Spin Doctor

With this in mind, I found it interesting that Acoustic Signature chose to equip the review Verona with a 12" TA-5000 NEO and a 9" TA-7000 NEO, the third and second models, respectively, from the top in their five-model lineup. On paper, the 5000 and the 7000 seem quite similar, but when you dig a little deeper the differences become clear. Both have carbon-fiber armtubes, but the 7000's tube uses an internal lattice structure that adds stiffness and damping. Both use high-precision gimbal bearings, but the structure and materials are quite different. The internal wiring on both arms is made from 4N silver, selected for its exceptional flexibility to minimize any effect on the arm's freedom of movement, in both planes. A 5-pin DIN connector at the base of each arm allows you to connect the included Equator Achromatic cable, from Atlas Cables of Scotland. Standard, single-ended RCA connectors and balanced XLR connectors are available.

I could prattle on about such things as sintered-bronze bearing bushes that hold an ample supply of bearing oil, or the eight cylindrical silencers inserted into the platter to damp ringing, but I expect you're more interested in knowing something about how the Verona NEO sounds. Ideally, I would have installed samples of the same high-performance cartridge on each arm and done a direct comparison, but I didn't have two examples of the same high-performance cartridge on hand. What I was able to do was optimize most settings on both arms for my recently acquired Lyra Atlas λ Lambda cartridge; I was then able to move the cartridge between the two arms with a minimum of fuss. I also tried my trusty Dynavector DRT XV-1s and the DS Audio W3 with the EMM Labs DS-EQ1 equalizer.

The Verona NEO may disguise its heavyweight approach behind a pretty wood veneer exterior, but it doesn't hold anything back sonically. First up, I used the TA-5000 NEO to play "Hard Day on the Planet" by Loudon Wainwright III, from his 1985 album More Love Songs (Rounder Records 3106). Don't let the album title fool you; this is Loudon at his snarkiest. At the start of the song, stand-up bassist Danny Thompson's solo burst from the speakers, dropping deep and tight and moving plenty of air. Rounder was making some wonderful, natural-sounding recordings in the 1980s, and this is one of their best, with the kind of true-to-life dynamics rarely heard on today's recordings.

After moving the Lyra Atlas over to the TA-7000, I played the song again and heard a few subtle but distinct differences. The 7000 took the strengths of the Acoustic Signature house sound, solid, lean, powerful bass and rock 'em sock 'em dynamics, and clicked them up another notch. Both arms are clearly cut from the same cloth, but the 7000 sounds tighter, faster, and more powerful, as if it had been working out at the gym a bit more regularly.

To get a different perspective, I played the Chesky Records reissue of the Rachmaninoff 2nd Piano Concerto played by Earl Wild with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jascha Horenstein (Chesky CR2). This wonderful recording and performance was made in England in 1965 for one of those big Reader's Digest box sets you often find at thrift stores for a few bucks. Engineered by the Decca classical recording crew with the legendary Kenneth Wilkinson at the helm, the Chesky version is a sonic revelation, with a sense of coherence and ambience that few modern orchestral recordings capture. Through the Verona/TA-7000/Atlas front-end, the sound was captivating, bristling with energy, transporting me to Walthamstow Town Hall 59 years ago. The third movement was really brought to life, with Wild's flourishes in the opening section set in a vast soundstage carved out by the orchestra's sound. The dynamics here are massive, and the Acoustic Signature front-end sailed through it with verve and dynamism. This is the kind of sound that just makes you want to keep listening.

At around $16k plus the cost of the tonearm, the Verona NEO offers performance that is truly reference quality at a price that hopefully won't require you to take out a second mortgage. The TA-7000 NEO is undeniably expensive—the same price as the turntable—but I could count the other tonearms that compete at this level on my fingers. The TA-5000 NEO is the real deal too, delivering 90% of the 7000's performance for about half the cost.

This turntable and these arms are everything you would expect from a top-shelf German manufacturer: They're beautifully made and presented, and everything fits and works perfectly. The Verona NEO comes with a 15-year warranty, which is pretty much unheard of in the turntable business and should provide the owner with plenty of confidence. The tonearm warranty is shorter at five years, but that's still significantly longer than the industry standard.

Ultra Carbon TC-40 record weight
In Spin Doctor #4, I talked about the differences between record weights and clamps and the importance of the interface between the record and the platter surface. On a suitable turntable, a weight can ensure a more intimate bond between an imperfectly flat record and the underlying platter, resulting in better control of resonances within the record itself. Record weights come in many shapes and sizes, but few if any are as beefy as the Ultra Carbon TC-40 ($275; footnote 2). Machined in Poland from a hunk of nonmagnetic stainless steel, the TC-40's body contains layers of carbon fiber and steel designed to absorb resonances transferred from the record. The machining quality is beautiful, and the shape of the handle allows for a secure grip when lowering the TC-40 onto a record.

Tipping the scales at a hefty 2.17lb (985gm), the TC-40 is the heaviest record weight I'm aware of, so care is required when matching it up with a turntable. I usually scoff at those naysayers who claim that a record weight will destroy your bearing, cause the platter to slow down, or wear out your belt, but with this 2lb chunk of steel, you probably should put some consideration into its compatibility. No, it will not slow down your platter or wear out your belt, but I would only use it on a turntable that already has a pretty substantial platter and bearing. A 5lb platter sounds like a reasonable lower limit, so I would shy away from using it with Rega, most Pro-Ject, and other lower cost Music Hall, Fluance, and Audio Technica turntables. It's also not going to be a good match with a softly sprung suspended turntable like a Linn, Thorens TD-160, or an older Systemdek. Better matches include turntables from Clearaudio, Kuzma, AMG, Brinkmann, and SME.

I tried the TC-40 on my Brinkmann La Grange with its record lift washer removed and found it kept a relatively flat record in good contact with the Brinkmann's glass platter surface, but with records that had visible warpage, Brinkmann's own screw-down clamp did a better job of flattening the record. The Acoustic Signature Verona NEO in for review was an excellent partner for the TC-40. Its platter alone weighs more than 24lb (11kg); an extra 2lb won't cause bearing distress. Acoustic Signature makes a few weights and clamps of their own for use with the Verona NEO, but none was supplied with the turntable. The TC-40 is an excellent alternative at a substantially lower cost.

To audition the weight's effectiveness at damping record resonances, I figured a thinnish pressing with lots of groove energy would offer a worst-case scenario. I played a UK pressing of the 12" 45rpm single of "Arabian Knights" by Siouxsie and the Banshees (Polydor POSPX-309). This is a congested-sounding recording, coming from an era in the early '80s when record producers were in love with their reverb units, but musically it's a great single. Adding the TC-40 had a subtle but unmistakable effect, tightening up Steven Severin's four-on-the-floor bassline while putting a bit more air around Budgie's massive, reverb-washed drum sound. The sound was a bit leaner and less congested with the TC-40, providing some welcome clarity to the sound.

I found that the TC-40 delivered a worthwhile bump in performance as long as you have a turntable that's stout enough to handle its bulk.

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Footnote 2: Ultra Carbon. US distributor: Monarch Systems Distribution, 16 Inverness Pl. E, Bldg. B, Englewood, CO 80112. Tel: (720) 399-0072. Email: info@monarch-systems.com Web: monarch-systems.com