Then there’s a second, far smaller and more select group of products that confound and perplex for quite a different reason. These are products that perform beyond all expectation and explanation, and almost despite the circumstances. Straight from the off, they do "stuff" -- stuff you never dreamed they’d be capable of, stuff they seemingly have no right to do. These products are gems, in the qualitative sense of that word. They’re few and far between, hard to find and worth hanging on to.

The AMG Giro turntable with 9W2 tonearm is just such a gem. It is genuinely compact. Just how compact only strikes you when it arrives in a cubic box around 15" on a side -- and that contains the tonearm and power supply too. Unbox the parts and it quickly becomes apparent that this is almost as simple and minimalist as a deck can get. Assemble it, with the 'arm installed and the deck set up and ready to go, and it’s worth pausing to take in the simple elegance of its appearance. The two offset yet superimposed discs, the dimensional consistency of the layers (both discs and the supporting feet are all close to the same height) and the repeated circular motif that echoes through the clamp, cartridge platform, bearing housing, counterweight and mounting collar of the tonearm, right down to the speed-control buttons -- the Giro creates a clean, unified aesthetic of almost Bauhaus purity. If Braun had built a turntable, it might well have looked like this, with its combination of compact footprint, clean shapes, unfussy execution and delicate-looking 'arm. Factor in the flawless quality of the surface finish and you end up with a design that has an essential, pared-away, timeless quality that’s rare in the world of audio. Few of the products that pass my way attract admiring glances from non-audio visitors, but the Giro attracted consistent admiration, irrespective of that guest’s age, sex or audio inclination. This is one record deck that really does deserve to be called beautiful. Everybody seems to love this ‘table -- and that’s before they’ve heard it.

An essential element in the AMG’s simple, clean appearance is the way in which it conceals its necessary complexity. This is another way of saying that none of the moving parts is on show. Dig beneath that calm exterior and the inner complexity along with a few neat ideas begin to emerge. The Giro looks like no other deck, but then it’s not built like other decks. It is founded on a substantial, circular aluminum plinth some 34mm thick and standing on three cylindrical feet. The front left foot is massively oversized and encapsulates the stout shaft of the captive main bearing. In a first major point of departure, the top of the bearing is formed into a flat mushroom-like head 58mm in diameter. This, in turn, locates in a machined recess on the underside of the platter, breaking the direct mechanical path from bearing to record that’s normally formed by the spindle. Toward the rear of the plinth, hidden under the platter once it’s installed, is the high-quality DC motor topped with a large-diameter pulley. The oversized pulley indicates both the slow speed of the motor and the large diameter of the shoulder machined into the platter’s lower face and on which the circular belt runs. The motor is powered by a small, molded external power supply, with a pair of illuminated, soft-touch buttons on the right side of the plinth selecting 33 or 45rpm.

The plinth arrived with the small mounting collar for the 9W2 tonearm already installed, so setting up was limited to connecting the power supply and threading the armlead up from below and inserting it into the armbase, before dropping the 'arm into place. Now is the time to level the deck -- because one of the access holes that allows adjustment to the studs in the underside of the three legs is going to be obscured by the platter and, believe me, trying to level a three-point structure when you only have access to two adjustments can make you crazy. Interestingly, the two legs that balance the large cylinder beneath the main bearing are both significantly smaller in diameter and manufactured from the same aluminum alloy as the plinth. The bearing housing is machined from engineering polymer (POM) the same material employed for the platter and contact surface of the screw-down clamp. It’s an interesting arrangement that suggests (sensibly) different approaches to the low-frequency noise generated by the bearing and the higher frequencies associated with the motor.

With the plinth leveled, it’s time to drop the platter carefully into place, having first run the belt around the inner shoulder and tensioned it to hook over the motor pulley. This somewhat fiddly operation used to be familiar when record players were the primary audio source, but the knack has since evaporated. A little trial and error will suffice, after which the deck should be up and running. After that, it’s just a case of placing the shallow, domed washer over the spindle and screwing down the clamp.

