Acoustic Signature Turntable Factory Tour

AnalogPlanet visits German turntable manufacturer Acoustic Signature in the company's modern factory located just outside of Stuttgart. The vertically integrated company owns its own factory, in which you'll see state of the art CNC machinery, "Teutonic" organization and extreme manufacturing and assembling efficiency.
After you watch, you'll understand how the company, which sells high performance turntables, tone arms and phono preamplifiers in approximately 30 countries, manufactures almost a dozen different turntable models priced from approximately $1000 to $130,000 and multiple tone arm models in 9", 10" and 12" editions, all designed and manufactured "in-house".
The company's 25 employees all get company cars, with all associated costs covered. While the owner is a generous man who wishes to take good care of his workers, he's in part motivated by area competition for
skilled machinists who are in heavy demand in and around Stuttgart, one of Germany's most important automobile manufacturing centers.
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[@keeferdog5617]

Gotta love the dude on the propane forklift smoking a fuckn cigarette.....Brilliant!

[@NickP333]

You might be an audiophile if... - You enjoy watching the microns being measured of platter bearings. It’s truly amazing to see the level of precision put into every single little detail of that process. What a great company. Great vid, Michael. Thank you very much! 🎶🔊🙂 🎵”I could have danced all night” 🎵

[@thienkhoado5712]

I am a machinist in Canada. Love this company, especially the owner. You guys are so awesome!

[@analoguecity3454]

I love these "factory " video tours! I guess I'm a nerd! Still love it!

[@cbennet1]

Agreed! I could watch them make turntables, golf balls, whatever!?!?

[@brianstageman3183]

I really enjoyed this video, Mr. Fremer. I am the proud owner of a Primus and I thought it was really neat to see where my turntable was manufactured.

[@analoguecity3454]

Lucky son of a gun you! I'd love to buy me one!

[@ralex3697]

Makes Rega look like a Mickey Mouse operation

[@anthonyxuereb792]

Much much more work involved than I thought, the final products are very well done.

[@migalito1955]

Very interesting. I wish Gunther had talked a little about how the company emerged. What I was thinking is: "you don't just wake up one day with the idea and a few dollars in your pocket and a week later have a full production line producing product". Therefore, while greatly appreciating their product I sincerely would love to know how the company got to where it is now? Did it start as a specialty machine shop that grew into a fine turntable manufacturer or did it have some other humble origin? I looked on line for answers to my general question but to no avail. Incidentally, if I want something built well this company knows how to achieve the goal. Frankly its remarkable at how much thought and detail has been implemented to achieve the aim...

[@ssnoc]

Love the factory tours .... keep them coming 👍

[@angeloreyes6662]

Thank you Michael for this video. I met both Gunter and Robert last year here in Manila during the NOvember HiFi Show during the launch of Acoustic Signature and enjoyed the presentation very much as well as marvelling at the sound and technology used in their products. Looking forward to the arrival of my Storm 2018 soon. Bravo Gunter and Robert!

[@klubmuzycznyaudiofil9575]

Average turntable and difficult to set up. Terrible price and nasty service - I have not encountered worse :( Maybe that's why they turn off comments under their YT commercials.

[@thecomfortablecactuscouchc7725]

Now I know why they cost so much. There is artistry in the manufacturing processes. Great fun to see this video.

[@ReferenceFidelityComponents]

It’s because of this video that I went out and bought an Acoustic Signature double X neo and TA1000 tonearm😊 Best made and best sounding front end I’ve ever owned. Would put sme to shame and makes Linn look neolithic by comparison.

[@Alan-jv5bd]

Amazing! The human spirit and artistry on display!

[@ralex3697]

Gorgeous tables. Solid Straight up guys, respectable Honestly after seeing this I want one

[@1999zrx1100]

What an operation, wish I lived near by. Now retired I would love to work there as a volunteer. It would be heaven. Thanks for this Michael 😎

[@euroshark1]

Absolutely Briliant! Thanks Michael

[@vinylcity1599]

Thanks for the video upload, Michael. I love factory stuff.

[@andyinnes2178]

Amazing, I lived in Austria for ten years, I’m only too familiar with how things are done in these countries. Germans have always been famous for their engineering skills and this factory demonstrates it perfectly.

[@mrtunapie6653]

I am impressed.. Now I want one of their turntables.

[@janpedersen8376]

Most amazing tour, i truly enjoyed this video!

[@Nosferatufatum]

I would love to see every model of the turntable ever made so to see the change of ideas and design over the years. Excellent tour, amazing factory.

[@Deano_Aus]

Always amazing to see how it all really works. And always amazing to see that so many audio manufacturers don't think to install sound absorption in their factories... So cheap and yet so effective in improving their workers quality of life. Just saying.

