Turntables, Arms & Cartridges

Describing itself as 'a leading designer, developer and manufacturer of luxury high-end stereo systems', Italian company Gold Note was founded in 2012 by current CEO Maurizio Aterini, his wife Elena Basciano and business partner Alessio Oronti. Headquartered in Montespertoli, Tuscany, it first made its mark with the Bellagio Conquest turntable, a 1250mm-tall affair boasting a choice of no fewer than 13 different curved plinths and a 270mm-long platter spindle. This was followed in 2016 with the PH-10 phono stage, featuring two inputs, six EQ curves and a TFT colour display. Not a company to rest on its laurels, in the same year it launched a new flagship product in the form of the XS-85 loudspeaker, each cabinet standing 1.28m tall and housing five drivers.

Gold Note's first integrated amp followed in 2018, the IS-1000, which promised to bridge the gap between a traditional standalone integrated amplifier and an all-in-one music system thanks to its ability to stream music over a home network. Then in 2019 came the DS-10 DAC/streamer/headphone amp and analogue preamp. Now with a 17-strong team, including four designers, the company builds all of its loudspeakers and electronics in-house, with most of the components sourced from local suppliers.