Grand Prix Monaco review in new Stereophile- OUCH

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!

"Mothra" wrote: "but it;s would be typical of fremer to like because it is one of, if the not the, most expensive tables on the market."

That's silly my Japanese monster friend. I owned an relatively modestly priced Simon Yorke S7 for years and chose to not replace is with many far more expensive turntables that I reviewed. I reviewed the new $28,000 NAIM CD player and didn't feel it sounded all that different than my $7000 reference. I wonder on what basis you made the "typical" statement? Believe me, buying the Caliburn, even at an "accommodation" price was/is a big sacrifice. I am still paying it off. Another Caliburn owner I spoke with previously owned a Walker. He read my review and since he couldn't hear one before buying had to rely upon what I wrote. Talk about pressure! Was he happy with his purchase after doing a direct comparison? Absolutely. Another guy bought one and complained to me about my review at the HE2006 show in Los Angeles. He told me my review was misleading. Why? Because he felt after buying the turntable that I had 'held back' and that the Caliburn was far better than I let on. He also owns a Ferrari and says the Caliburn is his favorite purchase. I don't own a Ferrari but I agree with him. It's my favorite purchase ever too. Another buyer who writes for TAS came up to here mine and then bought his. You can be cynical but you should hear the Caliburn under good conditions. Unfortunately the sound at most of the shows has been poor but not because of the 'table.