It was an early start for us at London City airport for the short flight across to Florence where we were greeted by Ottavio Marino Cerrato, Sales Manager for Gold Note. The Gold Note HQ was a short 20 minute drive from the airport. When you first see the building set against the rolling hills of Tuscany it looks quite magnificent.
Upon arrival through the large double doors you enter a unique hospitality area complete with bar, kitchen, sound system (naturally) and a large indoor pool. Not something I expected or have ever experienced before at any manufacturer in my 20+ years in the Hi Fi industry. La bella vita indeed!
Walking up to the first floor you are met with an enormous pair of prototype speakers standing over 7ft tall. They look truly fantastic, absolute showstoppers.
We were given a full, extended tour of the facility, meeting all of the staff including of course Maurizio Aterini himself – founder of Gold Note.
We were lucky enough to be taken through the production and assembly line with Tom and Boris. They showed us the latest techniques being employed to make everything run as efficiently as possible. Remember, almost everything Gold Note produces is made in-house in this facility.
After an incredible lunch we entered the R&D department. Gold Note has a lot of exciting new products being launched in 2023. The Mediterraneo X turntable, PSU-5 power supply and the recently announced PH-1000 Lite phono stage were among those we were privileged to be shown in development. There’s more in development of course… but we’ll find out more about that in due course.
Our tour ended with a visit to the warehouse and export area. Vast levels of component parts from metalwork to gorgeous solid oak plinths (which incidentally we learned have to stay in a pressurised oven for 3 months to seal the wood) adorn the racking. There is just so much to take in. We even came across an Airt pallet full of PH-5s awaiting collection for delivery to the UK.
A huge thank you Maurizio, Ottavio, Alice, Tom, Boris and the rest of the Gold Note team for their exceptional food and hospitality. We look forward to another visit very soon with some of our UK dealers.