In my last Ramblings I wrote about the Gold Note PH-10 phonostage and in summary, loved what it did with our vinyl (reveiwed HERE) … in this Ramblings let me ramble a bit about the Mediterraneo turntable ($6973 with bundled B 5.1 arm) and the supplied Donatello MC cartridge ($1030).
For the Mediterraneo turntable, from the Gold Note website…
Manufactured by our local craftsmen, the Mediterraneo is fully hand-made: designed with a 60mm curved plinth made of aged Italian Walnut chosen for its exceptional elasticity, strength and high-density, then coupled with a 20mm board made of polished acrylic and finally reinforced with a 3mm stainless steel board to lower the frequency resonance.
The Power Supply of the 12 Volt Swiss Made synchronous motor of Mediterraneo guarantees the best audio performances. Electronic 33/45rpm controls and fine speed adjustments are automatically stored in the controller memory even when the turntable is unplugged from the AC.
Thanks to our proprietary power control generator based on Quadral-Core micro-controller, Mediterraneo is able to reshape the AC wave and minimize all vibrations while improving torque power for the greatest dynamic and resolution.
The new hourglass-shaped pulley made of polished aluminum allows the belt to spinning as smoothly as possible, reducing the Wow & Flutter and the Rumble to extract and enjoy the finest details from the groove.
The 60mm platter Spindle/Bearing system is made with superior materials: the best-hardened chromed steel, polished bronze housing and ceramic ball bearings, all to guarantee a fantastic audio performance and ultra-low noise.
The recessed platter bearing, housed into the acrylic board, keeps the platter as close as possible to the structure increasing rotational stability and speed precision.
With a 45mm high-mass platter made of black Sustarin - a special material based on POM polymer, rigid but highly dampening at the same time - Mediterraneo is an extraordinary efficient in reducing vibrations and preserving great rotational stability.
Attention paid to use of materials, power, bearing, construction, and whatever else they could reason that would make a difference sonically and musically. Check.
For the bundled B-5.1 arm…
B-5.1 is an elegant tone arm designed for efficiency and completely hand made in Italy with great care to achieve maximum precision. Behind its ease of use, a refined engineering is hidden to get the best sonic results.
Inside B-5.1 you'll find four high precision micro ball-bearings manufactured by GRW in Germany and then singularly sealed and packed to preserve their integrity and purity at the best: extreme precision is a crucial factor and it allows B-5.1 to function in ideal noiseless condition to reproduce without effort every musical detail.
The tone arm features a double counterweight system to set up most phono cartridge (up to 15 gram mass) - optionally, other extra weights are available to handle even phono cartridges with higher mass.
Quality materials, like finely machined Aluminum 6000, and Italian flair make this tone arm the perfect choice for demanding audiophiles.
The vertical ball-bearings are pivoted through stainless steel bolts manually adjusted, the horizontal movement is driven by two micro ball-bearings directly inserted in the main rectified pivot.
With a 23mm diameter arm shaft, B-5.1 can be secured on every turntable, improving performances and every day pleasure.
Attention paid to use of materials, power, bearing, construction, and whatever else they could reason that would make a difference sonically and musically. Check.
And for the Donatello cartridge…
The main design behind the new Donatello MC cartridge was to engineer the best sounding cartridge of its category enabling a solid machined aluminum body, light enough to be handled by every tone-arms. The results exceeded expectations!
After two years of continuous research, here is Donatello: a sophisticated, computer designed body made of machined aluminum. Weighing only 7gram, it's perfectly damped to help the cantilever achieve the best tracking ability.
Donatello's ultra-rigid cantilever handles a high precision Micro Elliptical diamond exclusively developed in collaboration with Adamant-Namiki and designed for top audio performance.
As our flagship cartridges, Donatello's diamond tip is mechanically inserted and blocked into a long, stiffened aluminum cantilever, handled in a special titanium telescopic seat to increase structural rigidity.
Like GN top class models, Donatello features long gold-plated pin connectors designed to connect perfectly with arm cinches, reducing energy dispersion and improving grounding for an ideal music background that will let you enjoy even the smaller details of your music.
Donatello Red features high internal impedance & gain levels, so that it can be easily matched with MM phono preamp while the Donatello Gold can be driven correctly by MC preamps, without the need of any Step-Up transformers.
Attention paid to use of materials, construction, and whatever else they could reason that would make a difference sonically and musically. Check.
