Price: $350 (USD)
When you heft this beast you'll understand how it got its name. The Anvil is a weight designed for use as reflex clamp due to its 6 pound, 7 ounce (2.9 Kilograms) mass. Strictly speaking, the Anvil isn't a clamp, but by virtue of its mass, it effects a significant amount of reflex clamping. While it will not flatten every warped record, its sonic benefits are clearly evident.
Before we developed the Anvil, clamping was a hit and miss affair. On some records, clamping was preferred and on others it wasn't. In comparing the Anvil against reflex clamps from several popular and highly regarded manufacturers we have not heard a clamp that we like better. The effects of using an Anvil are qualitatively similar to moving up in our platter line.
Do not dismiss record clamping based on your experiences of other manufacturers' clamps. Of course, we have not tried an Anvil in every possible system, but this is why we offer a money back satisfaction guarantee.
We have direct experience of periphery clamps since our early experiments with the Merrill turntable nearly two decades ago. The Anvil gets you 95% of the sonic performance of a lesser clamp combined with a periphery clamp.
We consider periphery clamps to have poor ergonomics and too high of a risk of damage to your cantilever. We don't want to make this decision for you however. If you're interested in a periphery clamp for your turntable, we have the manufacturing experience to provide one for you.
Application notes:
- There is a small number of cartridges with wide bodies which may not clear the base of the Anvil. Among these possibilities are some Allaerts and vintage Ortofon SPU's (Ortofons with integrated universal headshells).
The design of any reflex clamp (and the Anvil behaves like one to a certain extent) depends on the pressure being as close to the record label's periphery as possible. The Anvil's outer diameter is 3.5" (89 mm).
To make it significantly narrower would compromise its performance. Our money back guarantee ensures your satisfaction. Please refer to the warning below regarding compatibility with turntables other than Galibier.
- The Anvil is delivered with its central chamber filled with lead shot. The removable top plug has a groove which accepts an o-ring, providing a seal for those who choose to experiment with oil or combinations of oil, lead shot, and other materials.
In our experiments, we have tried various permutations of lead shot, oil, and sand. To date, we have experienced only one system where oil was beneficial. This was with a moving coil cartridge with bad manners. In all other instances to date, adding oil resulted in too muted a midrange. While we encourage experimentation, we suggest that you live with your Anvil as provided for a while before experimenting.
Be forewarned that oil can get very messy around vinyl.
A simple thing to try is to remove the bottom o-ring - the o-ring on the base which contacts the record label. The Anvil is highly tunable, and it goes without saying that different systems produce different results.
- As noted above, the Anvil is a weight and not a clamp. In order to clamp as effectively as a reflex clamp it would have to weigh over 10 pounds, which would make it unmanageable.
The Anvil's effectiveness comes from a combination of partial reflex clamping (coupling the record to the platter) and more importantly by terminating vibrations on the record's surface before they can reflect back to the stylus.
As a byproduct of its mass, it also increases force on the thrust bearing - grounding vibrations through the bearing and into the turntable base where it is dissipated. It is because of this latter point that we recommend that you contact your turntable manufacturer prior to using an Anvil - see warning, below.
Warning !!
- Handle lead shot with care and keep it away from children, food, and pets.
- Wash your hands thoroughly after handling lead shot.
- Galibier Design does not recommend the Anvil for turntables who's bearings cannot support the added weight.
- Consult the manufacturer of your turntable before using an Anvil.
- Galibier Design does not warrant the bearings of other manufacturers.
For one manufacturer's perspective on thrust bearings, refer to comments made by VPI on Audio Asylum.- Due to balancing and setup constraints, the Anvil is not recommended for most suspended turntable designs.
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