Grand Prix Monaco review in new Stereophile- OUCH

I returned the Halcyonics stand as I do all gear I don't buy. I have no doubt that Halcyonics made a difference....

I don't mind the bit**ing or the personal attacks. It's unfortunate, but part of the territory. Instead, you should visit the Wall Street Journal and look up a piece by a guy named Terry Teachout about "deaf audiophiles." This guy is dangerous and is deserving of a well written (not nasty) email. His address is there. The guy hates us and has been at it for quite some time.

Constructive criticism is always welcome but how many times do people complain that reviewers "never say anything negative" and then when they do, they complain about them too!!!!

The Monaco turntable is something everyone should spend some time listening to. It's strong suits may outweight the negative ones for you, or you may not hear the negatives I pointed out at all. Also remember that reviews put products under a microscope and when that's removed some of the problems diminish in size....

It's important to point them out though because short term you might not hear them but long term (once you plunk down yer money) you might! A reviewer's job is to find those "issues" quickly and point them out...at least that's how I see my job.....

the fluid amount has to do with critical damping and the critical damping will for the most part be dependent upon the weight of the cartridge and its compliance. Underdamping will usually cause the sound to be brighter and 'faster,' overdamping will make it sluggish-sounding, thick and sometimes dark and veiled. Yes, this is an important consideration...

I'm not sure why Thomas doesn't suggest damping fluid with his 'table. The arm's physical performance shouldn't be dependent upon the 'table used, though the sonic combination is another issue. A few people complained "why didn't you set up an SME V, why didn't you set up a Triplanar," etc. I tried to set up a popular inexpensive 'table (Pro-Ject) that allows for most set up parameters, and one that didn't (Reg) plus a unipivot (VPI), the idea being the old "teach a guy to fish" parable. I felt that the VPI unipivot instructions would translate easily to the Graham.....

Zanden measurements and subjective reviews? Yes, the Zanden I first got not only measured poorly, it was actually wired incorrectly at the factory and was therefore defective. However, it still sounded incredibly inviting. Mesmerizing actually. Why? I'm not sure. However, if you're interested in measurements as a guide for what's worth buying, surely you've given up on vinyl quite some time ago. Compared to CDs, vinyl SUCKS if you go by the commonly used measurements.....measurements are worthwhile generally and very useful for the most part, but if you let yourself get led around by the nose by measurements and just measurements, you'll end up in a very bad place.....as you will if you totally ignore them!