Finally I managed to connect Goldenote Baldinotti MC cartridge into my phono system. Screws mount directly into the head. Simple and effective mounting, that really didn't took much hassle. Next tasks were levelling the tonearm, adjusting azimuth, setting the tracking force to 2.3 g's and firing up the engines to up the journey into Italian analog universe.
From the first contact of the needle with vinyl I got goosebumps! What a remarkable discovery! All the great attributes of MC cartridges combined with speed and clarity of the best contemporary MM's present in one package. Balancing act across the whole frequency range! Still have to play around with tracking force, but Michael Franks vocals rarely (if ever) sounded that good with the feeling of presence and emotional impact. One of the Goldenote first two vinyl titles - Gil Evans proudly entered into my exploration of label approach to exclusive analog releases of some of the greatest albums. My attention is already captured by the quality and approach, but you'll soon read more in a separate article.
I'm used to sound of much higher priced cartridges and Baldiontti first impressions are a quiet revelation. I'm no over exciting guy, but simply do love when something hits epicentre of my passion for audio. Let me tell you. This guys knows what they're doing! Thanks to Maurizio, Goldenote team and Igor Kante of Vklop-Ubiq Audio.
Check out few more pictures below and stay tuned for more info and review in due time. I'll report promptly from my listening notes on my listenings along the review path...
www.goldenote.com
Matej Isak
Mono and Stereo ultra high end audio magazine
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