There is a lot of hype in High End audio. When a new brand or product arrives accompanied by an inordinate amount of excitement – particularly when that effervescence is amplified by a generous dose of marketing – our instinct is usually to approach with caution. Very occasionally, however, something comes along that not only justifies the attention, but actually exceeds expectations.

Like much of the equipment from Soulnote, the single-box Wadax Studio Player, the new TIDAL Piano Classic and many of the potent products from Thrax Audio, SUPATRAC belongs to a new wave of price-busting High End equipment that is quietly redrawing the map of what we should now expect from the performance per pound ratio.

At the heart of the SUPATRAC Blackbird lies its revolutionary Sideways Uni-Pivot Arm bearing – a genuine first in tonearm design. It is an elegantly simple idea with profound consequences. Instead of attempting to merely isolate the tonearm from the forces generated between stylus and groove, SUPATRAC harnesses them. The drag of the stylus through the vinyl pulls in the same direction as the bearing’s thrust, increasing its security and stabilisation. And when the music gets really serious – those dense, heavily modulated passages where conventional designs can allow the stylus to actually vibrate vertically out of the groove – the Blackbird generates a downward force, pressing the stylus even more securely into the vinyl.

All of this ingenuity and the tonearm’s myriad of other engineering design elements is very easily heard. The Blackbird and its supercharged elder brother, the Nighthawk, provide an astounding degree of clarity, poise and resolve. The dynamic range of the arm is outstanding and above all else, there is that elusive quality we are all quietly chasing, musical truth, the feeling that the arm has been utterly banished from the system.

Unsurprisingly, the reaction from the analogue world has been extraordinary. Michael Fremer, one of the most influential authorities in high-end vinyl, has championed SUPATRAC and placed it amongst the finest tonearms he has ever encountered, at any price – quite an accolade when the that last known RRP high score in tonearm top trumps was well into 6 figures. Mark Döhmann, whose own turntable designs occupy the highest levels of analogue replay, has also recognised the huge significance of SUPATRAC and the extraordinary tracking ability of both arms.

There is a personal story here too. We have known SUPATRAC designer and founder Richard Braine for many years. A long time ago Richard was actually a Lotus customer so our friendship goes right back to the beginnings of Lotus Hifi. We have had the pleasure of watching all that he has achieved from the very beginning. Richard used a whole new lens to look at the intricate problem of playing a piece of plastic. The result is some of the most genuinely innovative tonearms we have ever encountered – and at a price that must be considered a genuine bargain. Every time we meet, we inevitably end up asking the same question: when is the SUPATRAC turntable coming ? One lives in hope.

We are delighted to formally welcome SUPATRAC to Lotus Hifi.