Gold Note Pianosa Review

Gold Note is a relatively young player on the HiFi scene. Nevertheless, the Italian manufacturer has quickly played its way into our hearts.

by Artur Evers

Even late in the evening, there’s bustling activity around the Piazza Santo Spirito. It’s one of those mild summer evenings when the sunsets over Florence seem to last forever. In front of the “Pitta M’Ingolli” and the “P09”, couples and small groups of students from the neighboring acting school sit during aperitivo, their lively conversations repeatedly mixed with ringing laughter. Around the fountain in the middle of the square, children are still playing, whose parents, sitting comfortably in front of the “Ristorante Ricchi”, only occasionally look up from their tempting plates to shout brief instructions and scoldings in rapid Italian. For us Germans, it’s always astonishing to see how long children remain part of the daily Mediterranean cityscape. But why not?!

In front of the unadorned Basilica di Santo Spirito, a few youths trying hard to look bored puff on their e-cigarettes, enriching the atmosphere with tinny beats from less audiophile Bluetooth speakers. The main actors of the lively soundscape are, even now, just before nightfall, the dozens of scooters racing along Via Sant’Agostino towards Via Romana and the picturesque Giardino di Boboli. The inventors of the small scooters already had the association of a swarm of wasps. After all, Vespa means nothing other than wasp.

Culture Meets Science and Business

By the way, the Vespa, which at its market launch in 1946 still bore the nickname “Paperino”—meaning “duckling”—is a local! A true Fiorentina. Thus, the often-copied style icon from the house of Piaggio belongs to truly high-profile company!

The historical density of significant personalities from science, art, and business is unparalleled. For the poet and philosopher Dante Alighieri made his home here, as did the Medici family, who, due to great trading skills, amassed incomparable wealth and produced no fewer than three popes and two French queens! In total, four popes came from Florence. Pope Urban VIII was indeed born in Florence but strictly speaking belongs to the Barberini dynasty based in Rome. Before his pontificate, he was a great admirer of the universal genius Galileo Galilei, who was at that time working as the Florentine court mathematician. Half a century before his birth, the most famous painting in the world was created right here in Florence: the “Mona Lisa”. Its creator, Leonardo Da Vinci, spent most of his life in the Tuscan capital—then still an autonomous and influential principality.

This impressive tradition of science, culture, and technology thus offers the optimal climate for a manufacturer of HiFi electronics, doesn’t it?

Gold Note

Like the Medicis, Da Vinci, and Galilei, the HiFi forge Gold Note also has its roots in Florence. Already in the 1990s, Maurizio Aterini, the head behind Gold Note, began with initial designs of phono components. Even as a child, the first home HiFi system ignited Aterini’s passion, from which he was to make a successful career. The B-5 tonearm, which he designed after his engineering studies, is still installed in Gold Note systems today with only a few changes.

As his team grows, so does Aterini’s ambition to step out of the role of supplier and take the big stage as a manufacturer of full-fledged vinyl turntables. In 2012, the time had come. Customers became competitors when Aterini founded the company Gold Note. Today, Maurizio Aterini, who, by the way, earned his doctorate on the construction of tonearms, is firmly in the saddle with Gold Note—not only with his own brand but also as an OEM supplier for numerous competitors.

Gold Note has only been a guest at TEST three times so far. For the current issue, we actually didn’t have a completely unknown model from Tuscany sent to us. Instead, we are once again taking a closer look at the Pianosa turntable, which Gold Note has quietly equipped with a lot of small updates.

Pianosa

The Gold Note Valore 425 Lite turntable has so far represented the structural and price entry into the product world of Gold Note. The Pianosa, on the other hand, positions itself exactly in the middle between the Valore 425 and the top model Mediterraneo. Specifically, this means: Gold Note calls for a price of $4,000 for the Pianosa in the basic configuration with the in-house B-5.1 tonearm but without a cartridge. Already during unpacking, a significant structural distinguishing feature compared to the Valore 425 catches the eye: While the Valore 425 does without a resonance-reducing base plate, the Pianosa has such a plate on which the chassis is mounted. How our current Pianosa differs from the Pianosa model we last had in the test will only become clear upon a closer look at the details. But more on that later.

Solid and Stylish

Like the other models, Gold Note impressively demonstrates its fine sense of sophisticated product design with the Pianosa. The base plate convinces with its curved, organic design and is available in two versions: a matte black finish that matches the chassis and a variant in dark walnut wood. The manufacturer understands this wood look as a homage to the artistic tradition of the Florentine Renaissance—a small but interesting note that underscores Gold Note’s design philosophy.

