Acoustic Solid 110 Metall Review

At Mercedes-Benz, they affectionately abbreviate model facelift to “MoPf”. This acronym has long been established in the automobile and motorcycle industries and stands for the visual refresh of models already on the market. The “MoPf” fits “perfectly” into the model region, thinks the author, who lives in the Swabian metropolis and knows what he’s talking about.

The “MoPf” goes hand in hand with one of the most important Swabian virtues: meticulous tinkering.

Continuous detail improvements are a fixed part of the corporate DNA at Wirth Tonmaschinenbau GmbH from Altdorf near Esslingen—and this is a great blessing for the analog community, as our test candidate, the completely overhauled Solid 110 Metal, reveals.

The test subject costs $2,700 in a package with Rega arm and Audio-Technica VM740ML cartridge—a quite attractive offer, especially since the namesake predecessor had already received a “Highlight” rating from us, and Acoustic Solid was able to optimize the chrome-flashing belt-drive in several sound-relevant areas.

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The most important “MoPf” measure is the replacement of the cast bearing base with a ruby bearing. This brings the Solid 110 Metal in line with the rest of Acoustic Solid’s turntable portfolio. In other words, the Swabian analog specialists now only offer turntables with high-quality ruby bearings. As you might have guessed, these come from a Baden-Württemberg supplier. Contact with the new gemstone base is still made by a polished ceramic ball, which is pressed into a bearing spindle and sits in a perfectly fitting sleeve.

Flexibility is Key

Since in the new Solid 110 Metal, the control and motor are now housed not in two but in one casing, there is more space around the now 5-millimeter thicker platter. That means analog enthusiasts can have mounts for up to three tonearms installed. Even 12-inch arms are no problem.

Acoustic Solid not only lends customers the appropriate template for this; the Swabians also ensure the correct diameter of the shaft holding ring. 30 millimeters is the maximum of what is possible for the flexible and impeccably crafted turntable.

Otherwise, much remains the same with the Solid 110 Metal: We find a synchronous motor from Berger, as well as a modified Rega arm, which dispenses with the spring-loaded tracking force adjustment usually found at Rega. And on the 7-kilogram solid aluminum platter (previously: 6 kilograms) sits, typical for the Altdorf manufactory, a leather mat and on top of that an additional 3-millimeter Plexiglas disc.

On the Heels of Big Brother

In the headshell of the Rega arm sits either the very affordable Audio-Technica VM95C with conical stylus (package price with turntable and arm: $2,470) or the VM740ML with sharp ML diamond (package price: $2,700).

In the listening test, the latter was played. Thanks to the high qualities of the turntable-arm combo, the decidedly balanced, indeed fine character traits as well as the well-known good spatiality of the AT system came fully into play. The powerful performance of the Solid 110 Metal perfectly matched the refined manner of the Japanese MM cartridge because this combo neither drifted into pseudo-analog “warmth”, i.e., boredom, with singer-songwriter pop (Joan Armatrading) nor with the soundtrack to the TV series “Babylon Berlin” (The Bryan Ferry Orchestra: “Dance Away”), or any other piece, but always played right on point and grabbed rhythmically well.

There wasn’t much separating the “little one” from the larger model Solid 311 Metal with expensive Shelter MC. However, the 311 could set itself apart mainly through its more pronounced bass foundation.

Acoustic Solid 110 Metal Report

MM Cartridge: Excellent frequency response, high but not entirely symmetrical channel separation: L/R 30 dB; R/L 36 dB. Distortion-free tracking up to 70 µm, stays on track up to 90 µm. Low high-frequency distortion of 0.11/0.06% (L/R). Electrical values: 900 Ω/500 mH, output voltage 6.5 mV with DIN reference tone (5.65 cm/s). The turntable impresses with excellent wow and flutter of 0.07%, always evaluated according to IEC 386 and averaged over 2-sigma. With the best possible speed adjustment, we achieved a deviation of +0.11% (equivalent to 1/50 of a semitone). The rumble spectrum is clean; the weighted signal-to-noise ratio is 73 dB with record (red, 74 dB are maximally possible) and 81 dB with measuring coupler (blue).

Specs

Product: Acoustic Solid – Solid 110 Metal

• Website: acoustic-solid.com
• List Price: €2,450 (includes AT VM740ML cartridge)
• Warranty Period: 2 years (10 years for the platter bearing)
• Dimensions (W × H × D): 31 cm × 17 cm × 31 cm
• Weight: 15 kg
• Drive System: Double belt, external rotor
• Speeds: 33 & 45 rpm
• Speed Switching: Electronic
• Tonearm Height Adjustment: Yes
• Height-Adjustable Feet: Yes
• Pitch Control: –
• Fully Automatic/End-of-Record Shutoff: – / –
• Special Features: Comprehensive accessory package

CONCLUSION:

The meticulous work by Acoustic Solid pays off fully: The new Solid 110 Metal does cost quite a bit more but justifies the extra price compared to its predecessor with an even more confident sound and an increase in flexibility.

PRO & CON

Pros

• Extremely smooth operation, powerful, and clean sound
• Wonderfully flexible foundation for tonearm experiments
• Exemplary build quality
• Sonically well‑balanced package with the included Audio-Technica cartridge

Con

• The double pulley is a bit fiddly to install

TEST RESULTS

• Sound (Cinch): 153 points
  • (Approx. 9.9 / 10 on a notional 155‑point maximum)
• Features: Outstanding
• Ease of Use: Very good
• Build Quality: Very good

AUDIO BENCHMARK

• Overall Verdict: 153 points
  • (Approx. 9.9 / 10 on a notional 155‑point maximum)
• Price/Performance: Outstanding