About 6 months ago my loving wife was kind enough to suggest it might be time to get a better cartridge as we were listening to a lot of records. Now we all know what she really meant was that I needed a new turntable and she just got the terms confused.
So I rolled the dice on a SAM Reference to bump up my analog game.
I have around 2500 LPs, primarily classic Jazz (from big band to Miles), but plenty of rock, pop and a good spattering of classical. With that size of a collection, it made a lot of sense to get a decent turntable to enjoy it with.
My system consists of a Daville DSPNexus which I used to make my GR-Research NX-Tremes and 3×12″ open baffle subs fully active. The DSPNexus also serves as my DAC, pre-amp and RIAA phono stage. My current cartridge is a denon dl-103 which has a Parks Audio SUT between it and the Nexus. Finally I have Topping PA5s driving the woofers, mids and tweeters, and Rythmik servo amps on the subs.
The SAM Reference is replacing my old school Pioneer Direct drive.
First off, the customer service from SAM was beyond expectation. Totally white glove. Ivan was highly responsive to any inquiry and helpful from pre-sales through setup. And there is a bit of setup if you are doing it on your own.
The turntable was shipped as soon as they finished building the tone arm and the only delay was US customs and even then I recieved the package within around 30 days of ordering it. My expectations were well managed throughout the process and the communication from Ivan was exemplary. He was true to his word with no surprises.
The turntable finally cleared customs and made it to my door. It was extremely well packaged and protected. Ivan was readily available as I unboxed and and proceeded to setting it up. The instructions and manuals were concise, thorough enough, and better than some I have seen from other manufacturers.
The construction is solid. It is a work of beautifully crafted art. This thing is a tank and a very well thought out design. The only nit I can come up with is that the tone arm does not have a lock to hold it in place, however that is easily remedied with a rubber band if I need to transport it. As this is my first truly high end deck, I do not know if tone arm locks are even a thing in this echelon of performance.
There are plenty of adjustments available for dialing in the cartridge but like any deck, you need to take your time. If you are not comfortable with, or just dont care about, learning all the intricacies of setting it up, you local turntable set up guy can whip it together and install your cartridge, or cartridges, of choice for you. But for someone wanting to figure it out, the instructions and access to Ivan will quickly get you there.
The motor is silent, spins up quickly and the spinning platter with its hanging weights is mesmorizing to watch. This turntable is very nicely displayed.
How does it sound? With my limited experience, and very subjective opinion, I can say it sounds a hell of a lot better than my old school pioneer. It draws out the nuances of the cartridge, but I suspect at this level, it better be doing that. There is just so much more revealed in the playback, and the pioneer was not a bad deck at all.
I am now looking at adding a second tone arm for mono, and trading in the Denon for a Hana Umami Blue. I don’t feel I am getting everything this table has to offer out of the denon, but I do feel like the table is getting everything the denon has to offer and ready for much much more.
With time I might start looking into different tone arms and other crazy upgrades, but I do not see a different table in my future, or my kid’s future for that matter, this is an heirloom piece. The more likely upgrade to come is a dedicated Phono Stage to manage multiple cartridges and take advantage of all the SAM Reference offers.
When I was researching the usual suspects vs anything from SAM, the consensus was that the SAM turntables were end game turntables replacing many setups from well respected brands that, on the used market, are still more expensive than my new SAM. All owners I reached out to sang praises. There are not many guys out there that have sold their SAM pieces, and often when they did they were upgrading to another SAM.
The reputation, the customer service and the passion Ivan and his family have for delivering a quality product convinced me to order my Reference.
The high quality and impressive sounding product delivered has convinced me that this piece will remain in my setup for years to come and likely will appreciate in value which is relatively rare in audio.
I am truly a happy customer.
Daniel Oden – Wenatchee, WA, U.S.A.
This is by far the sexiest and most creative record player I have ever seen or owned. The owners of the company are epic, communicate well and answer any questions you might have. Highly recommend
Christopher Lemberg – Neptune, NJ, United States
Tihomir Kanaet – Omis, Croatia
The quality of S.A.M. Titan Silver table is just unreal. If this was produced in the US it would easily sell for 2 to 3 times the price. The craftsmanship is top notch. There’s not a single negative thing I could say about it. Thank you again! I will definitely be returning for another.