Although the 9W2 seems outwardly just as simple as the deck, that’s far from the case. Its sleek lines conceal not just its innovative leaf-spring vertical bearings, but the all-important ability to adjust each geometrical aspect of cartridge setup and alignment -- VTA/SRA, overhang and offset, azimuth and bias, all that in a slim-line structure more than a little reminiscent of the old Hadcock 228, which tells you that the adjustment mechanisms are pretty small.

Let’s start with the headshell, a simple circular disc with the familiar parallel slots for cartridge mounting. Nothing new here, you might be thinking, except that the lack of straight edges on the mounting platform means that there are no shortcuts to lazy setup on offer, forcing you to align the cantilever itself rather than the cartridge body. Personally, I applaud this arrangement and the significant contribution that it imposes on proper cartridge alignment. Others, who spend less time than I do tinkering with tonearms and cartridges may be less sanguine.

Likewise, the azimuth and bias adjustments, which are similarly exacting. The vertical bearings in the 'arm consist of two narrow strips of springy metal. To adjust the azimuth, you loosen one of the clamps fixing one end of the inner strip. Turning a tiny Allen screw (all the tools required to adjust the 'arm are supplied) set into the top face of the bearing housing raises or lowers that side of the 'arm yoke, thus altering the azimuth. It works, but it is entirely devoid of any sort of incremental scale or zero point, which makes the degree of adjustment hard to discern, the operation distinctly hit or miss.

The bias is set magnetically via another small Allen socket, set in a short vertical slot in the main bearing’s outer face. The slot is around twice the length of the bolt head’s diameter and, once again is devoid of any sort of scale or values. Loosen the bolt, slide it up the slot and tighten it -- then examine the results. The problem comes once you try to adjust the setting you’ve just made. Loosen the bolt and it risks dropping straight to zero again, while the short slot and absence of markings mean that making small, repeatable adjustments requires a degree of delicacy that certainly eludes me. The good news is that the nicely executed magnetic compensation increases the bias force as the 'arm approaches the record’s inner grooves, just as it should, rather than relying on the constant bias setting delivered by many spring and falling-weight systems. In contrast to the bias and azimuth settings, the post-and-collar VTA/SRA adjustment does offer a threaded riser that makes tiny, incremental adjustments possible by retaining the setting once the collar is loosened.

Aggregate all of these factors and you might conclude that the 9W2 is difficult to set up. It’s not, but it can be frustrating and, particularly for those unfamiliar with analog adjustment, confusing and time-consuming, which means that getting this 'arm spot on requires you to either exercise considerable patience or, better, get the job done by somebody who is familiar with the product. This is one product where current experience pays real dividends, so a dedicated dealer can save you considerable time and effort -- and add considerable musical value. Alternatively, take the time to become comfortable with the 'arm yourself, before attempting final setup. Either way, it’s worth the effort, because when this 'arm is good, it’s very, very good indeed -- and it stays that way too. Unlike some tonearms, the AMG 9W2 holds its settings long-term. In fact, in the course of the review, the deck was dismantled and relocated from the UK to France. On arrival, I simply dropped the 'arm back into place and the deck was singing, straight from the off, which impressed the hell out of me. But then everything this deck does impresses me.

But before we get on to how the player sounds, one quick note about setup -- or rather, support. This is a non-suspended design and one of no great mass, so what it sits on matters. Ideally, you should look for a supporting surface that provides both a sink for energy generated by the deck and some isolation from the outside world. I used the Giro on a range of different platforms, including the HRS M3X and examples from Symposium and Acapella Audio Arts. They all worked well, easily demonstrating their benefits over a simple rack-and-shelf arrangement. So if you are considering the Giro, it is essential to factor this sort of support into the cost equation (and audition process).

For all its compact simplicity, AMG’s baby ‘table has a sense of lively confidence and direct musical communication that is immediately apparent. Quick and clean, players are presented with verve and vitality that are both exciting and engaging, qualities that are highlighted when using DS Audio’s difficult-to-match DS-W1 cartridge ($8500 for the system; replaced by the DS-W2, $13,000 for the system). Although this is a review of the AMG deck and 'arm, the pairing with this unusual transducer is so spectacularly successful that it has become an unavoidable part of the story. The reasons for that success are partly physical and partly to do with the shared characteristics of these three products, rooted in that shared sense of life and energy.

