Clearaudio Statement Clamp Natural Finish

Panzerholz, Stainless Steel and Three Ball Bearings That Set Themselves Level

The Clearaudio Statement Clamp is sold each. In the natural finish it weighs 765 grams and is built from the same Panzerholz used in Clearaudio's turntables, machined stainless steel and low-friction Teflon. It was designed for the Statement turntable and works on most decks with a smooth spindle.

A record only takes on the platter's damping where the two are in contact, and a clamp's job is to make that contact and then stay out of the way. The harder question is what happens to the energy the clamp itself collects — which is where the wood and the bearings come in.

Panzerholz, a Ceramic Spindle Tube, and a Three-Point Seat

Materials and Construction

Panzerholz is a resin-impregnated laminated wood, dense and internally lossy, and Clearaudio uses it in its turntables for the same reason it appears here: energy that enters it does not come back out as ringing. In this clamp a Panzerholz disc sits between the record and the steel above it.

The tube that slips over the spindle is the same ceramic Clearaudio uses in its CMB bearings, so the clamp rides the spindle on a hard, low-friction surface rather than binding against it.

Turn the clamp over and you find three ball bearings, each a different size, set into ceramic shafts in the wood at the points of an equilateral triangle. Because a three-point seat cannot rock, the clamp settles perfectly level on the record whatever the label is doing underneath it.

Fit and Load

At 765 grams the natural finish adds 1.69 pounds to the platter bearing; the ebony version weighs 730 grams. That is a substantial load, and it belongs on a rigid, unsprung deck with a main bearing built for it — check what your maker allows before adding it. Clearaudio states the clamp is not suitable for its TT3 tangential tonearm.

What Reviewers Are Saying

Jack Roberts reviewed the Statement Clamp for Dagogo in August 2009 and reported "a profound effect on the sound in my listening room," a change he heard at both ends of the frequency range as well as through the midrange.

Who Is the Statement Clamp Best For?

• You own a serious unsprung turntable — a rigid plinth and a substantial main bearing are what 1.69 pounds asks for
• You have taken the setup as far as it goes — alignment, tracking force and a good mat are already done, and this is what is left
• You want the clamp to sit dead level — three differently sized bearings on ceramic shafts make a seat that cannot rock
• You care about what the clamp does with the energy it collects — Panzerholz and ceramic are chosen to absorb rather than ring
• You run Clearaudio's TT3 tangential tonearm — Clearaudio says the Statement Clamp is not suitable for it, so choose from record clamps and weights instead

How Do You Set It Up?

Put the record on the platter and let it settle. Hold the clamp level, line the ceramic tube up with the spindle and lower it until the three bearings meet the record and the tube is seated. Let go — its own mass is the point, and pressing adds nothing. Lift it straight up, not at an angle, before turning the record over.

Pairs Well With

What most Statement Clamp owners shop next.

• Turntable mats — the clamp presses the record onto whatever is underneath, so that surface matters
• Record cleaning machines — the single biggest change available to a collection this clamp is serving
• Cartridge alignment tools — geometry first; a clamp cannot fix a misaligned cartridge
• Stylus force gauges — the other measurement worth getting exactly right

Frequently Asked Questions

How many do I need?

One. The Statement Clamp is sold each and a turntable takes a single clamp.

Will my bearing take 765 grams?

On a rigid, unsprung turntable with a substantial main bearing, comfortably. On a sprung suspended deck, check what the maker allows before adding 1.69 pounds to the platter — the suspension is tuned around a known mass.

What is Panzerholz, and why use wood in a clamp?

It is a resin-impregnated laminated wood, dense and internally lossy. Clearaudio uses it in its turntables because vibration that enters it is absorbed rather than returned as ringing, and the clamp sits in exactly the same position on that path.

Which finish is this one?

The natural finish, which is the Panzerholz left in its own color and weighs 765 grams. Clearaudio also builds the clamp in ebony, at 730 grams.

Will it work with a tangential tonearm?

Clearaudio states that the Statement Clamp is not suitable for its TT3 tangential tonearm. If you run a linear tracker, choose a clamp with a profile made to pass under the arm's travel.

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