[@timuroguz]

Amazing factory. Thanks Michael Fremer.

[@TheRuffusMD]

great video , thanxs you acoustic for opening up your factory . it was great

[@michaelwilliams4086]

Out of sight is not out of mind, the same attention to detail even on the under-side and tolerances on one micron I did like the application that Lego had been put to in such a highly technical environment Great video, thank you

[@KT88gs]

These guys are going extreme,and i like that!This is to me what high-end is all about,great report Fremer!

[@joeygonzo]

to make turntables. It's insane. $80,000 for a turntable . They still play vinyl.

[@likesnoozn]

Always love these informative tours, Michael. I hope this disposable income, consumer driven industry can survive current events and the possible economic downturn.

[@TimbreDynamics]

Amazing! Those Germans know how to manufacture excellence.

[@heribertovalentin1563]

Just amazing.....love it....I have 3 tables and love it a Thorens 3rd 124 refurbish a Nottingham Hyperspace and a Micro Seki dd 40...now I like this turntable....I like there $ 1000 + dollar turntable....great video....👏....Ed from Brooklyn New York.....

[@nickadamopoulos6472]

Once again a great report fhank Michael.

[@guitawrizt]

Space Age. The outro was Stellar.

[@nostro1001]

Acoustic Signature Storm mk II owner here, having upgraded from final tool mkii. Such awesome turntables - I don't think they get the recognition they deserve. Perhaps in Europe yes. Thank you for this great tour. 🎶🎶🎶

[@irawong]

Amazing and thorough factory tour, Michael. German engineering and craftsmanship at its best.

[@kuglepen64]

I love the Lego fixtures ;-D

[@jimvaughn6993]

Wow, fantastic!

[@philvale5724]

Hi 👋, I have seen this before very enjoyable, A Great territorial on how a high end Turn Table is made. One can only Dream. I have been watching and listening to a lot of your other tutorials very great content. PHIL FROM THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOULIN FRANCE.

[@raymondegers6664]

This place isn’t fuccng around. The Wilson audio factory of the phono world. Great job AS 👍🏻 very impressive

[@cillyede]

Großartig!

[@michaeljohnaustin6745]

Fantastic video

[@deccasupergold]

Love these videos. That dreadful forklift beeper though.

[@hesmellslikerome]

PS love your channel. can’t wait to meet you one day.

[@hesmellslikerome]

Can I get your opinion on Vertere acoustic turntable and reference tonearm. Also ASR Emitter amplifiers? Also would you ever consider doing a factory tour of both of these companies? I’m very interested in your opinion and these brands.

[@jerrysnead2842]

Record covers love it

[@Phil_f8andbethere]

Wonderful tour of the Mary Celeste - no wonder they cost so much!

[@rdmeenach]

This is really quite amazing and interesting. Wish I could afford one of these beautiful pieces.

[@bryandover8413]

If I owned a company like this, I would have housing "on-site" for myself during the week. That way, if I felt I need to be close to keep an eye on things during critical periods of time, I'd already be there. Often, the commute is the killer in running a business.

[@Clint_the_Audio-Photo_Guy]

He didn't want to show the Mark Levinson Turntable sitting there? Haha. I saw it. Interesting what those "silencers" do. And precision machining is always awesome.

[@jerrysnead2842]

I hope they become more popular

[@wl9399]

Impressive about the philosophy of this company.

[@donpayne1040]

Bravo!!

[@jerrysnead2842]

Also Michael great job

[@raymondegers6664]

So Acoustic sig designed and manufactures the new mark Levinson 5105 obviously. Wow a 7k turntable that’s 77lbs solid aluminum and made by Acoustic signature at THIS facility. That’s worth looking into. It has to be a fantastic sounding table/arm!

[@nigeltoh9945]

8 minutes into the video, what came to my mind is the safety is quite lax in this factory. Hope no serious injury has happened so far.

[@HoomanR17]

Great video and I enjoyed it very much. Been considering an Acoustic Signature turntable. let me share a fantasy, perhaps a recommendation for future company tours: I would have loved to have seen part of this tour/video devoted to getting a more indepth review of their turntable models and what makes each different and how and why each gets better as the price goes up from $1000-$$30K etc... something a little more in depth than short clips/chats during audio shows that I've seen in the past on youtube for Acoustic Signature.

[@AnalogPlanet]

That would have been a good thing to do had time allowed...

[@ronaldhickman9953]

Where does my vintage late 80s Sumo come into play here.... It's been boxed in in the attic for 30 years at least....

[@richardsoffice9176]

I just knew it! Acoustic Signature, like Michael, has a lot of Brass!

[@darrens7040]

Wonderful video Michael amazing factory and facilities. I did notice though for a company who really looks after its staff I did not see one piece of hearing protection being used in the factory manufacturing areas maybe it was due to so many being off for the day.