Stephen Petrosky – Philadelphia, PA, USA
Paul Bruno – Wakefield, MA, USA
After many turntables I owned in the past, Small Audio Manufacture’s Sinner is really the best one. It’s simply unbelivable that this type of turntable can be found for this price. It’s built like a tank and it could easily withstand a earthquake without skipping a bit. I recommend this turntable in every possible way.
Miljko Radonjic – Belgrade, Serbia
Greg Adams – Birmingham, Alabama, USA
You guys are insane. The built quality is unbelivable. This is a top class turntable. I feel like I just bought a car!
Hrvoje Sucic – Osijek, Croatia
I was listening to music at half past three this morning and I’m thrilled!!! Your turntable is a dream, it blows my mind. This is work of art! Kind regards and thanks for the wonderful handling, Walter.
Walter Eichentopf – Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Just setup the Sinner turntable and it’s simply stunning. From packaging to build quality and performance this turntable sets a benchmark for others. Excellent support from the team when I had a couple of setup questions although still think a couple of setup videos would be worth considering for the future. The first piece of my hifi system when I can say hand on heart I’ve reached the ultimate. Vinyl will never be the same.
Steve Carpenter – Newcastle, United Kingdom
Ioannis Giannekas – Alexandria, Greece
Once dialled in with thanks to Ivan, the turntable came alive. My MFSL records went next level for detail and PRaT. The bass is rock solid and tighter now. Really happy with it so far. You certainly get a lot of turntable for your money, unlike some better known brands where a lot of the cost is just in the name and branding.
David English – Sydney, Australia
I purchased an Aldebaran turntable approximately two years ago. I put a Benz Ebony TR cartridge on it today and the sound is phenomenal. Thank-you for being in business and the quality of your design. A big smile is on my face. Keep making quality equipment.
Thomas Brown – Benton AR, United States
A long wait for my Sinner to be ready… But so worth waiting for. Fantastic level of machining – and I am an engineer so very fussy – but the finish is without comparison. Extremely well packaged.
Assembly easy.. The biggest task being levelling and arm setup.
It is obvious that the people behind the SAM range of turntables know a thing or two about listening to vinyl records. The operation is a delight. The sound is flat. No mechanical noise and stability is perfect due to the massive inertia of the platter.
So how does it sound. I have both LP12 and a Gyrodec. It is so much better on every front. The bass is firm and tight. The high frequencies musical and exactly as they should be.
And to boot.. It looks stunning.
Don’t even hesitate to buy this turntable. It is incredible this company can make something this substantial for the price asked, especially when some of the “renown” manufacturers can charge £1, 000 for a power supply.
I bet the price won’t stay this low for long….
David Hill – Essex, United Kingdom (Head of Making Vinyl european division & Tapematic director of UK Office)
I’ve got to tell you that you guys build the coolest turntable if not the coolest music player in the market. It’s an engineering marvel and like a piece of art.
Luke Liang – New Jersey, United States
Hello Ivan, and hello to the whole S.A.M team,
Now, after a few weeks of enjoying the hi-fi with your Reference turntable, I would like to give you a short feedback. I am absolutely thrilled with your Reference drive. The workmanship leaves little to be desired and also in terms of sound it easily fulfills my rather high expectations that I have of a mass drive. The two Calista II tonearms (10 and 12 inch) were also able to convince me, not only because they are wonderfully designed, no, much more because they can also be easily adjusted in all necessary parameters. Even setting up the turntable was pure joy. The motor control is powerful and very quiet in the drive. The set speed is reached in a matter of seconds and is also precisely maintained. The Reference turns smoothly as I would like it to be. All lacquer surfaces are without any dust inclusions, almost reminiscent of piano lacquer, and all metal parts are also lovingly polished. As I said, I’m thrilled. I would almost like to think that the price-performance ratio for this mass drive is record-breaking.In my opinion, a real high-end drive that fully justifies its price. But let me come to the essentials, the sound and the tone. My feeling: The Reference builds its sound image on a stable, deep foundation and is still extremely agile and spirited in the mid / high range. It offers a great three-dimensional image, conveys a great physicality and impressively proves the low frequency of this analog drive, which you have made by hand, is capable of. This is especially true for the bass, which is not only extremely precise and dry, but in my opinion also has an overwhelming volume. The Reference proves the bass reproduction this drive is capable of. He succeeds particularly impressively with abysmal bass underlay, which makes listening a live experience with a lot of pressure on the stomach and ears. At the same time, it illuminates all the finest details in the furthest corner of the musical scene. Sometimes I think he’d kind of dematerialize the vinyl. I only hear the music – and not the record ….. This is real high end, pure relaxation that this turntable offers.