But first, let’s deal with the practicalities. The 9" length and slender proportions of the 9W2 tonearm are mirrored in its effective mass: 9 grams is pretty low in these days of ever longer and heavier 'arms -- which is what makes the AMG 'arm such an apposite match for the DS Audio cartridge. Rather than moving a coil or magnet and relying on electromagnetic induction to generate a signal, the DS-W1 cartridge has a tiny LED mounted at the generator end of its cantilever, and it’s the movement of this LED that is detected by a light-sensitive screen, which converts polarity and amplitude into the signal. It’s an approach that reduces moving mass and friction within the generator/tracing system and that was first employed back in the 1970s. In updating the idea using modern technology, DS Audio also imported the physical characteristics of those earlier cartridges designed to be used with the ultra-low-mass 'arms of the time. The result was an anachronism -- a stunning piece of technology that was incompatible with most of today’s medium-mass 'arms. The exception to that rule? The 9W2, whose effective mass creeps just under the upper limit of acceptability -- and allows the DS-W1 to fly.

At this point, it is worth noting that later DS Audio designs (the Master 1, DS 002 and the DS-W2, which updates the W1) use a conventional tieback to help control cantilever motion and reduce compliance to more manageable values. I’ll be reviewing the Master 1 shortly, but there’s no escaping the fact that the DS-W1 possesses a magical quality that’s well worth the effort of getting it working properly, which is exactly what the 9W2 does.

The AMG Giro is a ‘table that sounds fast, but not because it clips the tail from notes, or has the hectoring quality of a deck that is literally running too fast. It has a sense of pace that’s based on speed of response; it's a deck that’s fast to react to the demands of the music, quick or slow. Indicative of a low-storage signature and the lack of dominant resonance, there’s nothing to slow or blur the music. Now consider the platform that this represents: the DS-W1 cartridge is lightning quick, utterly unimpeded in its tracing of the groove. Its response to transient attack and dynamic graduations is so immediate and suffers so little interference from the deck that, in combination, the absence of lag seemingly removes the record player from the process, plugging the system directly into the groove (physical and musical). The result is a sound that combines precision, sure-footed confidence and agility, a joining that brings performances to life with vivid, engaging pace and color.

Musical shape and structure are revealed with an unforced clarity, lack of smudging or clutter, a natural definition that has more in common with experiencing live events than listening to audio systems. It’s a lucid clarity that had me reaching immediately for baroque and early classical music, the almost mathematical symmetry of Bach, the vivacity of Vivaldi, the melodic perfection of Mozart. But there’s more here than simply getting all the notes and placing them in the right place -- although, Lord knows, that’s a rare enough achievement. Play the Menuhin/Bath Festival Orchestra, Brandenburg Concerto No.1 [EMI ASD 327] and the distinctive voice of the violino piccolo, its contrast with the violins and the added structural dimension it brings, is more than just audible. It’s intelligible -- meaning that its presence is more than academic. It contributes directly to the overall tone and sense of the piece, a performance that would be diminished without it. It’s a telling indication of the deck’s essential neutrality, its ability to capture the harmonic identity of an instrument or voice, the absence of the spurious warmth or rounding that is so often identified with analog sound.

Play through the second concerto and its repeated themes, passed across the solo instruments and underlaid with a complex and constantly shifting counterpoint, simply unroll before you, with all the purpose and direction you’d expect (but so seldom achieve). Move on to the Suite No.3 for Orchestra and again the structures and interlocking phrases are laid bare, with even the famous Air sounding stately and precise rather than ponderous and clichéd. It’s an object lesson in the importance of tempo (as opposed to simple speed) and allowing music to move at its own pace. It’s due in no small part to the pitch-perfect bass notes, beautifully paced and spaced, as well as separated from yet still musically in synch with the continuo. This ability to distinguish different instruments playing at the same or harmonized pitch is crucial to the Giro’s performance, indicative of its lack of additive coloration or smearing.

