Acoustic Signature Turntables

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?

Dgob,

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!

IMO, the Mambo material has something to do with it. I know that the aluminum used for the platter is different than the aluminum used for the plinth. My understanding is that the aluminum at the base is "softer" than the one on the platter, so it can handle better vibrations coming from the shelf where it sits on. Also, the use of the brass inserts (silencers) in the platter may be affecting its resonance frequency for the better. This may explain why the difference between different clamps/stabilizers is not as pronounced as the differences between mats. The mat material, in the case of the Mambo design, should mostly interface with the record/stylus relation.

I haven't been able to acquire the Audio Technica AT-666, nor the Jeweltone Crystal stabilizer. I actively tried to find the AT-666 about a year ago without success.

I also use concert halls and live music (mostly classical) as a reference, and not other audio systems so much. Over the years, I've been lucky enough to listened to many cost-no-object systems. Some of them were close to real music in a good acoustic space, but most miss to render the pitch and texture that real performances provide.

I also have the Dr. Feickert's protractor, Geodisc and Turntable Basics alignment tool. With the Dr. Feickert's protractor, the metal piece fits loosely on the spindle of the Mambo, but some electrical tape folded on four points in the hole solved this issue. The Mint Tractor is much more accurate since it is built for each turntable/tonearm combination and it takes the diameter of the spindle into account. The only drawback is that it probably cannot be used on a different turntable/tonearm combination. One will need a 10x loupe for the set up since the arc line is very thin and it's practically impossible to get the tip of the stylus on the line with just normal vision.

I find that a 25lb platter produces a more stable speed and sound when it's completely leveled. One has to imagine how stable of a speed a 25lb rotating mass can produce if it is leaning just a bit in one direction. The Pro 3600 Digital Protractor is really great at leveling anything. I use the 45 RPM adapter that came with the Avid bubble level on the spindle and then the Pro 3600 on top of it. According to the Pro 3600 documentation, it uses a liquid-filled angle sensor. As the liquid moves, a microprocessor then analyzes the changes and calculates the angle. The speed of the Mambo is spot on when it is leveled with this tool. The sound is then very articulate, taut and clean. Timing and pitch of the musical notes sound spot on, at least to my ears.

I have about 7 or 8 different bubble levels. When I set them up on the same surface, and in close proximity to one another, each one has a different reading of the angle of the surface. This puzzled me for a while until I asked a colleague of mine about it. He then suggested the Pro 3600, or one with the same precision, if I wanted to level any precision instrument that needs to be absolutely flat in order to perform at its best. Since I consider a turntable like the AS Mambo a precision instrument, it was very easy to make the decision to get one.

Best,

iSanchez

Isanchez,

Excellent, the Pro 3600 cetainly seems a worthy addition and - assuming I can find some way to try it out first - I will pursue this in the future. I might be able to locate a spare AT666 (with automatic pump) and Jeweltone Crystal Stabilizer. If you're interested please contact me offline.

For now, back to more sound

As some of you might know AS closed down a few months ago due to financial problems. Since I don't have any 1st hand information and don't want to spread rumours, I won't go into details. But all that is irrelevant, since AS has a new owner - as stated on their website. I called them yesterday and they told me everything is up and running again. That includes support and warranty. In addition, my dealer told me that Mr. Frohnhofer is still part of the staff. I just thought this great news should be posted here. Enjoy your fantastic turntables!