Chapeau to all of you – just amazing this turntable.
Joerg Noack – Berlin, Germany
My system consists of the Aldebaran turntable, Grace 714 tonearm with Dynavector 10x mc, Brass Calista II tonearm with Grado Sonata II statement, G.A.S. Theadra preamp, Sheng Ya PSM 300 mono blocks .100 watt pure Class A in to 8ohms.( I wish you could hear these amps, sound comes out of them like a fire hose and the sound stage is unbelievable) S.E.S. B300 Chrome face speakers. The Aldeberan with the gold tone arm is just beautiful! Very, very, satisfied A+.
Charles Stuard – Columbia IL, Unites States
I’ve been listening to music last night and I’m overwhelmed. I probably have to listen to my entire record collection again. Thank you for everything.
Ralf Blank – Erfurt, Germany
Just wanted to say thank you to you and everyone that works at Small Audio. I received my turntable today and couldn’t be happier!!! The fit and finish is amazing for the cost. I will definitely recommend your tables to all my audio friends. Simply an amazing turntable for the money!! Highly recommended!
George Toomey – Stuart FL, United States
First, the level of craftsmanship of this table is beyond anything I’ve ever owned, and that includes all the table manufacturers I’ve mentioned previously. This table is a thing of beauty and pictures just don’t do it justice. There aren’t any rough edges, stray machining marks, or any cosmetic flaws I could detect! Second, the table is dead quiet. Allowing the table to run with the volume all the way up, no music playing of course, I can hear nothing but silence. Third, speed stability is spot on! (I let the table spin for a coupe of days prior to listening.) The platter is a work of art. The material is actually wood, not acrylicor metal with a rough painted finish that I presume is to prevent belt slippage. The platter is topped by a roughly ¼” clear acrylic disc where the Lp rests. This table can accommodate four arms and the pillars are very convenient for any length arm you desire. They also supply a record weight of sufficient mass to hold the Lp securely, but not reduce warps on some discs.
One of the strengths of the VPI Scoutmaster was its transparency, dynamics, and bass slam. I’m pleased to say that the SAM supersedes the VPI in every way and adds a black background to the mix! Regardless of tonearm used, the table revealse very nuance imaginabley etretains a musicality that keeps me up at night playing album after album. Records I haven’t played in years have taken on a new life. For example, take a snare drum and cymbal. Knowing well what these instruments sound like, hearing them live every week at church, the VPI played these instruments well, yet my knowledge of how they should sound helped me to discern them better. With the SAM, I find myself startled by the realness in which these instruments are portrayed. I can actually hear the snare wires as if the drum was in the room. Cymbals also display a natural resonance and shimmering that I knew was there but can actually hear quite easily. Its to the point now that I take these things for granted with the SAM.
