, I still felt it appropriate to experiment with the VTF to find the ideal balance. And indeed, a reduction to 2.17 grams made for a better balance between airiness and finesse, and solid confidence. Nevertheless, the NEXUS remains tonally darker, as well as more solid, and more confident than its smaller sibling. It’s a little less spritely and enthusiastic and trades this for a fuller, tonally more deeply saturated, overall earthier, more planted approach.

Addendum – headshell wires

When I performed the tests for this review I listened to the arm as supplied, including the headshell wires. This is a bit of a missed opportunity as I later learned that AVIDHIFI expects users to substitute the NEXUS headshell wires with more exotic versions. They may be short wires but I imagine that they will still provide a good opportunity for tweaking.

Conclusion

Both AVIDHIFI tonearms have been designed with an ideal balance between rigidity and tracking performance in mind. They are very stable and this results in a sound characteristic that perfectly exemplifies AVIDHIFI’s focus on rigidity. Both tonearms sound decidedly neutral, solid, well-grounded, and focused, as well as refined and rather delicate, and with excellent tracking.

Both models exemplify the AVIDHIFI ethos. Bang for buck, the ALTUS is unbeatable. What the higher-tier NEXUS provides in its basic guise, besides very tasty looks, is a rather substantial shift in sonic presentation. If ultimate bass heft, body, solidity, midrange richness, and tonal saturation are high on the priority list, then this is the arm to get. Additionally, the NEXUS allows further tweaking of the sound by substituting the headshell wires.

Associated Equipment