It’s also suggestive of a slight lightness or lack of extension in the bass. The bottom end definitely loses weight as it goes deeper, but it’s not as great a loss as first impressions suggest. Instead, it is exposed or highlighted by the lack of the low-frequency hump that fills out (slows and slurs) the low-frequency response of so many ‘tables. I’d characterize the Giro as clean and a little light at the very bottom. Use it in big systems with full-bandwidth speakers and you’ll notice a loss of air beneath double bass, a lack of the planted weight and authority that should inform grand piano, an emphasis on instruments and the space between them, rather than the overarching acoustic that contains them. But you’ll need a big system for that to be a problem. Employ the AMG ‘table in the context of the VTL TL-7.5 III/S-400 and Siegfried IIs driving the Wilson Alexx/Thor’s Hammer rig and you hear that lightness at the bottom. Use the Giro with the sort of floorstanders that reach down to 40Hz or so, or high-quality stand-mounts like the Raidho C1.2, and you’ll be more impressed by the bottom-end pace and clarity than you’ll be worried by any loss of weight. Given that equipment like this is the Giro’s more likely partner in real-world systems, it’s a well-judged compromise that will only add to its appeal.

Turn to jazz or pop and the ‘table’s strengths come into their own. Somethin’ Else (Cannonball Adderley/Miles Davis [Classic Records/Blue Note 1595]) really swings, with clear interplay between not just Adderley and Davis, but all of the band members. But what really impresses is again the pitch definition on Sam Jones’s bass and the way the Giro picks through the rounded, plummy bottom end of this reissue. On "Love For Sale," the bass line has a natural pace, shape and momentum that keep things moving, qualities that carry over to the higher-tempo, busier title track. The deck can’t add edges or definition that isn’t on the recording, but it keeps what is there heading purposefully in the right direction, it keeps the tempo alive, and it allows the chemistry between Adderley and Davis to crackle and explode.

There are times when records can disappoint, outperformed by their CD equivalents: the La La Land Soundtrack is a case in point, the vinyl album [Interscope Records B0025619-01] lacking the life, energy and explosive dynamics of the digital disc [Interscope Records 5711777]. Compared to the CD, the LP often sounds like a thick, turgid mess -- unless you play it on the Giro with the DS-W1, where the player seems to effortlessly pick its way through the thickened textures and reinvigorate the sudden impact and impressive leaps in dynamic range and substance.

The complex, frenetic rhythms and dense, undulating mix of Talking Heads’ Remain In Light [Sire SRKC 6095] are suitably insistent, but also beautifully layered, the propulsive mobility of the Frantz/Weymouth rhythm section surging powerfully beneath the chopped guitars and stabbing keys. This is always a great record, and the AMG ‘table lets you really appreciate the multi-faceted production and Byrne’s ability to harness it to the music rather than let it swamp proceedings. There’s ample evidence that Eno could over-egg almost any pudding, but the Giro manages to combine clarity of purpose with the almost physical density. That ability to find forward traction when everything else seems to get bogged down, to find clarity amidst congestion and life in the laziest groove, are what make the Giro such an entertaining and engaging record player. Its lack of really deep bass weight and the sense of scale that goes with it might prevent it from competing with the very best -- but then the very best cost considerably more than AMG’s junior offering. Besides which, in the sort of systems where the Giro is likely to find itself, those sudden dynamics and the sense of pace that go with them are going to be musically far more important. The pairing with the similarly fleet-of-foot and bass-linear DS Audio DS-W1 might be altogether too much of a good thing, except that these partners seemingly encourage each other to ever-greater heights. The results are impressive, occasionally spectacular but never, ever less than fun.

