Munich 2015

Acoustical Systems' Axiom Pick-up Arm Is on a La Platine Verdier (corrected copy)

Michael Fremer  |  May 23, 2015

Acoustical Systems two years ago introduced the Axiom pick up arm—one of the world’s most sophisticated and expensive. This year AS showed the arm on a "tricked out"La Platine Verdier Granito that had mistakenly been identified by someone in the room as something new from Acoustical Systems. Acoustical Systems will soon introduce less costly pick up arm.

According to Acoustical Systems:

"This is a vintage La Platine Verdier Granito equipped with a SDP ( Special Decoupled Platter). Further equipped with an AP-7075 alloy Dural-arm pillar featuring the Micro Seiki arm board system. The SDP comes with various options for arm board / arm pillar and is a customized solution offered by acoustical-systems for various turntables.

Prime target is to eliminate all bearing vibrations being transmitted into the spindle and from there circular into the record.

Creating this way parasitic vibrations which do interfere with the tracking process and smearing micro-detail, dynamics and creating background noise in the sonic picture. The SDP actually stops this parasitic vibrations very efficiently. The SDP features a spindle totally decoupled from the TT’s spindle and further an embedding (underside of platter) around the “original” spindle which further dampens bearing-sourced vibrations and prevents them to enter the record during actual play.

The SDP is a customized solution available only on direct inquire from acoustical-systems and each specifically tailored to the individual customer’s set-up and requests."

I also saw in the Zelloton room the multi-tube Mal Valve phono preamplifier but couldn’t get any info about the design or the price but with that many tubes you hope to not have a “mal” valve!.

Acoustic Systems also introduced what appears to be a handy VTA/SRA and azimuth gauge. The clear plastic wafer has inscribed on it a series of SRA and VTA angles that help give you a reasonably good approximation of your set-up’s SRA/VTA.

(unfortunately the picture cuts off most of the SRA angles)

Of course a digital microscope is better, but this relatively inexpensive piece (less than $150) should prove very helpful in approximating correct SRA. Another gauge helps set azimuth, but only to affirm cantilever perpendicularity to the record surface, and as we all now know, that is not necessarily the correct azimuth setting because it does not guaranty that you’ve minimized crosstalk between the channels and maximized separation.

Doing that requires electrical measurements using either a digital voltmeter, software such as Dr. Feickert’s Adjust+ program, or a digital oscilloscope. Perpendicularity though is a good place to start!

COMMENTS
Waxxy's picture
Submitted by Waxxy on Sat, 2015-05-23 16:10

That is a Platine Verdier. It just has what looks to be an acrylic platter sitting on top of the original platter. Otherwise identical.

Michael Fremer's picture
Submitted by Michael Fremer on Sat, 2015-05-23 17:16
I write what I'm told!
Waxxy's picture
Submitted by Waxxy on Sat, 2015-05-23 17:30

My statement was not meant to discredit you Mike, just making an observation.

drajreynolds's picture
Submitted by drajreynolds on Sun, 2015-05-24 22:49

That most certainly IS an early Platine Verdier turntable, despite what the person in the room told you, but it DOES feature select performance modifications courtesy of Dietrich Brakemeier of Acoustical Systems. Specifically, there is an additional platter called the SDP (Special Decoupled Platter) which not only increases the rotational inertia and provides an ideal mechanical interface for the vinly record but also isolates the record spindle from the turntable bearing by embedding it in a reservoir of damping gel. The stock arm mounts have been replaced with custom pieces which allow one to use Micro Seiki arm boards. The tonearm is indeed the Axiom from Acoustical Systems and it carries the new Aiwon LOMC cartridge. Also in use is the Helox spindle clamp from Acoustical Systems which features internal liqui-filled voids to damp resonances at the vinyl-spindle interface as well as the vinyl-platter interface (particularly useful for less than perfectly flat LPs).

Acoustical Systems will have a new turntable out soon (a follow-up statement level product to their ground-breaking Apolyt model of the early 1990s) but it will be MUCH more serious than anything the world has ever seen with a very high price that reflects both the small production run and the complexity of manufacture.

jazz's picture
Submitted by jazz on Mon, 2015-05-25 14:57

That's relly one´of the earliest Platine even one with the dark stone. Must have been a joke or mistake to tell this would be a new product just because of a topped platter part, still using the old motor drive etc.

Would be interesting from where they get all the vintage Platines as basis for the "new product"

If it's not especially more dynamic than the old
Platine, it didn't address the weakest
point anyway.

Michael Fremer's picture
Submitted by Michael Fremer on Mon, 2015-05-25 17:08
I report what I'm told and that's what I was told but if it turns out to be incorrect, (which I think it is), I will remove the post. Thanks.
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