Teres, Galibier and Redpoint

Great stuff keeps coming on this fun thread!

Rick,you must be getting pumped up,by now.Your table should be a fun purchasing decision too.BTW-As a child,I was dying for the Mattel "Bulldog Tank".Circa 1960.Never got one,as it cost 15 bucks,at the time.Yet my dad did get me a really nice alternative "Ideal"(the mfgr)tank.Funny,it may not have been motorized,like the "Bulldog",but shot missiles,and would surely be illegal to sell today.I loved it!

Well,on my own analog front,I did get back my Cosmos,from upgrade,recently.It sat in it's box for the last month,in my den.Unfortunately my Rowland has been out for service,and it is still with Rowland.
I have been a bit bummed out by the service length of the amp(well over two months as of now)so let my Cosmos just sit in the box.Well,as my whole family is coming over tomorrow for my son's med school grad party,my wife basically stated that if I did not set up the Cosmos,and get it into my listening room,and out of her den,it would be "toast".
I painfully(by myself,and with a tennis injury)unpacked the Cosmos and then inspected it.Sadly(in a good way)it looked great,yet it is incredibly frustrating to not be able to hear music again.Even my CD's!!
I DO envy(yet am really happy for all of you)those who's biggest concern is whether or not to upgrade or tweak their equipment.I'd be happy just to hear a noisey(in Joisey)LP these days.

Best!

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Dan,
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If I may pre-empt Doug (Doug, with your permission), he will not have any encouraging and supportive words for you regarding the Graham 2.2.
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All of the ZYX's are excellent cartridges in their price ranges, but the issue is more with the 2.2's ability to handle them rather than the other way around.
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The UNIverse seems to be quite happy with what ever tonearm it lands on and the XV1-s is a great cartridge as well (but for my money not quite the joy that one gets from the UNIverse). The Airy3 does not do so well on the Graham 2.2, but the Airy2 works well with the 2.2 but lacks so much that the Airy3 has to offer when mounted on the right arm.
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For me, the no-brainer is to get a UNIverse as your next cartridge (providing that the budget allows) and you will be fine wherever you end up with regards to tonearms.
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If life were perfect, I would own a Schroder Reference and a Tri-Planar VII (I am half way there). After that, I would want to have 3 cartridges: UNIverse, Olympus, and an XV-1s. Put any combination of the above on either the best Teres or Galibier and you can start focusing on your pre, amp, speakers or wires.
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I hope life gets a bit drier for you and the family.
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Rgds,
Larry
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Thanks to everyone for the support. Hang in there Speedy, that amp will come back and be all the better.

It does look like we're having a change in the weather to more dry air for the next week so maybe things will really improve around here. No complaints from me, though. My only problem through all of this is not being able to get the grass cut. Oh damn! Another weekend of uninterrupt vinyl has come and gone. I don't know how I make it through!

I guess it really is a no brainer about the UNIverse. I'll just have to see how the budget handles it. I'm already making plans for amp and speaker changes so I do want to have something left.

Thanks for the education. It has been fascinating. Now, to complicate things further, has anyone compared some of the finest high mass, unsuspended designs (Galibier, Teres, Redpoint, etc., etc.,) with the finest suspended designs (Avid, Oracle, etc., etc.,). We probably know the arguements for both sides by now and that execution is more important than which design. Are there any small Galibier-like shops that manufacturer suspended designs? I think I recognize that any choice, as long as the arm/cartridge/table combo is synergistic, will be a good one, but are we really sure all the damping/weight, done very well, is the better choice. As I've said when I started this thread I have a suspended Avid Volvere and was looking to upgrade. One thing I believe is that with my table and Systrum rack (which drains and doesn't damp) the vibration just floooows into my concrete floor. But, also, my choice to a/b borders on nill. Anyone have anything to volunteer in this area?

Hi Richard,

I've been woefully behind on this thread due to working on some background issues. As I wrote to Dan_ed privately, I'll expand on the Anvil and other questions in the next 36 hours.

Regarding suspended designs, there's a new keeper of the Merrill turntable flame. Check out the AR Vinyl Nirvana site at: http://www.vinylnirvana.com/

Specifically, it's my understanding that Anthony Scillia is carrying the AR/Merrill torch. The direct link to that page on this site is: http://www.vinylnirvana.com/ar_mods1.shtml

IMHO, the Merrill turntable (evolved from George's mods of the AR), is the best suspended turntable I've ever heard.

Back when Chris first met me, it was my trusty Merrill that made him get back into vinyl after some 20 years of buying into the promise of digital. I had heard many contenders to the throne over the 9 years I ran my Merrill Heirloom and they all fell short of the mark by varying degrees. I've not heard the latest Oracle, but this is perhaps the only other suspended turntable I'd consider. But that's just me ...

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier