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Avid Ingenium SE
Avid has introduced the Ingenium SE, a new turntable that succeeds the Ingenium Plug&Play and brings the company's entry-level analog platform closer to its more advanced designs. The original Ingenium Plug&Play was conceived as a relatively accessible way into Avid's world of vinyl playback, combining straightforward setup with engineering drawn from the company's higher-end turntables. The new Ingenium SE follows the same general idea, but the changes are more than cosmetic. Avid says the model has been refined in response to feedback gathered from customers and retailers throughout the life of its predecessor, with the aim of improving transparency, speed stability, mechanical precision and long-term upgrade potential while keeping the turntable approachable for users who do not want the complexity or cost of the company's flagship models.
The most important change is a newly developed, custom-designed drive motor derived from Avid's Relveo turntable. It is mounted in a mass-loaded housing and partnered with a new external power supply, a combination intended to reduce noise, improve speed stability and help the cartridge retrieve more low-level information from the groove. In practical terms, this is the kind of refinement that matters in a turntable more than many headline specifications, because the stability of the drive system and the suppression of mechanical noise have a direct influence on pitch accuracy, timing, background quietness and the way detail is presented.
The tonearm has also been revised. According to Avid, the upgraded arm offers greater structural rigidity, adjustable bias and improved cabling, giving users more freedom when choosing a cartridge and allowing the cartridge to operate closer to its potential. This is important because the Ingenium SE is not positioned merely as a closed, fixed package for beginners, but as a platform that can grow with the rest of the system. The company has retained the user-friendly nature of the original Ingenium concept, but the new model is designed to be more flexible when it comes to system matching and later upgrades.
Those upgrade paths remain an important part of the design. Buyers can choose the Ingenium SE with the standard power supply and MDF platter, with the Metal Platter Upgrade, or in a higher configuration combining the Metal Platter Upgrade with the upgraded power supply. The optional DSP Power Supply adds fine speed adjustment and electronic speed change at the touch of a button, while the metal platter is intended to improve the mechanical behavior of the deck and raise overall performance. In this sense, the Ingenium SE gives customers a clearly defined route from the basic version to a more ambitious configuration without replacing the entire turntable.
"The Ingenium Plug&Play was a milestone product for us. With the Ingenium SE, we've built on everything we learned and taken performance further. This is not simply a replacement, but a clear step forward in both performance and musicality, while also providing customers with a defined path of upgrades to further enhance their enjoyment." - said Conrad Mas, Avid's founder.
The main changes introduced in the Ingenium SE include the custom-designed drive motor with mass-loaded housing, the new power supply, the upgraded tonearm and greater flexibility for future system upgrades. Avid presents the model as a more mature version of its most accessible turntable concept - still easy to set up and live with, but now with a stronger technical foundation and clearer links to the company's higher-end analog designs.
The Ingenium SE is designed and manufactured in the UK, in line with Avid's broader approach to in-house engineering and production. The turntable will be available through authorized Avid dealers worldwide from June 2026. Three versions are offered. Option 1, with standard power supply and MDF platter, is priced at €3595/£2595/$3995. Option 2, with standard power supply and Metal Platter Upgrade, costs €3995/£2995/$4995. Option 3, with upgraded power supply and Metal Platter Upgrade, is priced at €5995/£4295/$6995. The Metal Platter Upgrade is also available separately for €600/£500/$700, while the Upgrade Power Supply costs €2000/£1500/$2500. Info and photos by Avid.