The bass is simply phenomenal not just in quantity, but inquality. When recently visiting a local high-end dealer, they played for me Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Tin Pan Alley fromthe Couldn’t Stand the Weather LP on a $40K turntable setup. Its ounded very impressive to say the least! I was so impressed with the recording I ordered the Lp and when it arrived I placed it on the SAM Reference/Dynavector XX2 MKII table. (The dealer used a Dynavector XV-1S) Viola, the bass blew me away just as it did at the dealers. This was realized with an entire turntable setup a fraction of the cost of their turntablea lone! The SAM Reference turntable is a chameleon. It allows the music to come through. It doesn’t add warmth, or artificial detail. It doesn’t bring attention to itself. It does what a table is supposed to do, spin records at a constant pace. Speaking of constant speed, my test for this is the Crusaders album Rhapsodyand Blues. The song Sweet Gentle Love has a sustained sax solo near the end that will reveal any wow issues you may have. The SAM plays spot on perfect…no drift I could detect. Even the VPI fell behind in this regard! All in all, an impressive turntable and a heck of a find (I’ll give myself a pat on the back for this one!)
At its current price of $3000 plus shipping including arm, $2300 without arm, I can think of no better bargain in audio than this. After listening to this table over the last 9 months I can once again remove myself from the turntable merry-go-round for years to come! I cant’ speak highly enough about the music this table delivers. Highly recommended!
Enjoy the Jazz!
Mike Sands – Atlanta, USA
Wonderful value for money product and fantastic customerservice. I obtained a S.A.M. Aldebaran + Calista II tonearm over a year ago now and have been happily using it ever since. The table has torque which I normally associate with modern direct drive sand is fast to get up to speed or slow down. The table exhibits an excellent sense of timing, rythm and pace and has bass response extends deeper than any other table I’ve ever run. The stock acrylic mat is effective and looks great too though in my eternal search for improvement I moved to an SDS Iso Plat Mat which brought an even black background revealing every little detail where it’s present. All in all I believe the S.A.M. Aldebaran to be one of the great bargains in the audio world and has proven to be the best sounding table I’ve ever run. It is an end game table for me able to extract the best from vinyl. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommendthe S.A.M. turntables.
Matthew Willims – Melbourne, Australia
Man, I gotta tell ya, this Turntable is incredible, stunning, brilliant! The sound quality is just amazing. Sounds tage is better then I’ve ever heard with a depth and clarity like turntables that are priced at least 5 times what the Aldebaran costs. The Aldebaran is the finest turntable in it’s price point and in my honest opinion, way beyond. Paired with my ZYX-R100zn moving coil cartridge the sound quality is simply superb, stunning, brilliant. The Aldebaran is the wisest piece purchase of audio gear I have made in the last 40 years. I have been to many audio shows in my life here in New York and many other states and also in Germany and I have seen and heard many fine high end turntables and none have impressed me as much as the S*A*M~Aldebaran. I’ve heard and auditions tables in the $10,000 range and higher and they don’t come close. The Aldebaran is so quiet I couldn’t believe it was on. Even the silence between tracks! The low frequencies are solid with natural feel, mid range so clean without the slightest bit of harshness and highs just as clear and crisp with not thes lightest trace of shrillness. Most definitely worth the wait and worth the investment in a fine, high quality piece o fHigh End Audio Equipment. Thank you very much for all you have done, your patience and understanding.
Eddie Rizzo – New York, USA
I’ve purchased a S.A.M. Gold Reference turntable + Calista II tonearm a year ago now, and have been very very happy using it ever since. Ivan was very helpful in all my questions, as he had responded promptly and in detail. The turntable has a gorgeous construction, a wonderful appearance, a fantastic sound quality, and very easy to setup! It compares very favorable with the other expensive hi-end turntables, and for a very competitive price. It´s by far the best turntable I´ve ever had. I’ve already had a Thorens TD-2030, a Scheo Analogue Cello, and a Dr. Feickert Analogue Woodpecker turntables. It´s a very quiet table, has a great, deep and warm bass, with a fantastic dynamic! The medium and high frequencies are also very clean and warm.
Sergio Kwitko – Rio De Janeiro, Brasil
The S.A.M. Sinnertable actually sounds better than it looks. It sounds fantastic. Extremely quite. Hugh soundstage. Very detailed with pitch black background. It is truly a top of the line turntable. There is a audio dealer in Chicago called music direct. They have a listening room that has a 500,000.00 dollar sound system. The turntable in the system is the VPI Titan it cost 40,000.00 dollars. I have listen to that turntable for several hours mine sounds just as good. I am extremely happy. I told my wife last night, I am the only true audiophile on the planet, no offense meant to the rest of you because I have the best damn turntable on the planet. Thanks to You!
