It's difficult to imagine a direct-drive TT with more impressive engineering credentials than the GPM on its dedicated stand. Fremer acknowledges the positive attributes applauded by fans of DD(clarity, attack, excitement), while largely dismissing these attributes in the broader context of fatal flaws(dryness & deficiencies of texture & dimensionality.) It is interesting to see DD placed in a wider context by a leading reviewer who IMO has good ears. On the forums there are some very vocal boosters of direct and idler drive. However, it can be hard to judge such opinions, which may as often reflect an attachment to vintage designs and budget price-points, as they do considerations related to absolute performance. With GPM we appear to have a clean-sheet cost-no-object design which comes up short. However, Fremer's current megabuck Caliburn as reference would probably shame any TT brought in for comparison. It would be nice to see the GPM compared to TTs at real-world prices.
