Wow! After reading 4 pages of this thread, all I can say is that you'll have to come and listen.
If you saw this on WBF and will admit it - I'll even compare the two tonearms. They have almost identical cartridges (both my custom ones) and both go into the Burmester Ph100.
I also asked Touraj how a tonearm can cost $35k, but after listening to it and him explaining the technology that has gone in, I believe him when he says that it can't be made any cheaper.
Wow! After reading 4 pages of this thread, all I can say is that you'll have to come and listen.
If you saw this on WBF and will admit it - I'll even compare the two tonearms. They have almost identical cartridges (both my custom ones) and both go into the Burmester Ph100.
I also asked Touraj how a tonearm can cost $35k, but after listening to it and him explaining the technology that has gone in, I believe him when he says that it can't be made any cheaper.
Gary-Are you at liberty to disclose where and how these tonearms are made? If this arm retails for $35K via a dealer network (and does he have one or is he selling this arm direct?), that means the dealer is paying $17.5K for this arm which means he has to have less than $8K in the arm to make a decent profit.
I have a hard time getting past companies like SME that have been designing and building tonearms for longer than some of us have been alive. They are an aerospace machine shop company with a state-of-the-art machine shop with top notch mechanical engineers and machinists, and yet somehow newbies pop up on the scene and build *giant killer* tonearms the first time out of the box that elude a company like SME. It defies logic in my opinion. Of course I own an SME arm which makes me more than a little prejudiced. but I have to think that a company that has been designing and building tonearms for so many years with a talent pool and machinery that would be the envy of many companies somehow has a leg-up on Ned Newbie who wants to sell one of the most expensive tonearms in the world with their first effort(s).
We kinda like the industry, and if we sell direct and wipe out the dealer network, then there would be no where in the US for anyone to audition anything. If the dealer is going to invest in his demo, and provide proper service and support then he needs the margins.
The Graham is definitely NOT crap.
Mark, Ned Newbie? Touraj designed his first tonearm in 1985 and commercialized it in 1986. This one he has been working on for more than 2 years, and this is finally a product.
Yes - we've been playing everything we can get our hands on LP-wise (some of the albums I've posted on the Genesis thread) and over the past 3 days, my respect for the tonearm is growing, no diminishing.
We kinda like the industry, and if we sell direct and wipe out the dealer network, then there would be no where in the US for anyone to audition anything. If the dealer is going to invest in his demo, and provide proper service and support then he needs the margins.
The Graham is definitely NOT crap.
Mark, Ned Newbie? Touraj designed his first tonearm in 1985 and commercialized it in 1986. This one he has been working on for more than 2 years, and this is finally a product.
I just checked their website Gary and it only lists audio cables. Am I at the right place? No mention of any tonearm. How much success was had with the 1986 tonearm? Anyone heard of it? How many were sold? Anybody still using it?
That's the point. Based on my own experience, it's hard to imagine there is much left to extract from the vinyl record using a Graham Supreme. It will come down to tonal balance, tracking ability, resonance control, ect. That what differentiates top end tonearms from each other. I see no magical idea's with this 35k tonearm. Finally it's all about personal taste like any other stereo component.
We kinda like the industry, and if we sell direct and wipe out the dealer network, then there would be no where in the US for anyone to audition anything. If the dealer is going to invest in his demo, and provide proper service and support then he needs the margins.
The Graham is definitely NOT crap.
Mark, Ned Newbie? Touraj designed his first tonearm in 1985 and commercialized it in 1986. This one he has been working on for more than 2 years, and this is finally a product.
Yes, I saw the Artemiz tonearm first time around 1988. At that time most of us were Linnies and a good friend decided to commit an heresy - he got a Xerxes-Artemiz-Shiraz. It was not easy to setup, as the arm had some strange counterweight, but once properly tuned some felt it wiped the Linn's. It was very musical and more clean sounding than the Linn system.
allow Gary to respond; and get ahold of yourself. Gary is playing with us a little so far with a bit of a tease....hopefully we will get a more straight up answer.
allow Gary to respond; and get ahold of yourself. Gary is playing with us a little so far with a bit of a tease....hopefully we will get a more straight up answer.
I just checked their website Gary and it only lists audio cables. Am I at the right place? No mention of any tonearm. How much success was had with the 1986 tonearm? Anyone heard of it? How many were sold? Anybody still using it?
I have contributed with several brochures and manuals to this site and any analog lover having a missing one should do it also, it is of great help for anyone getting a tonearm without papers!
Unhappily I do not own one Artemiz and the appearance of the Vertere will probably rise the prices on the used market.