Clearaudio Outer Limit & Locator Ring

A Clamp That Works at the Rim, Where the Warp Actually Is

The Clearaudio Outer Limit is a peripheral ring clamp, sold each with the Spider alignment tool that centers it. Instead of sitting on the label, it rests on the outer edge of the record and presses the rim flat against the platter.

A center clamp holds down the one part of a record that was never lifting. Warps live at the edge, and a clamp at the spindle can do nothing about them — it has no leverage where the problem is. A ring at the rim has nothing else.

Stainless Steel at the Rim, and the Platter That Has to Carry It

Fit, Load and Materials

The ring is heavy-duty stainless steel, and its mass is both the mechanism and the constraint. It flattens a record because it is heavy; that same weight sits on the platter for the whole side and has to be turned by the motor.

Clearaudio is explicit about the consequence: the Outer Limit is recommended for turntables with massive platters and powerful motors. Michael Fremer put the same point plainly, writing that "its weight means that you can use it only with turntables with massive platters and/or very powerful motors."

A Spider Outer Limit alignment tool comes with it. The Spider sits temporarily on the spindle while you position the ring, so the record ends up genuinely centered rather than approximately so. That matters far more with a ring at the rim than with a clamp at the middle, where being slightly out costs nothing.

What Reviewers Are Saying

Stereophile lists the Outer Limit in its Recommended Components, quoting Michael Fremer's finding that it "blackened backgrounds, solidified images, and made them 'pop' in three dimensions."

Fremer also set the boundary: "its weight means that you can use it only with turntables with massive platters and/or very powerful motors" — the single most important thing to establish about your own deck before ordering.

Who Is the Outer Limit Best For?

• Your turntable has a massive platter and a powerful motor — Clearaudio's own condition, and Fremer's
• Your records are warped at the edge — which is where warps are, and where a center clamp cannot reach
• You have already fitted a center clamp — the two work on different parts of the record and are not alternatives
• You want the record centered properly — the Spider alignment tool is supplied rather than sold separately
• Your platter is light or your motor modest — the ring's mass is more than such a deck should carry; a center clamp from record clamps and weights is the right tool there

How Do You Set It Up and Use It?

Place the record on the platter. Set the Spider alignment tool on the spindle, then lower the ring onto the record's outer edge and let the Spider center it. Lift the Spider off before you play. Take the ring off before removing the record, and set it down somewhere it cannot roll — it is heavy enough to damage what it lands on.

Pairs Well With

What most Outer Limit owners shop next.

• Record clamps and weights — a center clamp and a rim ring do different jobs and are often used together
• Record cleaning machines — a record held this flat deserves to be clean
• Turntable mats — the surface the ring is pressing the record onto
• Cartridge alignment tools — worth re-checking once record height has settled

Frequently Asked Questions

How many do I need?

One, and the Spider alignment tool comes with it. There is nothing further to buy.

Will my turntable take it?

Clearaudio recommends it for turntables with massive platters and powerful motors, and Michael Fremer states the same limit. If your platter is light or the motor modest, this is the wrong tool for the deck.

Can I use it with a center clamp as well?

Yes, and many owners do. A ring flattens the rim and a clamp holds the middle; they address different parts of the same record.

What is the Spider for?

It sits on the spindle while you position the ring, so the record is centered under it. It is removed before you play and is supplied in the box.

Does it change how the turntable runs?

It adds real mass at the outer edge of the platter, which is why the platter and motor requirement matters. On a deck built for it, that mass is part of the point.

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