Acoustic Signature Thunder
Acoustic Signature Thunder
It's a big and beautiful German turntable. One of those you think straight away that it's going to play really well. If someone offers it to you for a test, well, can you say no? I don't think so, in fact we have accepted. What shall we do? Shall we start straight away with a polemic on the sound of the turntables based on the type of the plinth or due to the materials used to build it? Well no, let's talk about Acoustic Signature first. It's an affirmed German brand that has been distributed in Italy for years without firm belief, until recent times. It has now a new distributor that has wisely thought to send the item to a reviewer to have it tested. The Company has a vast production and Thunder is the second model in order of importance from top down. Acoustic Signature offers also a phono stage and various accessories. Thunder is made in solid aluminium with a round 70 mm base that weighs 25 kg and a 50 mm thick aluminium platter with inserts that are called Silencers. These Silencers are designed to lessen the vibrations and the resonances. The noise of the bearing rotation has been removed and this is one of the characteristics of this project. Another characteristic is the mass of the platter that weighs up to 15 kg. The holes drilled into the platter that receive the 24 Silencers are made with 1/100 mm precision. The bearing, that is the heart of this turntable, is designed to be as silent as possible and to be as stable as possible for a long time. It is manufactured with a special hardened and polished steel that has specific characteristics of resistance and has a tungsten ball at the bottom. The bearing housing uses sinter bronze inserts which are self-lubricating and therefore needs no maintenance. At the bottom of the bearing there is a specially developed hi-tech material, self produced: the Tidorfolon. The bearing runs without oil. The drive motor of the turntable is external and it's inserted in an aluminium cylinder. It's electronically controlled by the external unit Alpha Dig that is quartz regulated. This makes it impervious to the voltage fluctuations or to the various noises provoked by the other household appliances. The base of the arm is completely adjustable by a guide under the head base and fixed with two hex screws. There is the possibility to mount a maximum of three tone arms. There are three cylindrical adjustable feet that allow to level the unit. The speed - 33 or 45 RPM - can be set from the external control through two different switches. The weight of the entire turntable goes from 41 to 46 kg, depending on the optional chosen. The one we have here for the review came with a SME IV tonearm.
Acoustic Signature Thunder
We would have preferred a base for our Graham but we were in a hurry and we did not want to wait. So, please keep in mind that we have reviewed turntable and tonearm together and it's about the sound of these two components, together, that we are going to talk about. The producer thinks that this match is synergic and we accept it. We have mounted our reference cartridge, the Lyra Helikon. With SME tonearms is really simple to align the cartridge and it takes very little time. For those of you that are not familiar with SME tonearms, I want to explain that the position of the cartridge is fixed and to align it, it is sufficient to move the tonearm up and down on its guide. With an easy to use protractor, the alignment is really quick, even for those that are beginners. The adjustment of the VTA is not as simple. The arm has to be lifted paying attention, because there are no reference points and no intermediate locks. When you unscrew the two hex screws designed to align it, it comes completely down. You have to take it up again and tighten the hex screws again in the right position while you hold it with the other hand. It's not impossible, of course but it's not easy. I made it, so I guess everyone can make it! The platter must be completed with a black leather mat with holes in correspondence to the cylinders. All this creates an effect that is very nice and pleasant to look at. I'm sure that this is obvious: when you place the turntable make sure that the table you choose is strong enough to hold a 40 odd kilos unit. As you can see in the picture I have used the stand that normally holds my heavy power amplifiers. Practically there should be no problems, the tone arm is light and stable, the lever to lift it is quite resistant and should prevent incautious movements. The SME moves lightly on his axles, with no efforts. The anti skating can be adjusted with a graduated ring nut and the value must correspond to the set weight. You will need a small scale for that, since there are no references, not even for an empiric regulation. The platter is heavy and the led on the power unit blinks until the right speed is reached. To avoid needless belt consumption, I suggest to give the platter a little push to make it spin correctly in a shorter time. The Thunder has been connected to the following system: cartridge Scan Tech Lyra Helikon, phono cable: LAT International XLR, phono preamplifier: Einstein "The Turntable's Choice" balanced, cable between pre and phono preamp: Transparent Super XLR, CD/SACD player dCS Puccini + Puccini U-Clock, cable between CD player and preamplifier: MIT Oracle MA Proline, preamplifier: MBL 4006, cable between pre and power amps: MIT Oracle MA-X Proline, power amplifiers: Bryston 7B ST mono, loudspeakers: JBL 4350B, AC 1, Black Pearl and other self-made, mains filter: Black Noise 2500.
Acoustic Signature Thunder
The output cables from the tone arm are unbalanced, so we used Neutrik RCA/XLR adaptors. I want to restate that this listening has been done using the match turntable/tonen arm we have described above.
