Gold Note Bellagio Conquest Turntable Base, Black

The Gold Note Bellagio Conquest is a turntable base from the Italian limited-edition series, built with 100 kilograms of mass, thirteen curved plinths and a 270-millimetre-long spindle, and deliberately supplied without tonearm and cartridge.

"Base" is meant literally here: Gold Note builds the drive, bearing and chassis, and leaves the tracking to you with the Conquest. That sounds like extra work, and in truth it's the real luxury, because you choose tonearm, cartridge and phono stage to your own taste instead of from a single manufacturer's catalogue.

Why the Bellagio Conquest?

Because here almost everything is solved through mass and geometry rather than electronics. Thirteen differently curved plinths form the chassis: the suspended plinth in triple black-polished acrylic, the main plinth in a five-layer double construction of acrylic and titanium. The spindle measures 270 millimetres, is made of hardened C40 carbon steel and is, according to Gold Note's own claim, the longest spindle ever built for a turntable. It's guided by a 4.7-millimetre ceramic ball bearing in a polished bronze housing, machined to a tolerance of one hundredth of a millimetre. The platter is driven by a rectified deluxe EPDM belt over an hourglass-shaped pulley, powered by an externally fed 12-volt high-torque synchronous motor with a PWM power stage and triple AC-DC-AC conversion.

What you hear

Silence. Minus 85 decibels of rumble and 0.05 percent wow and flutter aren't brochure poetry — they're audible as a jet-black background against which instruments stay put instead of wandering. The 110-millimetre-tall Sustarin platter takes the micro-restlessness away from the stylus before it even arises. And because the motor power can be adjusted via remote control, you get to watch the turntable base's character change: more torque for densely pressed records, less for a quiet solo recording.

Who is the Bellagio Conquest suited for – and who isn't it for?

For vinyl listeners at the end of their search, who bring space, structural stability and patience. Plain talk: 125 centimetres of height and 100 kilograms aren't a piece of furniture, they're a structural decision, and the setup is not a Sunday-afternoon affair. If you're looking for something you unpack, plug in and play, this isn't it — tonearm, cartridge and phono stage are missing from the factory. If you want exactly that freedom, there's little comparable anywhere in the world.

Our verdict

The Conquest isn't a device you buy, it's one you arrive at. It solves the task of a turntable base the most honest way there is: with material and precision instead of sonic tricks. Tell us which tonearm and which cartridge you have in mind — at HD Zürisee in Wädenswil we clarify the right tonearm mount with Gold Note in advance, put the whole system together, and set it up for you on site.

Technical data

• Type: turntable base from the limited-edition series, without tonearm and cartridge
• Drive: belt drive, rectified deluxe EPDM belt (70 Shore), hourglass-shaped pulley
• Motor: 12 V high-torque synchronous motor, externally powered
• Motor control: PWM power stage with triple AC-DC-AC conversion, adjustable motor power
• Speeds: 33⅓ and 45 rpm, ±0.1%, electronically switchable with fine pitch
• Remote control: on/off, speed change, fine pitch, motor power
• Platter: Sustarin (POM), 110 mm height
• Spindle: 270 mm, hardened C40 carbon steel, with platter clamp
• Bearing: 4.7 mm ceramic ball bearing, polished bronze bearing housing, manufacturing tolerance 1/100 mm
• Chassis: 13 differently curved plinths; suspended plinth in triple black-polished acrylic, main plinth in five-layer double acrylic and titanium
• Metal parts: black and chrome, black platter
• Wow and flutter: 0.05%
• Rumble: −85 dB
• Power supply: 100–240 V, 50 or 60 Hz depending on market, non-switchable, 20 W
• Dimensions (W × H × D): 530 × 1250 × 500 mm
• Weight: 100 kg
• Scope of delivery: turntable base with external motor supply and control unit plus remote control; without tonearm, cartridge and phono stage

Frequently asked questions

Is the Bellagio Conquest supplied with a tonearm?

No. The Conquest is a pure turntable base: Gold Note supplies chassis, bearing, platter, motor and control unit, but neither tonearm, cartridge nor phono stage. You choose these three building blocks freely, matched to your sound preference and the rest of your system. We put the combination together together with you.

Why is the Conquest called a "base" and not a "turntable"?

Because it lacks the tracking unit from the factory. A turntable is ready to play; a base is the driving foundation for one. Gold Note accordingly lists the Conquest as a Turntable Base. Only once a tonearm and cartridge are fitted does it become a complete turntable.

What can be remote-controlled on the Conquest?

Switching on and off, changing between 33⅓ and 45 revolutions, fine speed adjustment, and motor power. So you can adapt the torque to the music: less for quiet, delicate recordings, more for densely pressed, dynamic records.

What kind of support does a 100-kilogram turntable base need?

A load-bearing, low-vibration surface. The Conquest stands freely and needs no rack, but it does need a floor that can handle 100 kilograms on a small footprint. With wooden beam ceilings or springy parquet flooring, we look at the placement together beforehand.

How does the Conquest differ from the Bellagio Reference?

The Conquest has thirteen plinths, a 270-millimetre C40 spindle, a 110-millimetre-tall Sustarin platter, and stands 125 centimetres tall. The Reference comes with five plinths, a 90-millimetre POM platter and 35 centimetres of height. Rumble also sets them apart: minus 85 versus minus 83 decibels.

Why buy the Bellagio Conquest from HD Zürisee?

Because a base without a tonearm only becomes an instrument through the right combination. We clarify the right tonearm mount with Gold Note in advance, match arm, cartridge and phono stage to each other, and set up the Conquest for you on site. Our technician Mauri remains your point of contact afterwards.

Goes well with

The most important building block is the tonearm, followed by a cartridge and a phono stage from the phono preamplifier category. For record care, it's worth looking at record cleaning, and you'll find further turntable bases under turntables.