Funk Firm Achromat

Funk Firm Achromat

I am intrigued by the improvements that I hear. It makes absolutely no sense to me that an optimised £2000 turntable whose central feature is a platter designed to match the density and characteristics of a vinyl record, clamped firmly to that record, may be surpassed by a £50 accessory that interrupts this disc to platter interface. Experiments with the clamp demonstrate that it all sounds better with the clamp resting on the label, but still I'm mystified.

Conclusion

There does seem to be a complex relationship between the turntable mat and the turntable support. Combinations of 3 turntables, 3 arms, 4 cartridges, 3 different racks and 3 types of support shelf were tried in this test. All but one permutation and combination was better with the Achromat. The only exception was in combination with the enigmatic ERaudio SpaceHarmoniser, which is unusually sensitive to system synergy, being a tuning device.

Geoff Husband & I both find similar changes of character and presentation with the Achromat:

• Bouncier rhythm and
• Lower surface noise
• Better instrumental separation
• Reduced stodge