[@acousticsignature]

Dear Darren, well regarded. All Employees have specially made in ear protection that is custom made specially for their inner ears. So this protects but is hardly visible. Since we did that invest the number of workers really wearing them has increased a lot. Hope that gives you some more insight. All the best Gunther

[@darrens7040]

@@acousticsignature Thanks for that clarification Gunther its fantastic to see how well you look after your staff in this day and age Well Done !!!!

[@jerrysnead2842]

I have Dr Feickert and totally appreciate good engineering

[@socksumi]

I was wondering if you intend on reviewing the Mag Lev turntable. So far it's been all but ignored in Stereophile yet a magnetically levitated/rotating platter is the most amazing technology I've yet come across in TT design. It should at least invite curiosity. In practice there could be problems but that it works at all is amazing.

[@sameebah]

Sounds like the Strathearn I had back in the early 80's . . .

[@joemartin6439]

Michael my eyes are wide open now at the high cost of turntables today

[@gpa9596]

Interesting that they use a Haas CNC machine which I believe is made by Gene Haas in North Carolina!

[@acousticsignature]

Yes that is correct. It has a good price/quality ratio and a small footprint. We like it

[@DrAg0n3250]

Toured factories in the area. Safety and pay is no joke but the amount of labor required was, eye opening. Wish I'd been more attentive 4 years ago.

[@geewillikers5342]

Ha, nope!

[@electriceyeslide5959]

Gunter is a brilliant dude...

[@paulpaulzadeh6172]

Compare to SME factory UK , this factory is already in 20 century , SME in UK still have machine from WWII , hand job every very very poor yield , of 100 parts 90 parts garbage, but German do it in right way , all CNC machine precision in micro meter range !

[@charleskingReal]

I'm a digital guy, but I can certainly see why people love their turntables. These things are gorgeous! As an F1 fan I couldn't help spotting the large amount of Haas CNC machinery they have. It looks like they skipped the Guenther Steiner option, though, maybe because they didn't want the salty language :-).

[@ralex3697]

Still, their tables are works of art Digital is not producing works of art

[@charleskingReal]

@@ralex3697 That's the great thing about hifi, you can always rely on someone coming along with a snarky remark. 🙄

[@UberPilot]

Curious what people think of a sixty year old design Garrard 301 making it into class A in the new “Recommended Components”?

[@warpspeed9877]

People who know understand it is horseshit.

[@UberPilot]

@@warpspeed9877 It’s all horse shit. The wife bought an Alexa and I love it.

[@freepress8451]

Amazing tour thanks for sharing. Shame the owner didn't take more care with the components, throwing them into boxes and leaving his finger prints @01:22:26 on polished surfaces.

[@acousticsignature]

Dear Nic, this is a raw material demo. This parts gets cleaned and surface treated after this process. So no chance that any of my fingers will be left on it when ready. Gunther

[@kinglear5952]

@@acousticsignature Very nice company ethos. Keep up the great work.

[@joybrucebruce3377]

Gene Rubin has a good deal on one on Ebay right now.

[@cameraplus7233]

Amazing operation & dedication to perfection. I can't believe ten IDIOTS disliked this.

[@AnalogPlanet]

Camera Plus it’s up to 16 idiots!

[@seeyoujimmy188]

Sound. Background noise

[@vinylexplorer9817]

The gentleman was very polite to say that South American people don't have money for the product... well said!

[@rickg8015]

Yeah, they’re too straight-laced but at least they’re dead serious in the QC, and that builds buyer confidence.. The ladies have cool taste in records, and that makes up for it, somewhat..

[@metal-adventures-joerg]

Sauberle, Männer! Wenn ihr mal einen Vollautomaten im Programm habt, könntet ihr einen neuen Kunden haben. So lange bleibt mein Dreher ein Modell aus St.Georgen ;) Weiter so,und Grüßle aus Horb am Neckar!

[@QoraxAudio]

Doesn't surprise me that they dump in into the river in Texas! They always strike me as that type of people 😜

[@thespotlightkid1011]

It must be around 20 /25 or more years ago, when i saw the 1'st A.S. model, but as pre-net u.k. mag' reviews went, all the ones i read said "yeah, it's ok" but steered everyone to Telebrumbrum's (sp'?) LP12 machine for anywhere near it's price, but Tele' did plaster their mags with full page ad's & the occasional 2-page centrefold. (Arms apart, I thought Ivor's job was a plinth- glorified Thorens 150 tho with a weedier looking main bearing, < = to Ariston's 'Superiour' model but costlier. So non-Linns had a hard job around the same price & for a few years back then, they had an mag- endemic edge with a weird auto- glorification factor, reviewers liked to fit in & would be outcasts, commiting literary sacrilege not recomending it & pteferering something else near it's price. Thank god that changed. Didn't that guy play Colonel Klink in Hogan's Heroes?

