Clearaudio Clever Clamp

Twenty Grams That Grip the Spindle Instead of Weighing the Record Down

The Clearaudio Clever Clamp is sold each, one clamp per turntable. It weighs 20 grams and works by grip rather than mass: a spring-loaded collet inside the bore squeezes the spindle, and the disc presses the record flat against the mat.

A platter can only damp the part of the record it actually touches. A disc riding a fraction of a millimeter proud of the mat leaves an air gap, and the mat does nothing there. The Clever Clamp closes that gap without asking anything of the bearing.

A Spring-Loaded Grip, and Almost Nothing on the Bearing

Fit, Load and Materials

The clamp is molded plastic, 65 millimeters across, and weighs 20 grams — under 0.05 pounds added to the platter bearing. That figure is the point of the design. A suspended turntable is sprung for the mass of its own platter, and a heavier clamp changes how it sits.

It fits a standard smooth spindle, and Clearaudio calls the spring-loaded construction suitable for almost any turntable. Rega is the exception — its spindle is too short for the collet to grip. There is no thread to wind and no tool involved, and the upturned rim lifts off with a finger and thumb.

Who Is the Clever Clamp Best For?

• You run a suspended or lightweight turntable — 20 grams leaves the suspension and the bearing as the maker set them
• Your records sit slightly proud of the mat — the clamp holds the disc down onto it across the label area
• You flip sides constantly — no screw to wind down and back up between tracks
• You want one-handed operation — the upturned rim lifts off without touching the record surface
• You own a Rega turntable — Rega spindles are too short to take a clamp of any kind; a drop-on weight is the hold-down method for them, and those are in record clamps and weights

How Do You Use It?

Set the record on the platter as usual. Hold the clamp by its rim, line the bore up with the spindle and push straight down until it meets the label. The collet grips as it travels, so the last few millimeters are what pull the record onto the mat. Lift straight up to release.

Pairs Well With

What most Clever Clamp owners shop next.

• Turntable mats — the clamp only works as well as the surface it presses the record onto
• Record brushes — a dry sweep before every side, while the record is held flat
• Record cleaning solutions — for the grime a brush cannot reach
• Stylus force gauges — the other five-minute job that changes how a record tracks

Frequently Asked Questions

How many do I need?

One. The Clever Clamp is sold each, and a turntable takes a single clamp. Buy a second only if you run two decks.

Will it fit my turntable?

It fits a standard smooth spindle, and Clearaudio says the spring-loaded design suits almost any turntable. Two exceptions: a spindle threaded for a screw-down clamp, and any Rega, whose spindle is too short for a clamp to grip. Rega owners need a weight instead.

Does it add load to the bearing?

Barely. At 20 grams it adds under 0.05 pounds, which is why it is the usual choice for suspended decks and light belt-drive turntables.

Will it flatten a warped record?

It holds the record against the mat, which takes up a small lift near the label. A genuine dish, or a pressing warp out at the edge, needs mass rather than grip — and that means one of the heavier clamps.

See It in Action

Garth Leerer of Musical Surroundings, Clearaudio's US distributor, shows the Clever Clamp on a turntable and explains how the spring-loaded grip works:

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