Origin Live Release Mk5 Turntables & New ‘Swift’
Turntable, Design
Origin Live have released images of the latest entry in their turntable range: the Swift. Among the Mk5 upgrades announced at the Bristol Hi-Fi show came the news that a new turntable would be entering the range.
On top of the motor/power supply redesign, one of the major upgrades in the Origin Live Mk5 line is the Multi-Layer Platter (MLP); trickle-down tech from their flagship Voyager turntable, now incorporated as standard on all turntables above the Aurora. The Swift is essentially an Aurora turntable with a Multi-Layer Platter. Why include the MLP as standard? Because it sounds too good to simply be an optional extra, says Mark Baker our company’s founder.
“We were often saying to customers that this platter upgrade takes an Aurora up to the performance level of a Calypso, and the Calypso to that of a Resolution and so on. We not only wanted to make things a bit clearer, but also to give the consumer the best sound they can get, and the MLP has been a game changer on our products for years.”
The addition of the MLP as standard has increased the cost of the Calypso and Resolution turntables. To keep the range as accessible as possible Origin Live have filled in the price point between the Aurora and the Calypso comes the Swift.
The Swift features the basic design of the Aurora turntable, with its cantilevered design. The platter and tonearm are balanced in equilibrium on a high mass sub-chassis plate. Something that equates roughly to a rigid, mechanical suspension. Origin Live claim this not only avoids both the softening of leading edges often found in suspended designs and the hardness in many non-suspended designs.
It also features their low friction bearing, which the company report now consistently takes at least 2:30 minutes to come to stop from 33rpm when belt less.
This all comes alongside the Mk5 Multi Layer Platter, featuring an intricately designed top with over 1000 individual slots laser cut through the top layer. Combined with another composite layer underneath and carefully screwed on to the acrylic platter (not too tight we are told) the multiple layers work to diffuse surface resonance through vibrational interference. Having spent countless hours laser cutting hundreds of different line profiles to test on the top layer, the Bakers at Origin Live also opted for a label sized hole at the centre of the platter which they claim has added Bass detail and depth.
The Origin Live Swift Mk5 Turntable is available now priced at £2,290. The accompanying Zephyr Mk4 Tonearm pictured is £1,080
