An exploration of the artistry and expertise behind the Mediterraneo X is a journey through Italian craftsmanship.
Gold Note Founder and CEO Maurizio Aterini spearheaded the project, but the creation of the X involved the entire Gold Note team. The turntable design originated with architect Stefano Bonifazi, a consistent contributor to Gold Note products from speakers to electronics. Working with him was Product Designer Marco Attal. Mechanical engineering was handled by audio engineer Flavio Lenzi, electronic hardware by Chief Electrical Engineer David Scandagli and Senior Electrical Engineer Giovanni Rialti. Software Engineer Stefano Bellucci developed the firmware for motor control, speed adjustment, torque control, and user interface (UI).
"The idea behind the Mediterraneo X was to elevate the [original] Mediterraneo turntable in terms of performance, design, materials, and features, pushing that architecture to a new level," Gold Note Product Manager Tom Dolfi told me in an email. "At the same time, the X was the perfect playground to experiment with a new design language, introducing shapes and materials that will cascade on other turntables and are fully leveraged on the flagship model-all of this while preserving the spirit of the original Mediterraneo. Hence the name Mediterraneo X, where X is the Roman number for 10, as in our 10th anniversary as Gold Note."
A major presence in Italian audio, Gold Note has appeared in prior issues of Stereophile-in Jason Victor Serinus's take on Gold Note's DS-10 D/A processor in July 2020, Michael Fremer's review of the PH-1000 phono preamplifier in February 2022, and the same reviewer's take on the Tuscany Gold MC cartridge in February 2017. Fresh from reviewing the Gold Note PH-5 phono stage for AnalogPlanet.com, I was curious to hear more of the big Italian brand's audio offerings.
Gold medal design
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German kitchens, Japanese amps, and Afropop gems
BRILLIANT CORNERS - I have a day job at a museum. One of my favorite things about working there is taking the elevator from my office down to one of the floors open to the public; I walk into the galleries through a discreet panel in the wall. This makes me feel like I'm in one of those horror-movie manors with a tunnel concealed behind a bookshelf. Sometimes I startle people, which I kind of enjoy.
EDITOR'S PICK - RECORDING OF THE MONTH
The record business was awash in money and power. Vinyl LPs were still five bucks, and while the pressings could be suspect, the music-buying public still snapped them up en masse.
The Butthole Surfers wipe out
REVINYLIZATION - Music's lunatic fringe drifts further out every hour. As it should. In this century, with computers playing an ever-larger role, music continues to fragment and become infinitely more varied. This splintering is either the essence of what keeps it relevant as an art form or something profoundly disturbing, to be hated and feared.
You're only lonely
AURAL ROBERT - The least surprising story in music today is the inevitable passing of irreplaceable talent. Tenor saxophonist Benny Golson died at age 95 the day I finished this salute to another fallen star, Southern California singer/songwriter John David \"JD\" Souther.
PS Audio Aspen FR5 - LOUDSPEAKER
I remember the first PS Audio product: a simple phono stage. It was so simple - a passive RIAA eq filter flanked by a pair of primitive op-amps - that when the schematic was made public, I built one myself; I was in the midst of my DIY years. I thought it was, to use a word from that time, nifty.
TEAC UD-701N - STREAMING PREAMP, D/A CONVERTER
In Gramophone Dreams #88, I described the sound of TEAC's VRDS-701T CD transport as \"dense and precise in a way I had never previously heard from digital.\" I went on to explain, \"by dense, I mean there was a tangible corporeality effected by seemingly infinite quantities of small, tightly packed molecules of musical information.\"
Sonus faber Sonetto V G2 - LOUDSPEAKER
Here's a hard truth: A written review of a full-sized speaker any speaker, really-is, at best, semi-useful. We all listen differently, we have different musical tastes, our system electronics are different, and our listening rooms vary a lot. You will gain a general picture of a speaker's capabilities and foibles from John Atkinson's measurements, and I can tell you how the speakers sound to me, in my room. But that's it. You need to hear them for yourself before making a buying decision. The best I can do is tell you how my music brain felt when the speakers were in my house and making music.
STEREOPHILE'S 33RD ANNUAL - PRODUCT OF THE YEAR AWARD 2024
When Stereophile's Product of the Year Awards were first published, in 1992, we decided that unlike some other publications and their awards schemes, we would keep the number of categories to a minimum. That way, we would avoid what the late Art Dudley once described as the \"every child in the class gets a prize\" syndrome.
Moon 861 - POWER AMPLIFIER
It is unusual to begin a review with a detailed discussion of setup. But setup protocol for the Moon 861 power amplifier ($22,000 each), the top-level amplifier in the North Collection from Moon, which I reviewed bridged in mono, proved crucial to its sound.
Mobile Fidelity, PrimaLuna, and First Watt redux
GRAMOPHONE DREAMS - It's important for readers to remember that I've spent my adult life as an artist and mechanic. Making things. Working as a tradesperson during the day then at an easel or workbench at night.
