Just For The Record - Absolute Sounds Adds Reed
Just for the record: Absolute Sounds adds Reed
Reed’s remarkable tonearms and turntables are now available in the UK via distributor Absolute Sounds and its network of specialist retailers
London, England – Absolute Sounds, the UK’s leading distributor of high-end audio equipment since 1978, is delighted to welcome vinyl replay specialist Reed to its peerless portfolio of audio marques.
Established in 2007, Reed built its reputation on the development and manufacturing of tonearms – a critical part of the vinyl replay chain. As well as a range of exceptional tonearms, the company’s current range includes two turntables, all now brought to the UK by Absolute Sounds.
Reed has five tonearm models, all of which are elegantly designed with slender arm tubes (or ‘armwands’, as Reed calls them) reminiscent of an artist’s brush or a calligrapher’s pen. The company’s logo – and its tagline, “For painting on silence” – continues this theme; Reed tonearms are painstakingly engineered to ensure the user’s chosen phono cartridge paints glorious music on a silent sonic canvas.
Three of Reed’s tonearms – the 1H, 2G and 3P – are exquisitely engineered radial designs, available in 9.5in, 10.5in and 12.5in lengths. The flagship 5A and 5T are tangential-pivot tonearms, as opposed to the radial type, with the 5T even including a laser to track the tonearm’s lateral motion and a battery- powered motor to apply real-time correction.
The tonearms come with an array of options, both technical and aesthetic. Four models – the 2G, 3P, 5A and 5T – have wooden armwands, with a choice of woods including wenge, light or dark teak, macassar ebony and cocobolo. The fifth model, the 1H, features a wood-damped carbon fibre armwand. There is also a choice of finish options for the headshell and main assembly – all models offer a choice of black or seashell white, with some additionally offering satin palladium, matt gold or glossy gold.
The headshells are user-replaceable and, for all but the 1H, the armwands are replaceable too. The effective mass of the wooden armwands can be adapted to each customer’s needs, and a range of counterweights may also be specified. There is a wide range of wiring options too, ensuring every tonearm is precisely tailored to suit the customer’s turntable and cartridge.
All Reed tonearms include height and azimuth adjustment, with the 3P offering on-the-fly fine VTA adjustment and even the ability to adjust azimuth whilst playing a record. The 2G model includes the option of laser calibrated VTA and azimuth adjustment.
Naturally, Reed’s two turntable models are perfect partners for the company’s range of tonearms. The flagship Muse 3C offers the ability to mount two tonearms and includes a pair of direct-current motors. Remarkably, the turntable can be used as both a friction-driven and belt-driven design – although friction-driven as standard, by flicking a switch and adding a belt, the user can convert it to a belt-driven design. Other features include a reverse sliding thrust bearing, traction rollers to remove mechanical vibration, a quartz-based phase lock loop system for precise speed control and an electronic inclinometer to ensure perfect horizontal alignment.
The other turntable is the Muse 1C, which features a simplified, resonance-free wooden body with various features trickled down from the 3C, including the main bearing, traction control and electronic inclinometer. Although not user-switchable between friction drive and belt drive in the manner of the 3C, it is available in either form as the customer prefers. Speed options include 16, 33 1/3, 45 and 78 RPM, with the 78 RPM speed manually adjustable from 70 to 85 RPM. The Muse 1C is available in two finish options – moonlit black or Karelian birch.
Now is the perfect time for Absolute Sounds to add Reed’s tonearms and turntables to its portfolio of distinguished audio brands, as Ricardo Franassovici, the company’s founder and MD, explained: “Vinyl remains an important part of the high-end audio landscape – arguably more important now than it was a decade ago – and we are fortunate to be associated with some of the world’s finest turntables from the likes of Continuum Audio Labs, EAT and TechDAS. We have admired Reed’s exquisite tonearms for some time, but the company’s range is now better than ever – these exceptional tonearms and turntables are the perfect addition to our portfolio of products for vinyl lovers.”
More information about Reed’s products, history and technical research can be found at www.reed.lt.
UK RRPs for Reed tonearms vary according to the required specification. The base retail prices are:
REED 1H: £3,098 REED 2G: £3,498 REED 3P: £4,298 REED 5A: £7,798 REED 5T: £15,500
UK RRPs for the two Reed turntable models are:
MUSE 1C (belt drive): £9,998 MUSE 1C (friction drive): £11,998 MUSE 3C: £19,500
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