My views on Galibier and Teres tables have already been quoted here. Having worked with Thom over the last couple of years I would say that he has a better developed sense of what vinyl replay should sound like than anyone else I have come across.
I believe Thom has worked harder than any other table designer to develop a table that does a great job on everything necessary for records to sound great - vibration and resonance control, speed stability, optimized torque, easy geometry/setup adjustment.
I compared the same LP on a Galibier and a Walker at RMAF last year. I didn't hear anything more on the Walker - sure it was good but not better. I'm sure many audiophiles overlook the Galibier line simply because they want/expect to spend more on a top flight table.
The Ravens are competitive, however realize that they are sold through a traditional importer/retailer channel who work the industry marketing models very effectively. I like the Ravens however the aesthetic appeal of the polished aluminum base of the Galibier does more for me than a black lump of plastic.
I agree with previous posts that the Gavia/Triplanar/XV1-S makes poor recordings/pressings sound listenable like nothing else.
In meeting other Galibier owners, I'd say that there's some common ground in terms of independent thought, skepticism for marketing hype and a Salvatore-esque distrust of audio magazine reviews.