Well, based on the text above from their site, Gold Note has gone to various extremes in terms of materials, design, construction, and parts to assure that the listener will hear something… something magical… something that makes you sit you and listen. I mean, from the description of what Gold Note did with either the table, arm, or cartridge… there is a lot going on. They appear to have done their homework as well as a lot of extra credit.
Okay, so the table arrives already to go with the arm set where it needs to be set… all one needs to do is lower the platter onto the plinth, screw it down to the plinth, attach the belt, install the cartridge, level the table, and set the speed. All of this took perhaps an hour and was rather easy. Oh, be forewarned, the table is a bit heavy. And while it comes with a dust cover that is beautifully engineered, it was not used when listening to music.
Leveling the table is simply done by screwing 'in' or 'out' any of the three cones/feet… speed is adjusted by pressing the 33.3 or 45 buttons then tapping one or the other to either speed up or slow down the platter… cool having these buttons for anyone who has both 33.3 and 45 LPs… no changing belt position at the motor. Simple and clean. Elegant.
Once set, the Mediterraneo is a thing of pure Italian beauty. Elegant and very tactile… one is drawn to the fit and finish, to the wood and curves. Like the best Italian cars, the curves serve to draw one's attention to the table as a work of art.
So how did it sound? Or how did my music sound when played back on the Mediterraneo? (shown above is the album cover for The Road, Part 1 from UNKLE and further below are the Brian Eno remasters done at Abby Road Studios). A far better question to ask… and the answer is much like I wrote about the Gold Note PH-10… lively and engaging. Fast and dynamic. Clean and articulate. Clearly different than my reference Transrotor Leonardo Doppio and Shelter 901—where the music is more reserved and orderly. Not boring, just less … less movement. Italian versus German? German with some Japanese thrown in? Not to be too clichéd here… but think of this in terms of personalities or stereotypes. The Mediterraneo (Italian) being full of life and excitement, energy and activity… bold, loud, love, and style. The Transrotor/audiomod/Shelter (German, English, and Japanese) is more stoic and reserved. Stable and solid. Grace and tradition. Formal and restrained. Fun. Articulation with a nuance reflecting that of function and form—a balance in nature.
Not to be taken, in any sense, of being an extreme, but more in terms of subtle characteristics. Traits that help to identify differences and define the perspective of the sound being produced. Neither is right nor wrong… nor righter or wronger. Just different. Find the one that works for you. That works for your music in your system. I could be happy with either.
Okay, let me admit that I am not a vinyl or turntable expert… whatever that means. I have only owned a few turntables my whole life—a Sony PSX600 (with some top AT cart), an AR XA (with some Shure top VR cart), a Linn Axis (with a K9 cart), and now the Transrotor (with the Shelter 901 cartridge and audiomod arm). So yeah, that is my experience. Now, I do buy a fair number of LPs, and so it is not so much that I do not need, want, or value an analog system… it is just that I find playing files so much easier and well… that constitutes the majority of my time listening to music. As such, I have not found the need to chase the analog tail and spend $$$ for a table, arm, and cartridge. What I have here works, it does my music justice… it serves my needs and wants. And so, I have had the Transrotor/audiomod/Shelter rig for the past number of years (gee… 10 years or so).
Yeah, but damn you Gold Note… and so back to the Mediterraneo, B-5.1 arm, and Donatello cartridge…
The combo had no issues tracking anything I tossed on the platter … all my music sounded simply wonderful. Clean and ever so there with a lively presence that was fast on its feet… pace and rhythm. Details were in evidence and aplenty, though they were not forced or in the least bit analytical. Bass was deep, solid, and propulsive—more so than with the Transrotor/audiomod/Shelter rig. Stable as all get out as well… I could find nothing to criticize as the combo simply played my music in a way that was … fun and engaging. And for sure… different than I am used to with the Transrotor/audiomod/Shelter rig.
Stable. Articulate. Fun. Resolving. Engaging. Style. Beautiful.
No doubt all of this is a direct reflection on the whole as well as the individual—that is the synergy of the Gold Note parts with what each brings to the table… pun intended. As such, I cannot tell you what the cartridge does by itself, nor the table and arm as they were used as a whole. But… and this is not a stretch, if they do music this well as a collective, I am confident they can do music well individually.
This is what I heard, what I appreciated… how I interpreted what happened with my music. I enjoyed my time with this system… a true reflection of Italian mastery. For sure, it is not pushing the envelope in terms of price… truth is, the Gold Note is priced rather affordable for the fit, finish, and sound I have experienced. A bargain.
Highest recommendation as a system… as a whole. Combined with the PH-10 phono (reveiwed HERE) and you are set for years of musical bliss.
Gold Note