Keith Kearney – Daytona, USA
I’m blown away on how fantastic this table sound and looks. Here are some picture with my McIntosh system and my Vandersteen speakers, hope you like it. I must say, I am a very happy customer. Thank you so much once again Ivan and give thanks to your boss for me. The best TT I ever own.
Mike Tuason – Los Angeles, USA
I truly didn’t know what to make of this Croatian turntable builder when I first heard about them. They build gorgeous, well-designed tables and a fantastic unipivot tonearm for prices that you only see on eBay. In fact, eBay is one of the few places that you can go to buy these tables. All S.A.M. turntables come with the excellent Calista II tonearm, a stand-alone motor, and a nice little platform for whole thing to sit on. You even have the ability to use multiple arms. I bought the irmid-level table called the Aldebaran and it looks fabulous. Thankfully, it also sounds fabulous.
Dave Thomas – Richton Park, United States (StereoTimes.com review: Most Wanted Components)
Dear Ivan, I want to thank you for your nice work in your Brass Reference turn table. My expectation where high according to the description of the product and those have been compensated by the good sound, design and quality of this turntable. Testing my capsules, I can tell you that every one sounds some steps better in the Reference than in my other turntables. Thank you so much and I wish you a long time offering so good products.
Carlos Krüger – Madrid, Spain
I don’t know where to begin…. It is an excellent and comforting feeling to know that a small group of men following their passion can produce such a world class product that the common man can afford. I did not have to sell my beloved BMW sedan to come up with the money to purchase a turntable/arm that plays MUASIC !!! You men have done yourselves proud….Kudos to you. I have owned 30+ turntables over the past 35 years as an audio enthusiast, but this S.A.M. Aldebaran table/arm will be the last I need to own. It will follow me to my grave. Simply put……What a table !!!
Brian Riendeau – New Jersey, USA
I have owned many different tables Luxman PD289, Luxman Basic Transcription that I built as it was sold as a kit form, Sonogram/Conrad Johnson, Rega Planner 3, and was using an Oracle Delphi II Black widow that I upgraded to near IV with new springs,mushrooms and more. Anyways after many e-mails back and forth with Ivan at SAM, I purchased there Reference one for appearance,then after using it for a few weeks I retired my Oracle, still have it. But This table is an excellent buy, it is solid as a rock weighing in at well over 70 pounds. I also bought a Calista II tone arm from them, I ‘m using one of my Koetsu rosewood cartridges the old long bodies. The sound quality is extremely well balanced, by this I mean if you sit in your sweet spot in your sound room, and close your eyes and your there your living the live concert, or your in the studio with the band. Currently I’m not using my Lux C-02, M-02 amp and pre. Just running a Crown XS1200 through a Numark mixer 12″ Subs, with with Motorolla tweeters and my top end I’m using Bose 901’s series VI. Here is the big question I have no idea of what turntable I could upgrade this to. Yeah perhaps a $120,000.00 Clear Audio. But I firmly believe anyone buying this Reference Series III table, with there tone arm or another excellent arm with a great cartridge and there are a lot of good cartridges to choose from. The MDF, Aluminum copper, and the noiseless isolated motor. Just clean your favorite LP put it on the massive highly balanced platter put the stabilizer on. Then drop that damped lifter, sit down and get ready to be blown away.
Randy McLeod – Cache Bay ON, Canada
I bought SAM REFERENCE, as recommended by an audiophile friend. I must say that I did not regret it. A great turntable, well finished, great value for money. It has good dynamics, rhythm, provides good hearing regardless of the arm and needle being used. Versatile, it provides many upgrades for arms and cartdriges. A turntable that is easy to set up, although the CalistaII tonearms require more time and care for your installation.
Reginaldo Schiavini – Rio De Janeiro, Brasil
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