Half Note Audio / Pythagoras by Audiostone

Every vibration affecting an audio system from the outside influences the reproduction of music to a greater or lesser extent. From the beginning, Audistone hi-fi racks were constructed to minimize these influences. Audiostone's guarantee for an optimal set-up of high-class audio equipment lies in Norwegian granite with very low resonant frequency combined with accurately tuned stainless steel elements, and a sophisticated decoupling system. A special focus has been placed on magnetic permeability, and, last but not least, on reliable adjusting facilities.

Music is a language. Its voice is transmitted to the human sense of hearing by oscillations of the air. This basic fact might well be the reason that the analogue disk record, which stores music in the form of mechanical oscillations, continues its unimpeded triumph as the ultimate recording medium. This manner of recording comes closest to the essence of music, and it is our supreme goal to live up to the genius of the medium and its quality by building an optimal reproduction machine.

As authentic as analogue reproduction of music is, just as natural is that every vibration from the outside directly influences the music signal. This fact is meticulously taken into account by the developers of a new concept – Pythagoras, an integrated rack-turntable-system ensuring full control of outward influences through a unique coupling and damping system running from the floor to the surface of the album.

Damping:

Pythagoras – Think of the philosopher and mathematician of antique Greece whose famous theorem concerning the relationship of lengths in the right-angled triangle (a²+b²=c²) is taught at every high school. Though he is known primarily for the Pythagorean Theorem and his contributions to astronomy and measuring the circumference of the earth, Pythagoras also dealt extensively with music and the theory of harmony. He explained the correlation between the length of an oscillating string, the resulting tone, and the harmonious or inharmonious human acoustic perception. He defined the Pythagorean scale that underlies even our modern tonal system. The unique damping system of Audiostone's new turntable links closely to these findings. As you take advantage of the harmonious chord of two strings, you can make positive use of an inharmonious oscillation ratio for damping. This allows for both a passive damping system and a hard coupling to reach a previously unknown precision in mechanical tracking.

New Drive Concept:

As the centerpiece of every turntable, the drive motor defines the constancy of the circular movement, the pitch of the music, as well as its timing. Audiostone developed an innovative way to avoid even minimal imperfections of the drive motor. The high mass turntable platter is belt driven by a synchronous motor. An accurate optical sensor, integrated into the platter, is able to detect the exact number of revolutions and adjust for the precise rotation speed. This unique solution lies in a special calibration mode into which the drive system can be set in order to compensate for all outward influences. In the music mode there exists only the constant signal determined beforehand by the calibration mode, and the motor is fed directly by this signal. Furthermore, intricate details such as a specifically extruded rubber profile with an extremely low noise-level value, an inharmonic oscillating motor suspension, and a discreet operating panel consisting of two neatly integrated indexes put the Audiostone Pythagoras in a league of its own.

New Bearing:

The music signal is affected by more than just outward factors. Inward vibrations and noise are just as undesirable--the platter bearing being one of their most important sources. Systems that attempt to decouple as completely as possible (e.g., held in suspense by air or magnetic force) are sufficiently known. Such a radical decoupling does not measure up to Audiostone's standards. The fact being ignored is the pick-up system itself -- according to the physical law of action = reaction -- which excites oscillations of the disk record as well as the underlying turntable platter. To decouple the platter surface from the noise of the bearing is one approach. The Audiostone method: make the noise in the bearing non-existent. To understand the function of a noiseless bearing requires ample knowledge in material science and manufacturing technology.

New Clamp:

The Audiostone Pythagoras takes into account the importance of the contact between the record surface and the platter. A curve, accurately calculated and meticulously optimized in an adequate testing procedure, ensures the perfect contact between the record surface and the platter by way of a gentle forming of the disk label. Furthermore, the clamp contains an integrated pressure system granting constant application of forces.