Grand Prix Monaco review in new Stereophile- OUCH

Mtkhl567, I don't want to start a confrontation with you, I did the photography for Grand Prix, the same images used in Fremer's review.

I like Alvin Lloyd a lot, they don't get much better than him, we had a few days together getting the images of the Grand Prix table and I already use his stands under my amps.

Cut to the chase, do you really think Mike Fremer could not get ANY EQUIPMENT made at a deep discount? There are Audiogon members with connections that get great deals, imagine what one of the most influential writers in high end audio can get.

Point I'm making, he would not sabotage his career for a deal on equipment. It's just too damn easy for him to get whatever he wants anyway.

PLEASE do not confuse my argument with taking sides for or against the Grand Prix table. I have too little experience with it to argue but suspect Mike Fremer is speaking the truth, even if his taste and experience does not agree with you or others here at Audiogon.

Imagine if the review had been a rave for Evolution Acoustics, would you think he was being bribed to say they were good?

I should add here, I have never so much have been offered a soft drink by J. Tinn and I awarded him product of the year last November at PFO for the MM3.

Was that OK, or was it a wink and a nod from Tinn that made me do it?

11-15-07: Jaybo
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.

I've found a couple of listings for this turntable, one at AudiocubesII and another on eBay from a vendor in Japan. I notice from the specs that the unit weighs about 10 lbs. more than the DP 500M, and the tonearm is 244mm vs. 230 for the DP 500M.

Does anyone know what else accounts for the DP-1300mkII's 3-times-the-price of the DP-500M?

The tonearm is also dual-gimbal S-shaped with detachable headshell, but is longer. Any other info on how it might be different? Damped? Optimized for today's low-medium compliance cartridges?

I'll bet this turntable with the Zu Audio DL-103 cartridge would just KILL!

Actually, here's the real answer:

http://denon.jp/company/release/dp1300_500.html

Run through Babelfish, it outlines a better DD motor, better tonearm with upgraded wiring, and bigger, heavier base.

Two interesting things: the release date for both the DP-1300 and the DP-500 was 2003; funny we're only hearing about the 1300 now. Also, the price in yen at the time of release was only about double, and now it's clearly triple.

David

Here's the Japanese Web page for the DP-1300MKII:

http://denon.jp/company/release/dp1300mk2.html

I ran it through Babelfish and it still doesn't make it clear what the differences are from the DP-500M. In fact, the picture is clearly identical, as are most of the specs. Could it be it's the same turntable, just with a different model number? Maybe Denon is taking the true audiophile path and differentiating the turntable on price alone.

:-)

David

Maybe Denon is taking the true audiophile path and differentiating the turntable on price alone.
:-)

I know from your smiley face that you're kidding, but there may be some substantial differences for the 1300 to weigh 10 lbs more than the 500.

In English, here are the specs for the DP 500M at Needledoctor: http://www.needledoctor.com/Denon-DP-500M-Turntable?sc=2&category=348

And here are the specs for the DP-1300mkII at AudioCubes II: http://www.audiocubes2.com/category/Turntables/product/Denon_DP-1300MKII_Analog_Turntable.html

As you can see, the 1300's arm is 14mm (.6") longer and the turntable's overall weight is 4.5KG (9.9 lbs) heavier. I'm hoping that the arm is a newer design to accommodate today's cartridges. It definitely uses a different counterweight. The extra length should reduce tracking angle a bit. If you look closely at the pictures of the two, the arm base on the 1300 is further away from the platter.

It also appears that the 1300 has a nicer wood veneer finish with a more prominent grain and chamfered edges and corners.