We evaluate straight away the "Suite Española Op. 47" by Albéniz, performed by the New Philarmonia Orchestra directed by Frühbeck de Burgos (Super Analogue Disc). The first issue we want to deal with, is that of the difference of the sound with or without the mat on the platter. The medium-low frequency range seems to be more focused without the mat. The deep low is correct and the instruments of the orchestra can be recognized easily and with precision and this is enough for now. Of course it's possible to do better, but it's always possible to do better, unfortunately. The dynamics, that in this recording is very wide, is good. The bass drum is a bit laid back. The speed of the transients in "Castilla", is more than enough. The 3D soundstage is alright both in width and in depth. The microdynamics in Asturias is well reproduced, no detail is missing, no matter how hidden it may be in the record groove. I put back the mat, I listen again to the piece and I notice an increase in the medium-low. It is now a bit preponderant but here we find ourselves in the delicate field of the personal tastes and of the tonal balance. Tonal balance that varies depending on the system used, as always happens. We write what we hear and evaluate what we consider more correct in our system that is probably different from the one you have. So take these notes for what they are and not for critics, for they are not intended to be so. With the mat at its place it seems that microdynamics is a bit more present. May be this can be explained by the fact that the mat grips to the vinyl and avoids those micro slides that may occur while the cartridge makes friction in the groove. The difference is really very small, and it might be only an idea of mine. So don't take it for certain and do your own listenings and your personal tests. I think I'd prefer to listen without mat but with the clamp that, unfortunately, is sold separately. I know that clamps are not fit for all turntables but I'm convinced that when the record is stuck to the platter and the two become one, the system plays in a better way. Proceeding with the listening, I notice that the stable speed of rotation is really remarkable. Even the longest keys have a constant tonality. Thunder's performance, under this aspect is, without any doubt, superior. A little less convincing is its ability to describe the tiniest details of the recording that seems instead a bit better with my reference, the Basis 2001 with Graham 2.2 tonearm. 
Acoustic Signature Thunder
In "Wish You Were Here" by The Pink Floyd (Harvest), the test starts with the mat on the platter. I take it off and listen again to "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" and I have the proof that the mat makes the sound a bit darker, makes the guitar more laid back when compared to the keyboards and maybe few details get lost. I listen once again without mat not really convinced of which is the best listening solution between the two. Both of them have pros and cons. It is necessary to choose and I wish I had the clamp, since the clamp of the Basis does not fit the long pivot of the Thunder. Well, without the leather layer under the vinyl record, the double bass seems a bit rounded, while the characteristic of making softer the sound of the cymbals and of the high frequencies is maintained. The latter though maintains all the "air" needed to let the music flow with plainness and without that sensation of having a curtain in front of the loudspeakers. Dick Parry's sax is confident, remarkable and perfectly in tune. I listen to the voice of Willie Nelson in his double vinyl "It Always Will Be" (Lost Highway). The electric bass is extended, sharp and well matched with the sound. It seems a bit laid back in the medium-low range but it's more an impression than a certainty. His voice is wonderful in "My Broken Heart..." it's as moving as if he was performing in front of me. All in all, this is not an hysterical listening as it is sometimes and as commonly thought about the high mass turntables with a rigid chassis. It's not at all like that. The sound is relaxed and dynamics are maybe even a bit inferior to what one may expect from such big thing.
A great record is this: "Live At The Montreal jazz Festival 1985" by Ahmad Jamal and his Quartet. The sound of the Acoustic Signature has an almost relaxed timing and the impression is that it is spinning slower than the nominal speed. I verify the speed with the stroboscope and it's not so, the quartz control works perfectly. This is a sweetness that is unexpected and many times very appreciated during the listening sessions. For the third time I want to underline that we are listening to the "ensemble" turntable-tonearm and that changing the latter, the sound is probably going to be different. While listening I consider that if I had an audience in front of me listening to my reference analogue setup and to this one - and if the two components were both hidden - after a short description the identification of the two would probably be inverted. And this hushes up all the sound hypothesis made "on paper", that I have always considered fallacious. It is true that the design of a turntable has an effect on the sound, but as I have demonstrated with this test a simple mat, a clamp or a different tone arm can change the tonal characteristics of the source in use. All those people that say: "I hate the suspended chassis because the speed of the sound is slow", "The plexiglass gives the sound a plastic print" or "The rigid chassis is always more dynamic", are only looking for a bit of exposure and attention that the average audiophile is inclined to give to those that give unquestionable final judgments, many times shouting it out loud. I personally listen to every stuff with an open mind and without prejudice. In this case, I must admit that this turntable does not reach the dynamics and the speed of my "soft" reference unit for example. I have to say, on the other hand, that the high mass of the platter of the Acoustic Signature and the electronic speed control give the machine an extreme regularity in the spinning speed with the result of having a perfectly stable sound tonality. If we had more space and if we were sure not to bore our readers we could delve into the details and the diatribe of the different platter drive techniques. We might do it in another article, though. I want to draw now the conclusion on a component that we have really liked. It has a solid and steady look and music reproduction is very balanced, without "coups de thèatre" and without defects. Its price is high but we must say that the materials employed and the kind of manufacturing - for a machine entirely made in Germany - are really expensive. Take a close look at it - pictures are not enough to get an idea of this unit - touch it and listen to it. It's very likely that you may want to take it home with you. Ask a friend to help you, because it's heavy... Angelo Jasparro Translation: Francesca Rubino |
