Origin Live Aurora Turntable

"Swish looks; clear precise presentation; realistic vocals; full-bodied attack; thrilling dynamics"
What Hi-Fi?, Oct 2003

Introduction

The Aurora turntable is not only a superb looking deck - it also has performance to match. As a slimmed down version of Origin Live’s award winning Aurora Gold - it represents unrivalled performance at this price point. The Aurora maintains its stature in comparison with other record players even when fitted with inexpensive tone arms and cartridges. Investing that little bit extra in the turntable almost always results in a considerable overall saving.
The strengths of the Aurora lie in its superb transparency, coupled with tangible sound staging and imaging. It is very neutral and will suit most systems exceptionally well. You can expect this turntable to give you many years of listening pleasure.

Feature highlights

The Aurora has a decoupled sub-chassis rather than the semi-suspended design used in the Aurora Gold.

Theory of Energy Management

In principle a turntable is one of the simplest items of Hi-Fi equipment. However, from a technical point of view, understanding the principles governing performance is much more involved than first meets the eye.

The Priority of Source Signal Purity

Controlling vibration is the key to record player design due to the nature of the stylus mechanism. The movements of the stylus as it tracks the record groove are extremely small. As the stylus moves, it acts within the signal generator of the cartridge and this signal is duly transmitted to the amplifier. Much has been written about the amazingly tortuous job that a stylus carries out. The stylus undergoes forces measured in tons per square inch and the vinyl melts momentarily as the stylus passes over it.

The stylus vibrations are so small that they must be amplified thousands of times to produce an output at the speakers. This means that the slightest source of unwanted vibration is also amplified thousands of times. It is the successful elimination of this unwanted vibration that results in the huge differences between mediocre record players and star performers.

Vibration is a highly complex area. Put simply, the following are the most relevant parameters from an audio point of view:

1. Speed of energy transmission
2. Speed of energy absorption - storage of vibrational energy (resonance) vs vibration absorption (damping).
3. Resonant frequency of the material (how does it behave within the audio band?).

Design of Components

From the above, it follows that the tiniest details all contribute to the overall sonic character of a turntable. In the Aurora, meticulous attention has been paid to every detail and design option. The key variables researched are listed below:

a) Types of material used at each point in the structure.
b) Choice of which materials to interface together.
c) Dimensioning of materials.
d) Shape and form of components: solid, hollow, plate, flanged, tube, etc.
e) Method of attachment: bolting, gluing, welding, screwing, etc.
f) Decoupling methods: springs, spikes, elastic bands, rubber, foam, air cushion, etc.
g) Motor positioning and method of mounting.

These critical areas and many others, have all been tested extremely thoroughly and result in the outstanding performance of the Aurora turntable.

Hear for yourself

This page provides some explanation of the design principles behind the performance of the Aurora turntable. In this turntable you will hear the results of more than ten years of intensive and exhaustive testing. These have been distilled into a high end product that appears deceptively simple and yet will yield astounding results. Why not discover for yourself the astonishing potential of the world’s highest performing medium for the reproduction of music?