Goldmund Studio - still relevant today?


In today high-end world (very small, and shrinking every day), is Goldmund Studio still relevant? Is it's performance still on par with similarly priced tables, or is it a dinosaur? Is it's value still in performance, or is it mainly a collector's item? What do you guys think? I refer to late models with all-acrylic body, and JVC motor, and T3F arm, which actually work, not the early ones, which seemed to have a mind on their own :-)) They normally command at least $2500 on used market, up to $4000 for perfect examples.
markshvarts
Nandric,

You received 2 days for your apology. Now your time has run out.

You chose the harder way. 

Man defends himself when it´s necessary. It´s time to tell one interesting detail how you actually did back then.

When I opened your thin letter with a tear on its surface, I faced the biggest surprise I have ever met when dealing with Hi-Fi gear, still so far.

You sent your just-retipped MC 25FL WITHOUT STYLUS GUARD.
To be honest, the cantilever was actually in touch one of the walls of that tiny plastic jewel box when I looked at it after having taken it from that box.
The cartridge must have moved inside the plastic box during transit. The cantilever was a bit off-center.

I immediately told you that the cantilever was in touch with one inner wall of that tiny plastic jewel box. You know all this already and I sent you pics.
This time you were lucky, the bent cantilever produced excellent sound quality from start to finish.

I took pics of the damaged letter, the cart w/ bent cantilever to you. I took many photos and sent a few to you, of course. I also took pics before dispatching back to you, of course. 

I packed your cart much more carefully than you and you fully understand why. For the second time you were lucky because you did receive my letter with no tears/any harm caused to it. Otherwise you would had emailed me immediately.

I KNOW THAT YOU RECEIVED THE YOUR CART IN SAFE AND SOUND.

Unless something strange happened after dispatch. Someone ruined your cart.

I´ve  been wondering what kind of a person sends his just-retipped very expensive phono cartridge without stylus guard ??

Nevertheless, that bent cantilever gave excellent sound quality with 60 LP records I played without any kind of issues. 

Initially I received a bent cantilever from your. I sent it back IN EXACTLY THE SAME CONDITION. Not my fault.

Actually I´ve been thinking of this very strange incident very very carefully since August 2014. 

Your thin letter with a tiny plastic box inside is very tempting for a casual thief. Someone, or maybe several, post workers perhaps, opened the letter and found a phono cartridge inside but wasn´t interested, ruined cantilever and stylus tip and put it back. The most likely scenario IMO.

You should be lucky you received your cart back eventually !!

Bloody hell.

Your arrogance and prejudice and hate for fellow audiophiles is something else, in any forum for the last fifteen years I have experienced/seen in hifi/music discussions.

I don´t mind people who have a very different opinion about all things in Hi-Fi but I don´t care for offensive people. 

I have never ever got insulted so hard as you do for no true reason.

Now I finally know exactly what kind of a person you really are.

You urgently should ask Axel weather a stiff MC cart is compatible with paraller tracking arm. He knows the exact answer because he is not only a professional but an artist. So is Vic. SMILE

The Trans-Fi arm fits my AT ART-9 perfectly and produces superb sound quality.  My Trans-Fi linear arm can be taken from me only over my dead body.
 

My conscience is 100 % pure.

BIG SMILE

Period.

Harold, The plastic box in which my cart was posted is the box

with Axel's marks. Aka the same box which Axel uses for years

to post his repaired carts. The box has foam layers such that

the cart can't move. Your complaint that the cart was damaged

in transport because of my wrong packaging is not consistent with

your listening result. As you stated: ''excelent sound quality with

60 LP records''. Extraordinary result with an cart damaged because

of my bad packing? BTW not all (MC) carts have stylus protector.

But as I mentioned the stylus was also missing . Probaly stolen

by some postman involved by transport of your packet to my

 home in Holland (sic!) Strange because in 40 years that I live

in Holland I never missed any packet nor the robbed one.

Anyway this was the reason to post the cart again to Axel who retiped the cart with the same stylus (fine line) pressure fitted in aluminum alloy cantilever. For the same price of 250 euro as

 the first retip.

I am A'gon member since 2007 and wrote 2507 contributions

in this forum. I never accused any member about any wrong

doing all this time. You are the only one . So in this sense you

are surely special. I don't even believe that we have had any

 dispute about any cart or other component.  But our present

dispute will be valued by the members according to your and

my arguments. Besides I lend you one of my carts without any

obligation from your side. The only reason being to hear your

opinion. My comrad Don was very impressed by this cart so

I wanted to hear some other's opinion. I got this cart destroyed

back from you and you want my opology???  My Gosh! You

should consult some specialist for such cases.

Since pivoting arms are so good now, it seems linears just aren't worth the trouble. Rockport's was the last great TT. Pumps, hoses, motors. You look at them wrong and you'll spend the next 2 days fiddling with it and the Goldmunds had a reputation of instability. What if you need to replace a part of which there were many. Not repair, replace. Going to have to find a machine shop and pay.
The only problem I know off is the motor. The German motor is
not available anymore so the ''model'' with this motorr should be avod. The later motor was Japanese (JVC?) which was more reliable.