Acoustic Signature Thirty Neo

Product overview

The Acoustic Signature Thirty NEO is a high-mass, three-motor belt-drive turntable manufactured in Germany by Acoustic Signature. It forms part of the company’s NEO range and was introduced for Acoustic Signature’s 30th-anniversary programme.

The model is supplied as a turntable platform rather than as a complete tonearm-and-cartridge package. Its principal systems are three isolated AC motors, a digital DMC-20 motor controller, Acoustic Signature’s AVC Level 3 vibration-control system, a Dura Turn Diamond bearing, and a 14 kg aluminium platter equipped with 24 Silencer modules.

Motor and drive system

The Thirty NEO uses:

• Three integrated, fully insulated AC motors.

• An integrated sub-platter drive.

• A triple-belt transmission.

• Digital speed control and fine adjustment.

• An external DMC-20 motor controller.

Acoustic Signature specifies two operating speeds:

• 33⅓ rpm.

• 45 rpm.

The company describes the DMC-20 as a digital motor controller with a multi-voltage power supply and AVC Level 3, its highest listed implementation of Automatic Vibration Control for this model range. The official information does not publish motor torque, speed accuracy, wow and flutter, rumble, or belt dimensions.

The DMC-20 is intended for NEO turntables equipped with three or more motors. It connects to the motors by RJ45 cables according to Acoustic Signature’s DMC documentation.

DMC-20 and AVC Level 3

The DMC-20 is an external digital motor-electronics and power-supply unit. Acoustic Signature identifies the following characteristics:

• Digital motor electronics.

• Integrated, highly stable multi-voltage power supply.

• Automatic Vibration Control, Level 3.

• Compatibility with NEO turntables using three or more motors.

The product documentation does not state the digital-processing resolution, clock architecture, feedback topology, output waveform, or the exact algorithm used by AVC Level 3. Those details should not be inferred from the “digital” designation.

Bearing

The Thirty NEO uses Acoustic Signature’s Dura Turn Diamond® bearing, also abbreviated DTD. The manufacturer describes it as:

• High precision.

• Extremely rigid.

• Robust.

• Equipped with a diamond-coated spindle.

• Maintenance-free.

The official product data do not specify the bearing’s dimensional tolerances, spindle diameter, thrust interface, lubricant, rotational clearance, or independently measured bearing noise.

Chassis and isolation

The chassis is made from aluminium alloy and uses CLD, or Constraint Layer Damping, technology. It incorporates an aluminium base plate. The stated purpose is to improve the chassis’s resonance behaviour.

Tonearm provision

The Thirty NEO is designed to accommodate up to three tonearms between 9 and 12 inches. It uses adjustable tonearm bases with interchangeable arm boards.

The published configuration is:

• One tonearm base supplied as standard.

• An arm board selected to fit the customer’s tonearm.

• Two additional arm bases available separately.

• Maximum of three tonearms.

• Supported nominal tonearm lengths: 9–12 inches.

The official information does not identify a universal mounting standard for every compatible tonearm and does not state the supplied arm-board dimensions. The correct arm board therefore needs to be specified for the chosen tonearm at the time of order.

No tonearm, cartridge, phono stage, or phono cable is specified as included with the Thirty NEO on the official product page.

Finishes and warranty

The chassis and platter are available in:

• Black anodised finish.

• Silver anodised finish.

The Silencer modules, damping elements, and trim strips can be specified with chrome or gold-plated finishes. Acoustic Signature also lists polished brass as an available Silencer finish.

Acoustic Signature states a 15-year warranty upon registration. The warranty conditions and registration requirements are not detailed in the technical product data.