Not too many Acoustic Signature owners here?

[BillK]

I don't see many mentions of the Acoustic Signature Montana NEO or Typhoon NEO here, despite both being within the same price range as many other tables that get regular mentions here.

Any particular reasons why?

 

[hogen]

I have an Invictus Jr with TA9000 Neo arms. Fantastic player, and extremely good workmanship and quality.

 

[BillK]

I'm pondering a Montana NEO with the TA7000 arm, the same combo reviewed in Stereophile.

I'm just trying to justify the price jump between the Typhoon NEO and Montana NEO, but I like the control placement on the corner post better than the controller box in the middle.

 

[hogen]

I'm pondering a Montana NEO with the TA7000 arm, the same combo reviewed in Stereophile.

I'm just trying to justify the price jump between the Typhoon NEO and Montana NEO, but I like the control placement on the corner post better than the controller box in the middle.

I think that would be an exceptional performer, as did Michael Fremer in his Stereophile review

 

[BillK]

One of the things I am concerned about is how lively the plinth is.

My current turntable is excellent at isolation from the table - which is great as I had to use a Gingko platform under my previous turntable or records with a lot of bass would feedback.

The Acoustic Signature looks like the feet also provide good isolation, but with my current turntable if I tap the plinth while a record is playing it comes through the speakers as a loud boom, and I can't help believe that doesn't affect the sound being picked up by the stylus as vibrations make their way from the plinth back to the stylus, adding extra reverb if you will that shouldn't be there.

I also wonder how well it handles even the very minor warps most records have without the use of either vacuum hold down or a peripheral ring of some type.

 

[Ron Resnick]

I'm pondering a Montana NEO with the TA7000 arm, the same combo reviewed in Stereophile.

I'm just trying to justify the price jump between the Typhoon NEO and Montana NEO, but I like the control placement on the corner post better than the controller box in the middle.

JimFord here recently bought the Montana + TA7000, and he is loving it! He says he likes it even more than his former PBN DN-308 (which I thought was wonderful, also).

Buy the turntable you really want! YOLO!

 

[BillK]

I tried, but there is a big long story there about why that deal fell apart and I no longer trust that manufacturer. (If you're curious I'd be happy to PM you but feel no need to drag out dirty laundry in public.)

The Acoustic Signature is kind of a fallback table but it doesn't have the features I was specifically searching for so I'm trying to determine whether it will do what I want, otherwise I may as well stick with my current table which is by no means whatsoever is anything but amazing itself.

 

[hogen]

One of the things I am concerned about is how lively the plinth is.

My current turntable is excellent at isolation from the table - which is great as I had to use a Gingko platform under my previous turntable or records with a lot of bass would feedback.

The Acoustic Signature looks like the feet also provide good isolation, but with my current turntable if I tap the plinth while a record is playing it comes through the speakers as a loud boom, and I can't help believe that doesn't affect the sound being picked up by the stylus as vibrations make their way from the plinth back to the stylus, adding extra reverb if you will that shouldn't be there.

I also wonder how well it handles even the very minor warps most records have without the use of either vacuum hold down or a peripheral ring of some type.

I have the Invictus Jr, and can also speak of the Ascona as a good friend of mine has that. I hear absolutely nothing in the speakers when tapping the plint on either of these turntables. I also have no problem at all with records with warps, they have to be quite big to be a problem. I also have the Bergmann Galder with vacuum for comparison.

As for quality I don't think any other producer of high end turntables are even close to AS, they have a producing facility and hardware that are both excellent, doing everything in-house.

 

[jonaiken]

As a new owner of the Ascona Neo Turntable w/TA-7000 Neo Tonearm the combination has blown me away with its build quality and sonics. The clarity, bloom, air, detail, transparency, 3-D dimensionality, bass extension and organic sonics are habit forming and won’t let me stop listening. I recently upgraded to the Vivaldi One Apex paired with the Taiko Extreme Server and was loving the synergy and output of great sonics between and from the two fine devices. But I hate to say it the Ascona Neo w/TA-7000 tonearm combination blows the digital pair away. I have two friends who have the Acoustic Signature Typhoon and Tornado turntables with TA-5000 and TA-2000 arms respectfully and both love the quality and sound of their tables. I am big believer in Acoustic Signature products, they are well built and great sounding. Highly recommended .

 

[Tango]

As a new owner of the Ascona Neo Turntable w/TA-7000 Neo Tonearm the combination has blown me away with its build quality and sonics. The clarity, bloom, detail, 3-D dimensionality, bass extension and organic sonics are habit forming and won’t View attachment 97356 let me stop listening. I recently upgraded to the Vivaldi One Apex paired with the Taiko Extreme Server and was loving the synergy and output of the great sonics between and from the two fine devices. But I hate to say it the Ascona Neo w/TA-7000 tonearm combination blows the digital pair away. I have two friends who have the Acoustic Signature Typhoon and Tornado turntables with TA-5000 and TA-2000 arms respectfully and both love the quality and sound of their table. I am big believer in Acoustic Signature products they are well built and great sounding. Highly recommended .

They should name it Leopard. May I ask what differentiate the sound of your vinyl rig from the sound of your top of the mountain digital.

Happy listening,
Tang

 

[jonaiken]

They should name it Leopard. May I ask what differentiate the sound of your vinyl rig from the sound of your top of the mountain digital.

Happy listening,
Tang

Haha Leopard is good. Clarity - I hear into the music better. As a musician I can clearly differentiate the tone of the notes and type/brand of piano being played. It’s scary how much more information I can now hear.

 

[BillK]

Here’s my basic concern:

I love my current table (VPI HW-40) but was looking to ameliorate the fact that the plinth is a bit livelier than I would prefer.

However the AS doesn’t address some of the issues the VPI solves, such as a peripheral ring, and I like the VPI is direct drive.

I would also miss the VPI’s VTA on the fly tower as I do adjust in from time to time.

Thoughts?

 

[Ron Resnick]

JimFord here recently got the Montana NEO.

 

[jonaiken]

JimFord here recently got the Montana NEO.

Do know his impressions of the table?

 

[Ron Resnick]

Do know his impressions of the table?

Yes. I visited him on Saturday for my third or fourth session with him with that turntable.

He loves it!

 

[jonaiken]

Thanks, I now understand why he loves the table - best one I’ve ever owned and three of my friends who own the tornado, typhoon and Montana agree - fantastic sounding tables

 

[BillK]

How do AS owners deal with slightly warped records - do you just let the tonearm bounce around or do you use a third party peripheral ring?

Thats one of the things i like about VPI and vacuum tables.

 

[jonaiken]

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How do AS owners deal with slightly warped records - do you just let the tonearm bounce around or do you use a third party peripheral ring?

Thats one of the things i like about VPI and vacuum tables.

To answer your question I have the effective Acoustic Signature Grip-S record clamp that addresses most warped records but differently from the VPI and after market peripheral rings. As a former VPI TNT TT owner, which had a peripheral ring and an owner of an after market ring used with my previous TT, I can appreciate why you might want one for warped records. They do work and yield a sonic improvement. However for me with a limited (500 albums) vinyl collection and only a handful of warped records I don’t need or use one. Plus they add another step to the labor intensive putting on a record process (hehe). I will say with the Ascona Neo I don’t miss the TNT

 

[hogen]

I also have the AS record clamp. From my collection of about 2000 Lp´s there are only a handful (less than 5 I think) records I need to play on my Bergmann Galder with vacuum. For all the rest there are no problems at all playing on my AS Invictus jr.

 

[kimurastanley]

Invictus Jr at my local dealer place. Very solid and heavy weight turntable