Origin Live Sovereign MK5 Turntable

Sovereign MKV & Sovereign Special

The Sovereign MKV now features the Multi-Layer Platter Upgrade as standard. 

The Sovereign deck is a true high-end design. Extremely well specified, it looks and sounds fantastic – simply a near ultimate deck. The award-winning Sovereign Turntable is a favourite of many audio experts – and is owned by Hi-Fi magazine editors and reviewers alike

The “Sovereign Special” Platter

The Sovereign Special differs from the Sovereign MKV by virtue of its remarkably upgraded multi-layer platter. As a rule, the closer a part is to the cartridge the more it affects the performance. You can’t get much closer to the cartridge than the platter and this is where a lot of the magic happens in the highest performing decks. This particular version of the Multilayer platter features some of the key components present in the top of the range Voyager turntables. The result is a huge increase in detail, dynamics and clarity. Music comes alive in a way rarely heard even among the highest end decks. This version of the Sovereign is a highly worthwhile acquisition over the standard Sovereign.

Features

Mk5 Motor Power Supply

The Mk5 Motor Power Supply introduces a new PCB in the PSU on all decks offering even more speed stability and improved sonic performance than the former Light Speed Controller. Common problems like speed drift, motor jitter and cogging are avoided. Speed settings for 33.33 and 45 RPM are operated through one knob with no need for belt/platter change.

Suspension

Our unique single-point cantilevered suspension avoids both the softening of leading edges often found in suspended designs and the hardness in many non-suspended designs. The results are:

• Superior pitch, rhythm, and timing
• Rock-solid imaging
• Reduced colouration
• Refined presentation of low-level information
• Easy to follow separation in the music and vocals

Belt & High-Spec’ Pulley

The belt is manufactured in-house using special material which increases grip and reduces stretch under instantaneous loading, using a unique material which dramatically improves on widely used neoprene rubber  – benefits include increased dynamics and deeper bass performance. 

Our highest-tolerance plastic pulley enables maximum belt grip, resulting in increased definition and dynamics.

Heavyweight Plinth

Using three high-mass layers in the plinth helps to decouple the attached platter, bearing and arm board from the deck’s environment. Multiple layers help to absorb and dissipate resonance through the destructive interference of vibrational waves.

Ultra-low Friction Bearing

Made in house, the new MK4 bearing has ultra low levels of vibration. The spindle rotates on a tungsten carbide ball bearing centred on a hardened thrust pad for low friction and long life. Low bearing friction is essential to avoid vibration. Unlike decks which “float” the platter using air or magnetic bearings, we believe “earthing” the energy out of the platter is essential for sound purity.

High Specification Power Supply

Carefully selected cables from premium suppliers are attached to motor circuitry that is designed to ensure the motor, the platter and your vinyl are running smoothly on a consistent power supply.

High-Performance Arm Board

The high-performance arm board is double the thickness of the standard arm board, but also features a weighty steel insert for the tonearm attachment. the added thickness, insert and mass help to minimize any unwanted vibration traveling through the tonearm Decoupled from the turntable plinth, the arm board is balanced in equilibrium with the platter and bearing house.

Heavyweight Pods

Decoupling the turntable from its environment is critical to high-end turntable performance. For this reason, The feet are housed within heavyweight pods attached to the central layer of the three-part plinth. This not only helps to decouple the plinth, but the mass of the plinths also helps the plinth to resist and manage any resonance from the platform and direct energy transfer from the bearing/arm board away from the platter.

Suberb Styling

The Sovereign is an arresting, centrepiece design. Like the name suggests, its has an authoritative aesthetic, to match the authority in its sound. The unmistakable profile and black polished finish make it an eye-catching asset for any décor.

Reviews

“I find the midband detail to be incredible, as if there is this translucent window on the music. Treble is a revelation, showing crystalline purity and immense air and space. Yet somehow it’s the rhythm and dynamics that touch the listener… I am left floundering, wondering if this is as good as recorded music ever gets.”, “This is one of the finest turntables I have ever heard, and I’ve tried many”
Read More – Full Review >
Hi-Fi Choice

“If you are in this market then you have got to shortlist this turntable. Its just absolutely fabulous.”
“Thats the first time I’ve heard it in such detail with such space around the instruments, and I can really understand again what they were trying to do in the studio. I don’t think I’ve heard that before. I thought that was absolutely sensational”
“…Almost like hearing it for the first time, really quite amazing”
“Quite frankly I am not sure what could be better”
“It’s Like Having a New Album!” – Watch – Full Review >
Hi-Fi Riff (David Price and Mike Evans)

“One of the best turntables in the world… the sound is stunning. An incredible design with amazing insight in sonic terms.”
Long Live Vinyl Magazine

“The high-end vinyl market is such that there are products selling for ten times the Origin Live’s price. What really impresses about the Sovereign is that it’s surprisingly close to these uber-decks in sound quality, build and overall engineering – it gives almost nothing away.” “Origin Live’s Sovereign S/Agile is one of the best vinyl front ends that money can buy. It is so much better than normal ‘affordable’ turntables in the way it makes music that conventional considerations of ‘value for money’ fall by the wayside.”
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StereoNET

“It’s one of those rare turntables that doubles as a time machine; you don’t just play an album,  you are transported to where you were when you first heard that album. Records you know well suddenly sound like this is the first time you’ve heard them.”
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Hi-Fi+

“We can’t recommend this Origin Live deck highly enough: it has the power to stop a herd of wildebeest with its authority—yet it can also bring a grown man to his knees in tears…”
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What Hi-Fi

“I would recommend this turntable and arm without reservation to other music lovers looking for a turntable or arm upgrade. This will be my final turntable but one that I know I will be very happy with.”
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John Kopec

“In essence, this is a high-end turntable and arm combination that flies close to the ultimate in terms of performance level. I cannot (perhaps due to the limited time available for the test), detect any serious, medium or even small flaws. I’d like to discover more… to realise the true extent of its ability to provide musical pleasure. Meanwhile, the Sovereign sits at the pinnacle of current turntable production unless you pay crazy money. As for the arm, all I can say is, ‘superb and well done.”
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Fedeltà del Suono