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The
Arezzo Turntable
Review by Jimmy Hughes in Hi-Fi+
I began with the ‘Full Monty’ Arezzo Ultra, and later tried
‘downgrading’ to the different options. It’s probably better
if you go the other way, as you always get a slightly negative
reaction when standards drop. But, while Ultra offers a big
improvement over the other versions, even the basic Arezzo
is very good. Set-Up and installation is fairly straightforward,
though correctly fitting the five belt system requires a certain
knack. You have to fit each belt so there’s a slight twist,
and each ‘twist’ has to go in the same direction so that the
belts run with the correct spacing. It proved a bit fiddly,
but I soon had things up and running.
First impressions were very favourable. The Arezzo Ultra
produced a bright, open, clear and uncomplicated musical presentation.
It’s crisp and focused, with excellent fine detail and strongly-profiled
dynamics. The sound was open and airy, rather than rich and
warm - definitely no false ‘analogue warmth’ here! The bass
is reasonably full, but not overly powerful. The low-end has
a tidy, slightly contained quality that sounds tight and controlled,
but not especially deep or voluminous. However, it’s likely
a different and better arm (I had the Moth Mk 1 with Incognito
wiring) would change this.
I’m not saying the bass was lacking, or in any way a problem,
merely that it didn’t quite have the power and weight you
often get with turntables. In this respect, the Arezzo Ultra
gave a CD like tonal balance that sounded neutral and balanced.
This wasn’t the only thing that reminded me of a CD….. Something
I noticed from the start was how solid and stable the Arezzo
Ultra sounded. Not just in terms of image placement and clarity,
but pitch. There was almost no pitch waver - something you
rarely encounter with LP. It was almost like listening to
CD - and I mean that as the highest of compliments. Difficult
piano LPs had the sort of pitch stability I’d previously encountered
once or twice - and that was with Oscar territory turntables
having ridiculously heavy platters, huge motors, and massive
Wildean price tags. Given enough mass and a small engine you
should get a stable drive!
However, the Arezzo avoids the Brute Strength and Ignorance
approach, taking a different path. It has a (comparatively)
light acrylic platter and normal-sized motor - albeit a higher
torque version than other manufacturers use. Yet it achieves
outstanding speed stability. How come? It’s secret seems to
be its multi-belt drive. Designer Stuart Michell believes
the motor is the ‘governor’, and therefore wants it to drive
the platter without loss of torque. Thus, there is very little
decoupling between motor and platter, and the square section
belts are deliberately kept short and tight to minimise springiness.
Now, I’d have predicted that the basic Arezzo (without Kinetic
drive) would be noticeably less stable than the Kinetic or
Ultra models. However, if there is a difference, it’s a fairly
small one. There’s a change in sound quality (the Kinetic
sounds better), but the stability of the drive seems hardly
compromised. The Kinetic and Ultra upgrades produce a subtler
more finely shaded sound that has greater detail and dynamics
compared to the standard version. The music has more colour
and range, and there’s an increase in definition and clarity.
But, even the basic Arezzo offers good sound and firm pitch
stability.
Part
3
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