The man knows his business. Truly, the Gold Note PH-10 Phono Stage is a stunning bargain, and the partnering Gold Note Mediterraneo turntable is an absolute delight. Positive Feedback Editor Dave Clark's laudatory review of the Gold Note PH-10 (HERE) and equally favorable column on the Gold Note Mediterraneo turntable (HERE) could have made life awfully difficult for me. Dave summed up his and Carol's time with the PH-10, "The PH-10 made me want to turn up the volume to hear more and more of whatever we had on the turntable." I sure hoped I wasn't the guy who had to write, "Nope, both products suck!"
Uh, yeah, that wasn't going to happen, anyway. After all, I would've had a gajillion people pointing out that Dave Clark is highly knowledgable about all things audio and knows just what to listen for in products. Editor, right? (Uh... yeah... sure - Dave Clark) Fortunately, both the Gold Note PH-10 phono stage and the Gold Note Mediterraneo turned out to be wonderful performers. Still, although I reached the same conclusion, my impression of the Gold Note system's sound differed slightly from what the Clarks' heard in their system and listening room.
Right from the start, I liked the look of the Gold Note turntable. The exceptionally stylish Walnut plinth, hefty black platter, and relatively compact size make it an eye-catching addition to any decor. Dave Clark's article discusses how easily he had the turntable up and running in about an hour. In turn, I appreciate the Mediterraneo's ability to change speeds at a push of button, as well as its easily accessible and smooth-action cueing lever. There have been times when I've tried to make a last second cueing adjustment, only to see the cartridge bounce off my thumb and skip across a record because the tone arm lowered unpredictably. No such mishaps occurred with the Mediterraneo. Speaking of unvarying performance, I am also inordinately pleased to report that the Mediterraneo runs at the correct speed. My little iPhone app said that the Gold Note turntable was running ideally, and my ears concurred. Could be, both the app and I were a little off, but I never caught the Mediterraneo falling asleep or running ahead, and that's good enough for me. I'm sensitive to the acceleration and drag of turntables when I hear it, so the Mediterraneo's speed stability is most welcome. As for the sound? Dave's review sums it up for me, as well: "The combo had no issues tracking anything I tossed on the platter… all my music sounded simply wonderful."
Yep, it's some kind of wonderful, all right…only, well, I guess we both heard the same durn thing, but different. Whereas Dave extolled the Mediterraneo for being being, "Full of life and excitement, energy and activity," I heard rich, stable, and fulsome from the Gold Note phono stage/turntable pairing. In my system and set up, I felt that the Mediterraneo and PH-10 produced a lovely and essentially tonally balanced sound. It could be that the Mediterraneo's exceptionally quiet background allowed me to discern music more easily, and my increased joy of music owed more to resolution than warmth or solidity. In the audiophile common speech, however, resolution and stridency are often perceived on the same continuum, and, believe me, there's nothing shrill about the Mediterraneo or PH-10.
Of course, it's also just as likely that my system and my ears are too woolly to capture the exuberance of love and style that the Gold Note system displayed in the Clark's listening room. I can only compare the Mediterraneo and PH-10 to other systems I have had in for review. It could also be a hangover from a few months of listening to digital files while ripping CDs for the Acronova Nimbie USB-Plus column. What are the Positive Feedback philosophy hallmarks again? Audio's all about system, room, and individual perspective, right? And my perspective is woefully absent of Dave's experience and direct access to a highly respected Transrotor turntable (not to mention, a very impressive and minutely tuned audio system) so pardon me if I mistake a racy sports car for a sweet sedan.
Speaking of systems, I paired the Gold Note PH-10 phono stage and the Mediterraneo turntable with the recently reviewed Sonneteer Orton integrated amplifier and my Triangle Antal loudspeakers. I occasionally changed the PH-10's gain setting from -3dB (Dave's preferred setting) to 0dB, depending on the album. The PH-10 also has a number of RIAA curve and loading options, but, having gone through them all to hear their sonic impact, I left them alone. What I heard from both phono stage and turntable was remarkably right and pleasing. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's three album set, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, is an old-timey romp of fiddles, hollers, and yodeling bluegrass legends. No turntable ever made will help this recording win an audiophile blue ribbon, but I enjoyed the hell out of playing these LPs with the Gold Note system. The music was sweet and lively. I never winced at a screeching fiddle run or shrill pedal steel guitar accent (well, almost never, but that's the record's fault). Not surprisingly, playing the usual gamut of jazz and classical albums from Acoustic Sounds produced spectacular results, but so did playing long-held LPs by Johnny Winter, Nat King Cole, and Aaron Copland. Listening to albums on this system is a delight.
Dave Clark is right, playing files is just so much easier. What's more, I just spent my summer ripping thousands of CDs, editing metadata, and getting it all to jibe with JRiver and Roon. I thought I was finally ready to wallow in digital music files, like Daffy Duck tossing gold coins on the treasure mound, shouting, "I'm rich! I'm wealthy! I'm independent! I'm socially secure!" There's just something special, however, about an analog system that immerses you in music––good or bad, whatever the next track brings––one side at time. For many of us, nearly ten grand for a turntable and phono stage is a lot of money. I'm fully confident that anyone hearing the Gold Note PH-10 phono stage and Mediterraneo turntable will agree that both deliver sweet, sterling sound and exceptional value. Decidedly worthy of my highest recommendation and Editor's Choice Award (HERE)!
Gold Note Mediterraneo turntable
Retail: $6973 with bundled B 5.1 arm
Donatello MC cartridge
Retail: $1030
Gold Note PH-10 Phono Stage
Retail: $1390
Gold Note
