Clearaudio Innovation vs SME Model 12
Side-by-side specifications and a plain-English account of the recorded differences. Full profiles: Clearaudio Innovation · SME Model 12.
| Specification | Clearaudio Innovation |
SME Model 12 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Highlighted difference. £9,900 | £10,475 |
| Category | High-end | High-end |
| Status | current | current |
| Years | 2009–present | 2015–present |
| Drive | belt drive | belt drive |
| Speeds | Highlighted difference. 33/45/78 rpm | 33/45 rpm |
| Operation | manual | manual |
| Cartridge supplied | sold bare | sold bare |
| Phono stage | No | No |
| USB output | No | No |
| Bluetooth | No | No |
| Platter | three-layer sandwich | aluminium, damped |
| Tonearm | Clearaudio (various) | SME 309 / M2-12 |
| Wow & flutter | — | — |
Practical differences
Highlighted cells show a lower reference price, support for more listed speeds, or the presence of a convenience feature. They are not an overall score.
There's a real gap here: £575 separates them, with the SME Model 12 the pricier of the two.
Both are belt-drive, so that part of the experience should feel similar on either deck: a motor that's mechanically isolated from the platter by an elastic belt, which is the usual route to a quieter noise floor — the default choice across most of hi-fi.
Bottom line: £575 separates these reference prices. That difference is factual; this specification comparison does not assign an overall winner.
Live merchant offers
Checking current in-stock offers for Clearaudio Innovation…
Merchant searches
4 UK merchants stock Clearaudio — linked directly to the product page where we have one, otherwise to a site search for the deck.
| Merchant | Type | Delivery | Product link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analogue Seduction | hifi independent | Free UK delivery on most items; specialist packing | View at Analogue Seduction ↗ |
| Criterion Audio | hifi independent | UK delivery; Cambridge demo rooms | Search at Criterion Audio ↗ |
| Doug Brady HiFi | hifi independent | UK delivery; specialist setup | Search at Doug Brady HiFi ↗ |
| The Audiobarn | hifi independent | UK delivery; demo by appointment | Search at The Audiobarn ↗ |
Live merchant offers
Checking current in-stock offers for SME Model 12…
Merchant searches
3 UK merchants stock SME — each outbound link searches the deck on that merchant’s site.
| Merchant | Type | Delivery | Product search |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analogue Seduction | hifi independent | Free UK delivery on most items; specialist packing | Search at Analogue Seduction ↗ |
| Doug Brady HiFi | hifi independent | UK delivery; specialist setup | Search at Doug Brady HiFi ↗ |
| eBay UK | used marketplace | Varies by seller | Search at eBay UK ↗ |