Thanks for the link Rushton. I have an article titled "Evolution of source," which also concludes the Walker is supreme. Link below to Positive Feedback, issue 17. http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue17/source.htm Certainly I agree with everything Dave says, its a splendid review. I'm grateful I purchased mine well before it hit the 85K price tag listed in this review, otherwise I would not have mine. |
Albert, the 85K you mention is not the cost of the turntable. It's the price tag Dave listed for ALL of the components he had on hand as a complete system (phono stage, Prologue equipment rack, amp stands, Velocitors, cables, cartridge, etc. - some 13 or 14 additional components), not just the turntable. The retail price for the turntable, which includes Lloyd setting it up, is currently $32,500 - still quite material, though. :^)
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True, but many items listed as accessories:
Reference Motor Controller, two Omega Mikro III DC Biased, Wave Treated, Planar Power Cords, Prologue Top Shelf, Valid Points, and such are necessary for operation of the Walker, IMO.
I don't know what the Walker phono stage sells for but the 85K apparently did not include the Magic Diamond cartridge. |
I remind myself that envy and jealousy serve no purpose. I hope Rushton and Albert continue to push the analogue envelope in the new year. As I have already posted the Austrailians have produced an $85K turntable which was reviewed by Michael Fremer in the January Sterophile. Any takers? |
Wouldn't it be funny if a DIY LENCO TT would blow this away in sonics and performance?? It is a giant killer as many have said. I wish I'm a DIY guy--Looks more satisfying. For the meantime I just have to settle with my VPI TT. |
All that brass and gold, yech!
Did I dream up the fact that Mr. Porter ordered his sans gold?
Impressive component, but why the nouveau riche gold? |
The Walker phono amd linestage list at $12.5K each and the MD cartridge is $5K.
Hope that helps-Rushton/Albert Happy New Year! |
Albert, the Walker phono stage retails for $12,500 sans power cords. And it is excellent. |
Great read and photo essay! Thanks for the link, it really gives great insight into what goes into the entire 'table system. Kudos to PFO and Dave for publishing this. |
Tafka_steve, I've had the Walker reference phono in my system two times in the last four years, each time for a week or more. I am well aware of it's performance offering.
Pbb, correct that I ordered my Walker without gold and it was hell to get Lloyd to do it. Seems most of the "gold" is brass and the polishing that occurs when machining to correct tolerances proves all that is needed for an end product, except for a bit of clear coat.
With black, everything must be cleaned and primed and treated with black chrome or powder coat. Lloyd hated the additional steps and vowed to never build another one in all black. I agree with your assessment of how the gold looks and exactly why Lloyd and I battled over finish.
I had the same issue when AJ Conti built the Basis ONLY in gold and black and I fought to have the first totally black Basis Debut "gold."
Same again with Atma-Sphere. When I bought my MA-2 mono-blocks, they were gold faceplate ONLY and I went through hell to get them in all black, but succeeded there as well.
Odd too, as today Atma-Sphere and Basis are both stock (or offered) in black. Maybe someday that will be true for the Walker Proscenium. |
Hi Rushton, I sure appreciate your thread .I found it extremely interesting... Mr.Porter,you are a fascinating man. |
Thank you Stiltskin, wish you could convince my wife of that :^). |
Thanks for the photo updates. It's nice to see clearly what you know you can't have. However, I'd never opt for a Walker analogue setup: He's such a proficient tweaker that any adjusting on your part would probably hurt the sound instead of help. I'm a tweaker, therefore I'll stick to the VPI's. However, I must applaud Mr. Walker for the great work he puts into making accurate sound reproducers.
As an aside, I wonder there's any web information on Mr. Walker's tweak preferences and why he likes them. For a person who is this 'picky' to share his discoveries would be a great thing (ok, someone get Lloyd a book agent)to read. I'd be interested on what he has discovered (or at least part) over the last few years.
Marty |
Rushton,Thanks !Very enjoyable! |
This is a most informative thread. I have admired the Walker for a long time, and I have read nothing but praise for the tt. However, having lived in the far east for the past several years, I have heard quite differing opinion of the Walker here. One of the main problems here is high humidity. Hence many pump driven products, e.g. Air-tangent arm, Sota vacuum tt..etc have serious condensation problems. And the Walker is no different. Perhaps because of this it is a very diffcult tt to tweak correctly. This infomation comes from owners of Rockport and Verdier tts. So I assume they know what they are talking about. I am wondering if condensation is a problem for Walker owners in say, Florida? |
Ledoux, interesting that you should raise this question, because I just had an update done to my air pump and one of the things Fred Law offered to add was a DRAIN to deal with just the issue you mention. Fred said that some of their far east customers did have problems with accumulated condensation over time. The air system apparently is effective at removing the moisture from the air, but in such high-humidity non-controlled environments the moisture removed was so great as to ultimately accumulate in one of the resonance tanks. The drain allows this accumulation to be removed periodically. In my home of Philadelphia, Fred suggested I only check this every 3-5 years. In the far east, I would think the check would have to be made more frequently!
FWIW, the several owners in Florida whom I've heard of all live in air conditioned homes, so the turntable is in a humidity controlled environment, unlike many homes in the far east. I would think the same issue would exist in Hawaii since most homes there are not air conditioned (unlike Florida) and the humidity is high. Perhaps some owners in these high humidity climates will comment.
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Rushton,
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU !!!
With all the insight and knowledge that Mr. Walker has (humm...might have to play that song on a Wes Montgomery lp), this information is nothing less than a miracle to have. I can't wait untill this weekend when I will start 'tweaking' my system with his insight.
Marty |
Good luck, Marty. And you're welcome. The details really make the difference. BTW, there are quite a few other articles/reviews that will give more insight into Lloyd's philosophy and the impact of his various products available on the web at Positive-Feedback.com, EnjoyTheMusic.com, 6moons.com, and elsewhere. I can offer links to more, or search the archives at these ezine sites. . |
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Okay Rush, we get it. You love the the Walker arm and tt. Now you need to run a finaciial seminar.
1. How to pay for the walker with your home equity without telling your wife.
2. How to deduct it from your taxes.
Given the way pensions are disappearing it might a good idea to cash out now. |
Hah! You're right, Gregadd, I love the turntable. I wish I did have the magic financial answer...
Regards, |
FYI, the TT itself is $40k. This includes set up by Lloyd or one of his associates.
Also, during Summer months, if not air conditioned, you can expect to check for accumulated condensation once or tiwce per season. |
Actually, the new compressor Lloyd is using in much better in the condensation area. In addition, it's very easy to examine the contents of the condensate bottle and empty it. I have had my Proscenium since April 1st and have only emptied the bottle a couple of times.
The price of the turntable gets you both Lloyd and Fred for the setup as it is a two person job. It's money well spent in my book as they don't leave your listening room until they are sure the table is set up to THEIR satisfaction. Now - that's customer service! |
Slipknot1, you got gypped.
For my 40K I got Lloyd Walker and Natalie Portman to set up my Proscenium.
When it was all over Lloyd ask me how it sounded and I said YES, Natalie is indeed very beautiful. |
Albert-
I'll see your Natalie Portman - and raise you two Renee Zelwiegers. Will I see you in Denver? Maybe we should go out with Lloyd and tell some lies... |
Yes :^) I will be in Denver (the truth this time).
If Lloyd is there we must gang up on him and give him trouble. Jim Aud will be there from Purist so maybe all of us can go to the Mexican place after the show.
Last year we took up about 20 chairs, the more the better for audio partying! |