Time then for a quick aside: the DS Audio cartridge is super critical of VTF and SRA. The AMG 9W2’s counterweight is retained (if not locked) by a nylon grub screw, so no problem with shifts in tracking force. It also provides a vertical set screw for VTA adjustment, which allows for subtle changes in 'arm height. Indeed, aided by the deck’s absolute physical stability, I became adept at making such adjustments in play. However, that’s not a path most listeners will feel happy to tread, and it somewhat misunderstands the Giro’s ultimate appeal. Record-replay systems fall into two camps: those that allow ultimate adjustment on a record-by-record basis, providing access to variable VTA and different EQ curves, multiple cartridges and even different drive systems; and those that take the alternative, one-size-fits-all approach, relying on a single geometrical solution to replay all records. The AMG Giro and 9W2 pairing is very much in the latter camp -- although it does offer an unusually comprehensive and precise set of adjustments (all too often, the one-size-fits-all philosophy is used as an excuse to discard or ignore critical parameters, notably azimuth and 'arm height).

That range of adjustment is central to the deck’s musical success, a little bit of patience allowing for really precise alignment, geometrical accuracy that underpins this ‘table's confident musical performance. But the really good news is that, should you want to take things further and maximize performance with a cartridge like the DS-Audio DS-W1, then substituting the tool-free 9WT Turbo tonearm ($7500) will give you a knurled thumbwheel to adjust the VTA riser on the fly, along with a clearly legible reference scale. In fact, the 9WT adds knurled adjusters and scales to all of the alignment parameters (except VTF, for which it provides an electronic stylus balance) as well as improved horizontal bearings -- albeit at a price.

Of course, there are other cartridges out there, including AMG’s own. The company supplied a Teatro moving-coil ($2750) with the Giro, which made for a very musically confident, slightly more polite pairing, while brief stints with the Lyra Etna and Dorian showed the 'table’s sense of purpose and stability to great effect, with all of these options offering greater record-to-record consistency. What really didn’t work was trying to fill out the bottom end, with neither the Denon DL-103D nor the Clearaudio Accurate proving successful, serving only to gum up the musical works and overall sense of dynamic coherence. This is a clear case of building on the deck’s strengths as opposed to trying to correct perceived weaknesses, a process that simply hobbles the performance.

While none of the cartridges tried managed to match the sheer, joyous musical energy and abandon of the DS-W1, both the Lyras and the AMG Teatro still delivered thoroughly entertaining and engaging performance, long on the rhythmic integrity and musical communication that maintain vinyl’s preeminence, without resorting to rounded, padded niceness and cuddly warmth. More importantly, each cartridge was recognizably itself, bringing its own virtues and character to the party. Just be aware that the way in which the cartridge handles energy is going to be ruthlessly revealed and pear-shaped bottom ends will not be flattered by the Giro’s crisp, clean nether regions. Instead, like an ill-fitting or over-tight pair of jeans, it’s going to expose or even exaggerate the problem. If there’s an audio equivalent of muffin top, the Giro/Denon '103D is it.

This deck is all about energy and pattern, pace and proportion, precision and poise. It’s comfortable going slow when it needs to, but it needs absolutely no encouragement if the musicians want to go fast. It is capable of pathos when required, or tingling anticipation, yet it delivers sudden impact on demand. It is neither overly rich nor rounded, but it is solid enough and discriminating enough to give substance and sense to dynamic swings, to pick the distinctions between multiple or overlapping instruments and voices. It is clear without being clinical, precise without sounding mechanical. It allows the music to breathe and the musicians to emote, and the results are remarkably entertaining, never less than engaging and occasionally exhilarating.

Despite its outward simplicity, the Giro’s level of adjustment and the way it responds to the niceties of analog tuning and setup mean that it hardly qualifies as a plug-and-play device. But its rock-like stability (musical and physical) and the way it retains its tuning make this, the most musically satisfying set-and-forget 'table I’ve ever used. Personally speaking, I’d pay the extra money for the 9WT Turbo tonearm with its on-the-fly VTA adjustment and other niceties, but then that’s the beauty of this turntable combination -- you can shape it to match your own requirements.

So let’s make no bones about it -- with its confident clarity and all-around musical competence, this is a deck I could live with very happily. Don’t be fooled by its compact dimensions, elegant appearance and satisfying musical virtues; sometimes you really can have serious style and serious performance in a single, discrete package. Any listener looking for fuss-free access to analog replay should take the AMG Giro very, very seriously.

Prices: $10,000; Giro alone, $7000; 9W2 alone, $3500.
Warranty: Two years parts and labor.