Acoustic Signature Turntables

Support must be included in the decision for purchase. The best component in the world is useless if it is not backed up by the manufacturer. These things can't be repaired by the local tv repair shop...if you can even find one of those..

Stringreen,

Too true. Sadly, the Mambo might just be the best turn table in the world (I have tried many!) but if it's not playing, it's just a lump of extravagent metal.

I'm now in hope of having this resolved and will keep all informed.

Cheers and more experiences welcomed

Dgob,

I think at this point you would be better of contacting Acoustic Signature directly (http://www.acoustic-signature.com/). They have an email listed in their website. When I was looking into what tonearms would be a great match for the Mambo, I sent my question to that email address and I got a response from Gunther himself!

I've never had any problems with it, but if I do I feel confident that either my dealer in the US or AS in Germany should be able to take care of it.

Isanchez,

Many thanks but I had dealt with Gunther at some length following the first failure of the Alpha power supply. Sadly, his personal problems at the time meant that this discourse was particularly unhelpful. I have now had the actual UK retailer (as opposed to the not-so-helpful UK importer/distributer)sort this out by using a technician from England. My lack of faith in the AS customer service (at least for buyers in the UK market) remains very low. Thankfully, I have however (or, 'consequently') now bought a Technics SP10 MK2 and will transfer to this if/when the Acoustic Signature goes down again.

Despite all this sorry tale, I must stress that when the Mambo is set up correctly (in my case that means using a home made birch wall shelf - see http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/vinyl/vinyl.html, a Symposium Ultra platform, Boston Audio Mat 1 and an Aluminium record clamp/stabilizer) the quality and realism of its performances is sublime.

I hope this helps others and remain open to dialogue on the related topics

Dgob,

Sorry to hear all the hassle you went through. Here in the U.S., Larry Diaz from High-End Palace has been great. I've never had a problem with mine, but he's always very attentive with any issues.

I totally agree with you in regards to this table's setup. If set up properly on a great platform + record mat + clamp, the sound is very, very realistic. I have the Mambo on an HRS M3 platform, with the Boston Audio Mat 1 and Basis Audio Reflex clamp. This combo gives me a very quiet, fast, articulate, taut and solid sound.

One of the main reasons I went for the Acoustic Signature turntable is that it is based on proven technology. I did some research, and experimented myself with another table, on oil viscosity and its effect on the sound. I've found that the oil used need to be specially formulated for the oil-well and bearing tolerance in order to suppress the resonance generated by the bearing itself. So each turntable/bearing design must have its own oil formulation. The only company that explicitly stresses this fact is Basis Audio. I have not heard any other companies stressing this enough. The AS bearings are self-lubricating, so maintenance is zero. And from what I saw when unpacking mine, it seems that the bearing structure is user replaceable.

The motor is just dead quiet. I cannot tell whether it is on or off buy touching it. I put my ear as close to it as I can and I hear nothing. I'll get a stethoscope when I get a chance to see if anything reaches the outer surface of the motor case.

I've listened to a few very high-end turntables, from Brinkmann Balance to Continuum Criterion. I find the sound of the AS Mambo to be more articulate, with more space between the instruments and better dynamic contrast, while at the same time being as quiet as those turntables. Those systems were much more expensive than mine, so I don't think there was any issue with the rest of their audio equipment. I'm also confident that all the parameters were set up properly. It might be that the Coperhead tonearm was one of early units, which had some issues, but I don't know either.

I like to read turntable reviews and tend to get excited from what they describe. But I always get much more excited by the sound I get right here at home. So I haven't even contemplated changing the AS Mambo. Judging from its sound performance, and assuming that it sits on a top notch platform or shelf, and with the right mat and clamp, the sound is simply magical.

Best,

iSanchez