Acoustic Signature Turntables

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

Isanchez,

Wholly agree and am pleased to see that we find ourselves to the nearly same place just by trial and error and our own listening. I've been doing a bit of research myself about clamps etc. I contrasted my mat and clamp option with some notable options (all of which I still own). Key coparitors were the Audio Technica AT666 pneumatic mat and the SAEC SS300 metal mat. All three mats (including the Mat1) were tested in combination with three different clamps (Basis Reflex clamp, Jeweltone Crystal stablizer and Acousitic Signature Grip clamp).

The two best combinations were the Mat1/AS Grip and Mat1/Basis. That led me to do a little research, given the ridiculously lower cost of the first option than of all the combinations that tested.

It seems that the fact that the Mambo is made of aluminium favours the resonance matching of an aluminium clamp or stablizer. Both the Basis and AS Grip share this characteristic. However, the lack of any rubber in the AS gives it the edge in my set-up. You do need to use it as a stabilizer rather than a clamp though. This has led me to experiment with one more stabilizer that is designed to just drop on the spindle and is made of aluminium. I've order the Bren1 stabilizer as this meets these criteria and offers additional weight coming in at 368g. I'm hoping that this will be the final piece of the jigsaw with the additional weight and convenience it should bring.

However, this all depends on the use of a wall shelf. Until I recently set my turntable up on this I was compensating for floor-borne vibrations by adding the threat of airborne vibrations in my isolation. The shelf gives one the platform (pun intended) to find the best set up for the Mambo and, maybe, any other know turntable.

Kindest

Dgob,

Thanks for sharing your findings with mats, clamps and stabilizers. I also experimented as much as I could for some time. I tried these mats on the Mambo:

- Ringmat XLR
- Ringmat Anniversary
- Funk Firm Achromat Universal Record Mat 3mm & 5mm
- Rega Colored Turntable Mat
- Rega Turntable Felt Mat
- Herbie's Audio Lab Way Excellent II Turntable Mat
- Speed Carbon Graphite Turntable Mat
- Extreme Phono Donut None Felt Mat
- Boston Audio Mat 1
- Micro Seiki CU-180 Copper Turntable Mat
- SAEC SS-300 Solid Turntable Mat
- Audio-Technica AT600 Ceramic Mat

And the following clamps:

- Thorens Stabilizer
- Clearaudio Twister
- JA Michell Record Clamp
- ClearAudio Clever Record Clamp
- Acoustic Signature Record Clamp
- Micro Seiki ST-10 Gun Metal Disc Stabilizer
- Basis Audio Reflex Clamp
- Brass Stabilizer (don't remember the brand)

I ultimately settled on the Mat1+Basis clamp. I had to add a little tweak though. The O-ring that the Basis clamp comes with is 1.98mm in width, which is not enough to flatten some records. I use a Viton O-ring, 3 MM width, 6 MM inner diam. This O-ring flattens all the very dished records I have. The use of the Basis clamp also means that I have to turn off the turntable to flip the records, which doesn't bother me. I thought that this routine would put too much stress on the motor or Alpha power supply, but so far no problems.

In my setup, the Micro Seiki ST-10 Gun Metal Disc Stabilizer (1kg) comes close to the Basis clamp, but the Basis has an edge IMO. My guess is the the O-ring at the under edge of the clamp really helps to absorb the energy generated by the stylus.

I contemplated a wall shelf as well. The issued is that all the walls where I live are constructed with studs and thin sheet-rock. I've seen the internals of these walls, and they are not built very sturdy. I would have to reinforce the wall in order to have a wall shelf. I then discovered that my wood floors have a cork layer between the wood slats and the concrete slab, which dampen vibrations pretty well. This is not uncommon for new buildings nowadays. I can jump on this floor and nothing shakes. The floor still resonates when I played loud music. The HRS platform takes care of it in my setup. The sound overall is very taut and clean.

Other items I use to set up and tune-up the Mambo:

- Pro 3600 Digital Protractor: this is a calibrated digital protractor to measure all angled surfaces with accuracy of 1/100th of a degree. I tried the Cartridge Man Digital Level Gauge, but that device didn't work. Once the turntable had been zeroed for both perpendicular axes, rotating the gauge around it own center, still on the table, would display a non-leveled reading. This was confirmed by the retailer I bought it from, so I returned it. Recently, a mechanical engineer colleague of mine recommended the Pro 3600 to me. I find this tool indispensable now.

- Mint Tractor: It takes a good hour or two to set up the cartridge, but it is definitely worthwhile. I've tried other protractors, but this one by far allows for the most accurate cartridge set up.

-K.A.B. Speed Strobe: genius.

- Cartridge Man Digital Stylus Force Gauge: the only one I've found where the stylus is placed a the same level as the record.

Best,

iSanchez

Isanchez,

Fantastic. The testing of mats is a rewarding pastime when you notice the differences they offer. I remember my time with several of those illustriate mats. I do wonder though (technically naively) if the aluminium stabilizer (as opposed to gunmetal, cork/natural fabrics, alloys or steel)has that something extra due to its and the Mambo's material and sound propogation obviously being matched in speed and density. At least that seems to partially explain what I get when it comes to producing a vivid and vital performance with the Mat1/AS Grip - and hopefully more so with the Mat1/Bren1 (just sounds right!:~). Fingers crossed!

Have you tried any of the pneumatic mats? The Audio Technica AT666 has had a major impact on other audiophiles. It works well with the Jeweltone Crystal stabilizer and I might have missed a trick here. However, when I say I am trying to reproduce 'live music' I have certain performances in certain venues in mind (particularly, The Birmingham Symphonic Hall, The Barbican and Royal Albert Hall) and the Mat1/aluminium clamp or stabilizer really gets me there on so many levels. I would recommend them as a great combination.

I use Dr. Feikert's protractor and it really works wonders for me. I've never used a Pro 3600 but would be fascinated to. How much would this set me back and how notable a difference would you say you hear when set up using this compared to the likes of the DB Protractor, Geodisc etc? What are the strengths and how important do you find it?