Gold Note Tuscany Phono Cartridge - Dreamedia AV

Vendor: Gold Note

Gold Note Tuscany Phono Cartridge

Italian Craftsmanship and Audiophile Precision

$8,999.00; $8,999.00
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Gold Note Tuscany Phono Cartridge

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Experience the Pinnacle of Vinyl Playback with the Gold Note Tuscany Phono Cartridge

In the realm of high-fidelity audio, the pursuit of pure, unadulterated sound is the ultimate quest for audiophiles and music enthusiasts alike. At the heart of this quest lies the phono cartridge, a critical component that can elevate your vinyl listening experience to celestial heights. The Gold Note Tuscany Phono Cartridge, handcrafted in the historic city of Florence, Italy, is here to redefine the boundaries of analog audio reproduction.

Italian Craftsmanship Meets Sonic Excellence

The Tuscany Phono Cartridge is a testament to Italian craftsmanship, where each cartridge is meticulously handmade, ensuring unparalleled quality and attention to detail. Its exotic design is not just about aesthetics; it's a statement of commitment to excellence in both form and function.

Unrivaled Sound Quality

Gold Note's dedication to sonic purity is evident in the Tuscany's technical prowess:

Low Output Moving Coil (MC) Design: Delivers a precise and detailed audio signal with a low output level of 0.25mV, ideal for high-end audio systems.
Expansive Frequency Response: With an astonishing range of 5Hz to 55kHz, the Tuscany captures the full spectrum of sound, from the deepest bass to the most delicate trebles.
Optimized Impedance and Load: The internal impedance of 4Ω and suggested load of 47Ω ensure that the Tuscany interfaces seamlessly with your preamp for optimal performance.
Superb Channel Separation: Greater than 35dB channel separation for a wide and immersive soundstage that places you at the center of the performance.
Precise Tracking Weight: A suggested tracking weight of 1.8g to 2.1g ensures that the cartridge navigates your records' grooves with finesse, preserving your vinyl and extracting every nuance of the recording.

Advanced Materials for Unmatched Performance

The Tuscany's components are a showcase of innovation and high-quality materials:

Boron Cantilever with Micro Ridge Diamond: The boron cantilever paired with a Super Micro Ridge diamond stylus delivers accuracy and durability, ensuring that the Tuscany maintains its exquisite sound quality over time.
Silver Coil Wire and Samarium-Cobalt Magnet: These elements work in harmony to produce a clear and dynamic signal with minimal distortion.

Exquisite Stylus and Cantilever Design

The Adamant-Namiki MicroRidge stylus, renowned for its extra-thin profile, ensures deep vinyl groove contact, revealing every single musical detail. The telescopic boron cantilever offers a balanced musicality and transparency that audiophiles seek.

A Symphony of Materials

The Tuscany's body, made from solid black ebony injected with Ertalon® & Sustarin®, not only looks stunning but also contributes to the cartridge's dampening properties, resulting in a surprisingly silent background that allows the music to shine through.

Features at a Glance

Design: Italian high-quality exotic design
Stylus Tip: Extra-thin Micro Ridge diamond stylus-tip
Pin Connectors: Thin and long gold-plated for superior signal transmission
Grounding: Enhanced grounding for a silent background
Handmade: Completely handmade in Florence, Italy
Companion: Compatible with a wide range of tonearms and turntables
Sound Quality: High-End sound quality for the discerning listener
Performance: Outstanding performance in its category

Harmonic Reproduction and Soundstaging

The Tuscany Phono Cartridge excels in reproducing the harmonics and shimmer of instruments with lifelike accuracy. Its ability to handle female voices with finesse and deliver a layer of air around the notes is nothing short of enchanting. The wide, deep soundstaging and solid, three-dimensional imaging transport you to the recording venue, offering a truly immersive listening experience.

Warmth and Accuracy

The Tuscany is known for its tonal neutrality with a subtle richness and a fully extended bottom end that is firmly controlled. This warmth and accuracy create a chameleonic effect, adapting to any genre with ease, ensuring that each record spins a tale as authentic as its original performance.

Silent Groove Traversal and Tracking

With exceptional tracking ability and silent groove traversal, the Tuscany ensures that the music flows uninterrupted, free from extraneous noise and distortion. The result is a warm and accurate sound that is as close to the original recording as possible.

The Ideal Match for Your Turntable

Whether you are looking to upgrade your current cartridge or setting up a new high-end system, the Tuscany is the ideal companion for any tonearm and turntable. Its balanced musicality and deep groove contact provide an ideal connection with the arm cinch, ensuring that every record is played back with the utmost fidelity.

A Priceless Addition to Your Audio System

The Gold Note Tuscany Phono Cartridge represents a significant investment in your audio experience. With retail prices of 7300€ for the Tuscany Gold and 4800€ for the Tuscany Red, it is a premium component that promises to bring out the best in your vinyl collection.

In Summary

The Gold Note Tuscany Phono Cartridge is more than just a component; it's an invitation to experience vinyl playback at its most profound and moving. With its blend of Italian artisanship, advanced materials, and sonic excellence, the Tuscany is poised to become the crown jewel of your audio system.

To begin your journey towards the pinnacle of analog sound, Dreamedia is here to help design and integrate the Gold Note Tuscany Phono Cartridge into your home theater system. Embrace the warmth, accuracy, and immersive sound that only a cartridge of this caliber can provide.

Rediscover your passion for vinyl with the Gold Note Tuscany Phono Cartridge – where every note is a masterpiece.

