Grand Prix Monaco review in new Stereophile- OUCH


Anyone read Fremer's review of the Grand Prix Monaco in the latest Stereophile?

Ouch that has to hurt. I am familar with the design of this table, and of course on paper it seems groundbreaking, but if I were in the market for a $20K table, (I'm not) this review would completely kill my interest in this seemingly stellar product.

Any other opinions?

(actually this is a great issue of Stereophile - lots of gear I am intersted in)
emailists
Dlanselm, no not every manufacturer provides an accommodating price to professional equipment reviewers. One of those is called Grand Prix Audio. It begs the question why a manufacturer would do that...other than get a favorable (re)view in return, certainly not out of charity. Why this review. Well, its MF controversial review details that sparked this debate, and fueled by same.

Lewn, you hit the nail on the head, MF view goes a long way in this industry, like Dlanselm says, may make or break companies. Not GPA though, too many other respected reviewers the world over with opposite opinion. MF and his controversial review stand alone in the professional reviewer world, why else do you think he on this thread in defense of his review? Especially the last 7 posts in a row should leave nobody in doubt about how things work in this business!

Keep spinning those records,
Henry
at least fremer knows what he likes. many in this hobby just spend money for the sake of 'just that'..'spending money'. the 'to each his own' logic will always prevail(rightfully so), but its easier and easier to see the true value (and genius) of vintage designs(and their competitive performance), today more than ever. in the context of new products only, a dd shootout between the monaco and the new denon 1300 would be fun for some...and sobering for others.
Jaybo, I can't find a Denon 1300 turntable anywhere on the web, not even at Denon USA's web site.
A DP 1300mkII.. big brother of the 500m..its only being sold in japan at the moment, but can be exported through several retailers, and is coming officially to the states in 2008. an interesting return for denon to a competitive high end table, and inexpensive relative to just about everything.
Mtkhl567, When I opined that you did not need Mike Fremer's approval to validate your purchase, I was not intending to denigrate MF's opinion so much as to let you know that I think you are/were over-reacting to it. Mike has said here and elsewhere over and over again that he recommends we evaluate for ourselves the products he reviews, using his experiences only as a touchstone. He did not and probably would not say that you were "wrong" to buy the GPM, is all I meant. Anyway, I'd love to hear either table in a good home system, along with a Walker to compare to both. Not many folks will ever get such an opportunity, so Mike's work is of great value but should be taken with a "grain of salt". Dealer venues and audio shows don't tell us much.