Raven Black Night

*Turntable only

The Black Night model is the flagship in TW Acoustic's product hierarchy and undoubtedly ranks among the best turntables in the world. Its development leverages the sonic refinement of the Raven AC and builds upon its strengths. The result is such brilliant detail and composure that many Raven AC owners have, over the years, invested in various upgrades to approximate the Black Night's sonic character.

The Black Night is based on a 60 mm high substructure milled from a solid block of aluminum. A 25 mm thick insert made of special plastic sits in a recess in this platform, precisely fitted and screwed into place. This insert acts as a damping element between the platform and the platter's substructure. Together, these components weigh approximately 30 kg. The entire base rests on four very stable feet, constructed with a ball-and-spring system, which further decouple the base from impact noise.

The Black Night bearing shaft is made of 16mm stainless steel with a stainless steel ball at the tip. The bronze bearing bushing is mounted in an elastomer; a special plastic bearing surface is located at its tip. As with the smaller models, a few drops of the supplied oil on the bearing shaft are sufficient for years of operation.

The 60 mm high platter of the Black Night is a special construction, requiring a highly complex manufacturing process. It consists of 40 mm thick solid copper, which must be meticulously shaped into a perfect circle, and a 20 mm thick base plate made of special plastic. The construction is challenging, in part, because it is normally impossible to simply screw two flattened discs together without creating a tiny groove at the edge. Visually, this combination is spectacular, and the sound is equally impressive. The platter weighs approximately 20 kg.

The Black Night comes with a special version of the 3-in-1 motor. The 10 kg motor housing is encased in its own solid aluminum plinth. It mirrors the Black Night's design and also rests on decoupling feet. The combination is a real eye-catcher and sonically surpasses even the excellent "regular" 3-in-1 motor housing.

The battery-powered motor controller for the Black Night will be released in 2019 in a new version with even greater capacity. While one battery bank is powering the turntable, the other is automatically charged. Visually, the current motor controller, with its spherical knobs, is somewhat more discreet than its predecessor.

The Black Night can accommodate four tonearms. It comes standard with a tonearm base compatible with the desired tonearm. The in-house Raven 10.5 or Raven 12 tonearms are highly recommended. Retrofitting tonearm bases is possible at any time.

A Raven Black Night turntable requires space for setup. A sturdy, two-tiered rack is a good choice. A footprint of 79 cm x 42 cm, capable of supporting up to 70 kg, is suitable. Please note that the turntable should be assembled by two people.