Our Review

Introduction

Vinyl enthusiasts understand that the heart of their listening experience often lies in the minute grooves of their records and the device that traverses these grooves: the phono cartridge. As an integral component of the vinyl playback chain, a phono cartridge's quality is paramount. Gold Note, an esteemed Italian audio manufacturer, has infused its craftsmanship into the Tuscany Phono Cartridge line, offering an auditory experience that promises to be as rich and textured as the cultural landscape from which it hails.

Design and Build Quality

The Gold Note Tuscany Phono Cartridge is a testament to meticulous engineering and aesthetic sophistication. Its solid black ebony body, a dense hardwood known for its acoustic properties, is injected with Ertalon® and Sustarin® – materials chosen for their damping characteristics and mechanical stability. This combination not only gives the cartridge a luxurious appearance but also contributes to its acoustic performance. Weighing in at 11 grams, the Tuscany is substantial yet within a range that accommodates a variety of tonearms without undue stress.

Technical Specifications

Delving into the technical prowess of the Tuscany, we find an output of 0.25mV, which is consistent with many low-output moving coil cartridges and requires a phono stage with adequate gain. Its frequency response stretches from 5Hz to 55kHz, indicating an ability to reproduce a wide spectrum of sounds from the deepest bass to the highest treble. The internal impedance of 4 ohms and compliance of 10×10⁻⁶cm/dyne reflect a cartridge that is designed to work in harmony with a wide range of tonearms, translating the kinetic energy of the stylus into electrical signals with precision. The Adamant-Namiki MicroRidge stylus, a premium choice, sits on a boron cantilever, known for its rigidity and lightness, ensuring nuanced tracking and responsiveness.

Installation and Setup

Proper installation is crucial for extracting the full potential of the Tuscany cartridge. Aligning the cartridge for optimal tracking and azimuth requires patience and precision, as does setting the correct tracking force. While the process can be intricate and may daunt the novice user, the rewards are in the details. The Tuscany's design facilitates ideal contact with the arm cinch, which, once achieved, provides a stable and secure platform for the cartridge to perform. Cleaning and maintenance, although somewhat challenging, are essential for preserving the delicate stylus and ensuring long-term performance.

Performance

The Tuscany cartridge's sonic character is marked by a tonal neutrality that does not sacrifice warmth or detail. It offers a speedy richness, allowing for an immersive listening experience that captures the essence of a performance. The bass, described as lean at first, matures with a break-in period to reveal a fullness and control that underpin the music without overwhelming it. The soundstaging is expansive, with a three-dimensional imaging that positions each instrument in its own space, contributing to a live, concert-like atmosphere. High channel separation and a wide frequency response ensure that every nuance is captured, from the breathy subtleties of a jazz singer to the complex harmonics of a symphony orchestra.

Compatibility

The Tuscany is not a one-size-fits-all solution; it shines brightest when matched with turntables and tonearms of comparable quality. Its performance can vary significantly depending on the phono stage used. Some stages may tilt the Tuscany's sound towards the analytical, which, while revealing, may not suit all tastes. It is most at home with classical, jazz, and acoustic genres, where its ability to handle delicate nuances comes to the fore. The cartridge's tendency to be less suited for heavy metal music should be considered by those whose collections lean heavily in that direction.

Strengths and Weaknesses

The Tuscany cartridge is a paragon of high-fidelity vinyl playback, offering an impeccable balance of musicality and transparency. Its construction is of the highest quality, ensuring deep groove contact and a silent background that serves as a canvas for the music. However, the measured channel separation falling slightly short of the claimed value, while not detrimental, is a reminder that specifications on paper do not always fully translate to real-world performance. Additionally, the bass response and the need for a careful break-in period may require patience from the listener.

Value and Market Position

Priced at 7300€ for the Tuscany Gold and 4800€ for the Tuscany Red, the cartridges represent a significant investment. When compared to other high-end cartridges, the Tuscany holds its own, offering a level of craftsmanship and performance that justifies its cost for the discerning audiophile. In the landscape of luxury audio components, the Gold Note Tuscany Cartridge occupies a niche for those who seek an exquisite balance of technical excellence and sonic artistry.

Final Thoughts

The Gold Note Tuscany Phono Cartridge is a remarkable piece of audio equipment, embodying the confluence of Italian craftsmanship and audiophile-grade performance. It offers a listening experience that is both accurate and emotionally engaging, rewarding the listener with every detail and texture of the music. While its idiosyncrasies, such as the setup complexity and genre specificity, may not appeal to everyone, those who invest the time and effort will find the Tuscany to be an enriching addition to their analog audio system. It stands as a beacon of quality for those who value precision, warmth, and depth in their vinyl playback.

Specifications

General Specifications

Type: MC Low Output Phono Cartridge
Output Level: 0.25mV
Frequency Response: 5-55000Hz
Impedance: 4Ω
Suggested Load: 47Ω
Compliance: 10×10-6cm/dyne
Channel Separation: > 35dB
Suggested Tracking Weight: 1.8g to 2.1g
Cantilever: Boron
Diamond: Super Micro Ridge
Coil Wire: Silver
Magnet: Samarium-Cobalt
Mounting Hole Diamond Distance: 6.5mm
Weight: 11g
Body: Duraluminium 7000 alloy black with golden logo

Features

Design: Italian high-quality exotic design
Stylus Tip: Extra-thin Micro Ridge diamond stylus-tip developed by Adamant-Namiki
Pin Connectors: Thin and long gold-plated
Grounding: Improved grounding for a silent background
Handmade: Completely handmade in Italy
Companion: Ideal companion for any tonearm and turntable matching
Sound Quality: High-End sound quality
Performance: Excellent performance in its category