Acoustic Signature Thirty NEO and Merlin NEO record players debut at Vienna High End Show this June
Thirty NEO and Merlin are both innovative, advanced and precision crafted turntables though positioned at different points of pricing ranges. Thirty NEO brings that trickle-down technology from the towering flagship of the range, Acoustic Signature Invictus Neo, to a more compact and reasonable package, while Merlin NEO is aimed to ease up the financial burden of entering the Acoustic Signature world while keeping the promises: solid drive engineering and vibration control combined with simple uncomplicated set up and use. Merlin NEO will be sold as a bundle with Acoustic Signature’s entry level tonearm, TA-500.
Acoustic Signature history brief
Founded in 1996 with a vision to create engineering-driven advanced music machines for vinyl record playback at home, Acoustic Signature marked several important technological achievements along the way. This includes original “Silencer” platter inserts for rotational stability and vibration control, chassis structures made with vibration-reducing CLD (Constraint Layer Damping) materials, maintenance-free superquiet DuraTurn Diamond bearings, AVC (Automatic Vibration Cotrol) motor noise prevention and more. For total quality control and know-how safeguarding Acoustic Signature always relied on its own high-tech manufacturing facilities investing heavily in state-of-the-art CNC technology which now boasts 22-ton five axis precision milling machinery recently installed at the company’s factory in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
“Our 30th anniversary fills us with great pride, but it also serves as a driving force for the future,” explains Gunther Frohnhöfer, founder and CEO of Acoustic Signature. “With the Merlin NEO and the Thirty NEO, we are demonstrating that time-honored highest quality tradition and state-of-the-art precision technology can complement each other perfectly.”
Acoustic Signature Thirty NEO turntable
Thirty NEO is an impressive 3-motor high mass record player which can accept three tonearms. Its main tech feature is extended CLD (Constraint Layer Damping) concept which now includes Invictus-style suspended hidden inserts along the edge of the 14-kilo platter. This massive 335 mm platter rotation momentum is supported by further 24 ‘Silencer’ dampening inserts visible on the platter surface.
Three motor drive requires precision and sync which is delivered by outboard digital speed controller (DMC-20) with advanced AVC Level 3 circuitry to suppress motor vibration.
According to Acoustic Signature, the combined synergy of the aforementioned design features elevates the Acoustic Signature Thirty NEO’s musical performance to a level where this anniversary model can confidently compete with turntables on the global market that cost many times more.
Acoustic Signature Merlin NEO turntable
Its predecessor, Acoustic Signature Merlin was released exactly 10 years ago, and proved to be a capable entry level record player met with good consumer feedback. Merlin NEO strives to keep the legacy of affordable price and great performance of the original, while further pushing the performance with new technologies and materials researched and tested for better sound.
Acoustic Signature Merlin NEO compact chassis minimises the areas for vibrational activity and dampens the mechanical noises with CLD based on a relatively “soft” aluminium alloy. The resonance-reducing engineering is also supported by a bitumen-damped aluminium platter and an external motor housing, where a quality AC motor and its digital control electronics are totally separated from the main chassis. Merlin NEO is equipped with one of unique maintenance-free DTD®-bearings. By adding perfectly matched TA-500 NEO tonearm and AudioQuest Golden Gate to the package Acoustic Signature prepared everything but the cartridge so you can start to explore the pleasures of analogue sound from vinyl disc in no time.
Pricing and availability
Acoustic Signature Merlin NEO and Thirty NEO are available now. Tap the links to visit product page with the current pricing in Estonia and in Finland.
Written by Sergei Taranov
