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On Jun 28, 9:11?am, "William Sommerwerck"
wrote:
Goldmund Reference II. Anyone heard one in optimal conditions - i.e.
room, amp, speakers, audiophile quality record. Does it have any
legitimate sonic superiority over far less pricey units or is it
purely in the "have it because I can" category?
If not, what turntable/tonearm/cartridge do you feel represents the
best possible performance, anything beyond which is just pointlessly
throwing money around?

There's an old saw -- which might or might not be true -- that the last 10%
of improvements represent 90% of the price. The "law of diminishing
returns", if you like.

Your question is essentially unanswerable, because it depends on highly
subjective judgements... Can you hear a difference, and if so, how much does
it mean to you?

I have a Well-Tempered arm and table. They aren't cheap, but their design is
both brilliant and simple. My gut feeling is that it would be difficult to
significantly improve LP playback much beyond what these provide. Of course,
I might be wrong -- there might be "decks" that cost 1/5 as much, but sound
comparably good, or $100K 'tables that are noticeably superior. Who knows?

Consider that some people consider the $11K/pair QUADs to be _the best_
speaker you can buy, overall. Consider that Parasound makes moderately
priced amplifiers that are considered truly fine amplifiers, without regard
for their price. Spending lots of money doesn't guarantee quality -- so why
would anyone in their right mind consider buying a $300,000 turntable -- or
a $30,000 one, for that matter? Look at all the recordings you could buy for
that money! Isn't that what it's all about -- enjoying music at home?

The best 'table I've ever heard was a Wilson-Benesch Act ONE with a
Breuer tonearm. And I've heard the Continuum Caliburn and Criterion,
Clearaudio Statement and Rockport Sirius. Then again, every 'table I
hear with a Breuer arm is the best 'table I've ever heard.
Regardless, I'm talking about a $6000 tonearm on a 'table that cost
$5000 new when it was discontinued almost a decade ago. So you may be
right about the Law of Diminishing Returns there.

You're right about the Quads, too. Actually, I prefer the Harbeth
Monitor 40s to the Quads, and they retail for yes, you guessed it,
$11,000 a pair. I heard a $50,000 pair of speakers a couple of days
ago, and while they were excellent, I'm not sure I'd pay the extra
$39,000 for them. The Zu Audio Definitions are around the same
amount, and they're pretty tough to beat, too.

Boon