Turntable Reviews

Easy setup
The Gold Note Mediterraneo X arrived protected in a robust cardboard package. Four precisely cut foam rubber sections cradled several turntable parts, each illustrated in the accompanying manual.

The tonearm was premounted and calibrated; all I needed to do was follow the instructions regarding platter placement. Gold Note even supplied a thick "lifting eye bolt" that screws into the platter, making moving it from the box to the turntable a breeze. That done, I mounted a VPI Shyla MC cartridge on the headshell, looped the nylon antiskate wire around the provided adjustment bar, slid the counterweight over the tonearm's aft stub, and dialed in the tracking force using my Riverstone Audio Precision Record Level. I looped the belt around pulley and platter and verified the cartridge alignment using a Dr. Feickert Universal Protractor. VTA and azimuth appeared spot on.

Setup complete, I turned my attention to mastering the Mediterraneo X's intuitive 2" × 2.5" glass touchscreen display. The display's large, easy-to-read white symbols against a dark background make navigation effortless. The interface controls key functions including power, torque, rotation speed, a timer, touchscreen brightness, even cartridge selection. Very handily, it has a built-in cartridge timer.

With a tap, I accessed the torque-control menu, allowing me to adjust the force applied by the motor to the pulley and platter. "Torque needs to be calibrated accurately, as it's an act of balance between several factors: platter weight, startup time, speed accuracy, motor strain, motor heat," Dolfi explained. "This provides the ability to adjust the torque within the range of optimal performance, so that the parameters listed above are maintained in balance."

"Changing the torque will result in subtle audio differences depending on the combination of cartridge and vinyl," states the manual. "The torque changes in real-time while the platter is spinning to give you instant feedback. You can choose [among] five settings: 5 white bars = maximum torque, 1 white bar = minimum torque." I was the drummer for a rock band called Maximum Torque in the 1970s, but that's another story.

The cartridge timer tracks elapsed playing time for up to three cartridges—as long as you remember to start it and stop it, since operation is fully manual. "You can see the time count in minutes for each cartridge and reset it," the manual states. When a cartridge totals "more than 1000 minutes of playback," you know it requires maintenance. Probably that should read 1000 hours, and in the latest revision, the timer does not change color, but having a built-in timer eliminates guesswork in deciding when to replace, rebuild, or at least inspect your phono cartridge

These two features, adjustable torque and the cart timer, are unique in my experience.

Using my iPhone's RPM app, I confirmed the X's accuracy, measuring a nearly flawless and stable 33.27rpm with no music playing hence no stylus drag.

The X was a pleasure to use, from its rapid startup to its gentle and precise cueing lever. Apparently, the default torque setting is quite high: Even as I wiped dust off records, the X maintained perfect speed and drive. I opted not to use the dust cover while music was playing.

Gossamer daydreams
The Mediterraneo X contrasted sharply with the overt sensuality and hedonistic imagery of certain Italian-art stereotypes, including Giulio Romano's "Wedding Feast of Cupid and Psyche," which to modern eyes looks like a bacchanalia of lascivious intent, with nude revelers and plentiful flagons of drink. I have reviewed Italian hi-fi that nearly fits that description, where heavily saturated colors and muddy lows sagged to support sweetened highs.

The X exudes a contemporary, understated beauty more reminiscent of the current Italian art and design scene. It soars down the road with neutrality and speed—rhythmically agile, punchy, with the solid foundation of a much heavier turntable. No matter what vinyl I threw at it, from the metal of Mastodon and cool swing of Art Pepper to the superhigh–rez recreations of current Prestige OJC and Blue Note Tone Poet titles, the X steeled it with composure, delivering clear-headed romance and stone-solid yet warm realism in equal quantities.

I was curious how the X would compare to that king of Pace, Rhythm, and Timing (PraT), my 65-year-old Thorens TD 124, newly outfitted with The Wand tonearm. On the Thorens, I ran a Luxman LMC-5 MC cart, which, at $2695, is similar in price to the $2000 VPI Shyla I used with the X. I put both 'tables through their paces with the same records using the same Japanese-made Aurorasound Vida MK.II phono stage (in for review at AnalogPlanet.com) and AudioQuest Mythical Series Pegasus RCA interconnects. Spinning the Acoustic Sounds reissue of Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet (APRJ 7129-P), the Gold Note X's performance mirrored my original pressing more faithfully than the Thorens. Paul Chambers's upright bass pulsed with life force and grip, Miles's trumpet was creamier and larger, and Trane's tenor leapt out of the Heretic AD614 speakers with dynamism and vigor similar to what I experienced with the VPI Avenger Direct with the Hana Umami Blue MC cart. The soundstage expanded, revealing formidable dimensionality, and the music unfolded with unparalleled clarity. It was evident that that very low noisefloor—apparent at the very beginning when I tapped the X's surface—was among the X's key sonic traits, pivotal to its ability to capture the spirit and essence of the Miles Davis recording with such fidelity.

The X pulled a similar trick on "The Voices" from Canadian R&B singer Dominique Fils-Aimé's Our Roots Run Deep (Ensoul Records ESR-LP-07). The X unmasked the track, expanding spatial cues, microdynamics, low-end throb, and soundstage size, vocal images placed in extremely specific locations within a deep wall of sound. Serious, sensual mind expansion. Brain-altering Italian hi-fi goodness.

On Aphex Twin's Collapse EP (Warp WAP 423), the X plunged me into the depths of Richard James's mad bass-driven pulsations while painting ethereal melodies across a darkly lit electronic stage. It flawlessly navigated the gossamer daydreaming and kinetic fire of Wayne Shorter's Schizophrenia (Blue Note BST 84297), bringing out the cleaner textures of the Joe Harley/Kevin Gray Tone Poet remaster while maintaining the original's fiery intensity.

Curiously, the Gold Note X's performance with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention's 45rpm version of Over-Nite Sensation (Zappa Records/UME) didn't quite reach the heights of the Thorens/Wand/Luxman combination. The Swiss/New Zealand/ Japan trio captured the raw energy and deranged artistry of Zappa's 1973 masterpiece more effectively. From Zappa's bluesy guitar solos and Ruth Underwood's breathtaking marimba flourishes to the rambling drum patterns of drummer Ralph Humphrey, the Thorens delivered a more soulful, direct, and authentically Zappa-esque rendition.

Conclusion
At $12,999, the X has serious competition including my old Kuzma Stabi R ($11,139 with one arm wing but no tonearm); the Pure Fidelity Harmony ($9995 including tonearm and cartridge); the AMG Giro MK II ($8500 without tonearm); the J.Sikora Initial ($9995 without tonearm); and the excellent Thorens TD 124 DD with TP 124 tonearm ($11,999).

An extremely communicative, spookily quiet, smooth, soulful turntable, the Gold Note Mediterraneo X made itself and me comfortable from its first needle-drop. Though smooth and quiet, it never strays into blandness or homogeneity. It boasts exceptional forward momentum and, with the right cartridge, faithful adherence to the recorded source. This Gold Note 'table delivers a consistent, flowing, non-mechanical musical experience.

The resurgence of vinyl and turntables is undeniable, and the Gold Note Mediterraneo X stands as a testament to our enduring love affair with these magnificent analog machines and the vinyl records they bring to life.