The Gold Note turntable stands securely on three conically shaped acrylic spikes. For additional stability and effective decoupling, Gold Note includes small, gold-plated discs that are provided with a corresponding recess. Three feet are generally considered the most stable construction. Therefore, it’s not surprising that Gold Note also pursues this approach with its turntables.

The tonearm of the Gold Note Pianosa is, as standard, the B-5.1 model. Precisely the tonearm that, as mentioned at the beginning, has accompanied Maurizio Aterini’s career since day one. The B-5.1 tonearm is enclosed in a height-adjustable precision bearing made of an aluminum housing and two elastic inner bearings made of graphite and Teflon. Alternatively, the Pianosa can also be purchased with the B-7 ceramic tonearm (additional charge: $1,331). The tonearm lift of the turntable is manually operated. Here we also find the first visible overhaul of the Pianosa. While the tonearm lift was previously made of plastic, the Pianosa now benefits from the new sibling Giglio and is now equipped with a lift lever made of metal.

The essential upgrades number two and three are a bit more hidden. Thus, the motor has also been extensively renewed in the course of the Giglio’s development. Additionally, the Pianosa can now be powered via an external power supply unit (model: PST-10)—also available in the next upgrade level for $1,331. The PST-10 is suitable for all Gold Note turntables and promises to significantly enhance sound quality through a dual-choke design and an inductive filter. Through the four low-noise voltage regulators, it delivers extremely clean energy, thereby improving dynamics. A high-quality 1.5-meter long power cable with silver core also provides an additional boost in sound quality.

Setup and Positioning

The assembly of the Pianosa turntable is remarkably straightforward. Of course, a few components need to be completed manually, such as the platter, counterweight, and anti-skating. However, when it comes to positioning, we won’t tire of mentioning a few aspects again. Even if this topic is often discussed, we want to once more point out the essential aspects to consider when setting up a turntable: It is generally advisable to place the turntable outside the direct sound field of the speakers. One should be aware that the tracking of the tiny grooves of a record occurs in extremely sensitive, microscopic areas. Especially bass frequencies can significantly affect this process, so thoughtful placement is essential.

Another important step is checking the leveling of the chassis with a spirit level. If adjustments are necessary, they can be made via the height-adjustable feet. Equally crucial is ensuring that the tonearm runs parallel to the platter. For this fine-tuning, a smartphone can nowadays also serve as a helpful tool.

An indispensable point is setting the tracking force of the cartridge, which is done using the counterweight. For this, a tonearm scale is necessary, which should be part of the basic equipment of every phono enthusiast, especially when testing different systems. For the Gold Note Donatello Gold MC cartridge installed on our test model, Gold Note recommends a tracking force of about 1.75-2 grams, although in the end, personal hearing and individual taste decide. A fixed value cannot be recommended here, as there are production-related fluctuations due to the delicate manufacture of a stylus.

Again, particularly positive to highlight is the textile-sheathed signal cable, which is equipped on one side with two RCA plugs and on the other with a DIN plug that connects directly and easily to the underside of the tonearm base.

In Practice

Who better to conduct the practical testing of a Tuscan turntable than with the prima donna of Italian pop music—Mina!? “CinquemiLaquarantatre”, which translates to 504-0, is one of Mina’s most successful albums. Not least thanks to “Parole parole”, the last song on the record and probably the most famous in Mina’s discography. However, the record is full of outstanding tracks. And each one is reproduced by the Gold Note Pianosa in perfect form. For our test, the Italian cooperates with the tube combo SA-T7 + SPT700 from Vincent and a pair of Wharfedale Aura 3 floor-standing speakers. A promising ensemble, because already with the first track “Fiume azzuro”, the mix sounds finely resolved and at the same time dynamically room-filling.

The detailed texture of the western guitar in fortissimo is finely interwoven with strings, drums, and basses, while Mina herself rises above everything with her iconic voice and lights up the entire room. We particularly like at the end of the piece the flute, whose breathy transients are interpreted by the Pianosa with utmost finesse. From a production standpoint, it becomes truly audiophile with “Reflector” by Vestbo Trio. Although unfortunately, we don’t like the B-side at all. The a cappella tracks can do significantly more because here the most delicate sound was really dissected with the finest scalpel. Again, there is not a gram of fat on it. Guitar, drums, and double bass. Delicate information that is reproduced by the Pianosa turntable so astonishingly naturalistically that even live music can hardly match it. The music sounds here as if under a microscope: crystal clear, tidy, and in all fragility.

In the end, we can state that the small updates Gold Note has given the Pianosa have already resulted in a significant increase in quality. And thanks to the numerous upgrade options like tonearm, power supply, and cartridge, a few more percentage points can be extracted from the fine Italian. But even in the basic configuration, its sound is crisp, naturalistic, and full of joy in playing. Bravi to Gold Note!

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