[@bryandover8413]

At 01:11, Robert tries to steal the show from Gunther. You can see Gunther was a little peeved.

[@enedenedubedene4811]

Wir Schwaben.👍👍👍👍👍😃😃😃😃 Viele Grüße aus Warthausen bei Biberach, Germany

[@jerrysnead2842]

Looks great but the company is not represented at all in the USA

[@vmvlev]

oh boy .. if i only knew .. i life 30 min south of stuttgart .. you could have set up my cartridge ;-) ...and i got the tall elac adante because of your short video :-)

[@AnalogPlanet]

lol

[@brikaf6001]

Dang Mikey, get an analog video camera you hate digital so much, maybe your vids would be watchable, surprised you drive a Tesla instead of flying around on a magical bicycle, love you brother.

[@thomasandersen1784]

Yeah yeah...green energy...hip hip hurray. Not saying it's not a good thing to point out, but frankly....i don't know anyone who choose a turntable over another, for the one reason that a company goes "green"..?? I know i wouldn't ;-) But as for factory tours in the Audio industry, just let em' flow :-) Cheers from Denmark

[@maconpatton]

Awesome tour. I’d get a hell of a lot more done with one of those cappuccino machines at school!

[@elisha770]

1:03:32 lol... Talking about the Coronavirus it made him sneeze... here goes the handshake goodbye.. (funny lift your leg test records)

[@revolution_9]

👍✌️

[@donaldscheer5206]

Well, I Think Crosley has much MUCH more precision! Especially their tonearm bearings!

[@donaldscheer5206]

@@nhatlam96 LOL!!

[@relyt559]

that one employee that you see throughout the video seems so suspect

[@analoguecity3454]

Turntable company? We need a "lacquer " company much more!

[@joybrucebruce3377]

I can see all those guys at factory in China crowding in to watch this video.

[@janpedersen8376]

Haas Automation machines from the USA

[@DrAg0n3250]

Toured a factory that makes those threaded rods that the laser engraver was using to hold legos 4 years ago here in the "south". It probably Only takes about 40-50 people on the shop floor payroll at the MOST to keep a massive warehouse of the things stocked. But they make super precise turntables that are 1000% better than the cheapo amazon ones....*cries in automation*

[@studydude]

I now have new respect for them ultra high dollar turntables people pay 20-50k for.

[@simondepass4647]

If this doesn't impress you there is something wrong with you!:)

[@mikrophonie5633]

I heard that people are panic buying Wilson speakers because of the coronavirus.

[@AnalogPlanet]

I hear you are a moron lurker

[@warpspeed9877]

Worst investment of all time...😄

[@toho45]

Think all neighbours will soon move out..

[@vcp93]

That's a hell of an "employee lounge"......right next to the garbage. Is that what Germans call a "fringe benefit?" Different strokes, eh Guntar? 😉

[@joybrucebruce3377]

Metal to recycle ain't garbage

[@acousticsignature]

Dear Franc, please keep in mind it was freaking cold February. The "workers lounge" was not setup to be used. Also this is no rubbish in the containers. We try to receycle everything from paper to glass and kitchen waste. And of course also all chips we produce. The containers have different colours so the seperate Brass chips, copper chips, stainless steel chips. All keept seperate so receuycling can be done. Therefore we use this containers. There is no rubbish in. Its money :-) eh Frank?

[@joybrucebruce3377]

In US my wife's mother remembers Russian coming to look at factory. Later they figured out he was wearing soft soled rubber shoe to collect metal shavings to figure out composition. Be careful of "Allies"!

[@geewillikers5342]

Top secret aluminum blocks

[@thchris]

maybe if they spend more on capable personal instead of just the machines they would get a lot more work done a lot faster.. watching those high spindle speeds with low feed rates almost hurts..

[@troylogan4602]

Whats wrong with a basement operation turn table manufacturer? 😊

[@adredy]

1:26:02 the best joke :) 1:29:10 ohh shit :D this is crazy he is not sick :) not in germany :D

[@kurtzcol]

wood, its not our cup of coffee

[@2574mcu]

The opening of the video where he says I know what's behind your back records more records, that's what my ex wife used to say. I'm remarried and this one doesn't mind me buying records. She said it's better than other people's husbands running around drinking and cheating.

[@willisevans6559]

You can find spouses doing all three...

[@modena854]

la graisse et la loctite dans une capsule de canette.....euhh.......j'ai pas compris là!

[@cgirl111]

We are going to have to figure out how to payroll tax machines.

[@estebannemo1957]

"Tuetonic" ; )