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Originally Posted by shallbehealed /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I read somewhere (Salvatore maybe?) that the granite version rings.
*Not trying to be the wet rag, really.
edit: From Salvatore:
"CAVEATS: The earlier models had an overly resonant (concrete) base which they called "granito". They are not References. (One reader wrote that he was able to reduce the resonance "by using 3 heavy triple point brass cones (Mapleshade) on top of the base at the available 3 corners, and an additional cone on top of the arm board over the mounting bolt.")"
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I did read that & it gave me cause for concern before purchasing. Then I heard back from some actual owners who actually searched out Granito versions b/c it sounded better. Plus, I don't think there's anyone much better when it comes to that kind of opinion than Keith Aschenbrenner of Germany's Auditorium 23. He fought for Denon 103 to stay in production through the lean years, discovered & brought Shindo to Germany... and is actually an audio manufacturer/designer himself. Although I respect Mr. Salvatore's opinions, at the end of the day, opinions are merely opinions. I do find some of Mr. Salvatore's opinions on his site idiosyncratic, although I find them to be very valuable as well. And I actually trust Mr. Aschenbrenner more when it comes to audio matters, more so than anyone else, which is the reason why I was going to buy Nouvelle Platine and try to mod the plinth/armboard close to A23 specs...
I don't think there's anyone else who knows Verdier TTs better than Keith Aschenbrenner. Aschenbrenner actually received Verdier's blessing to mod & sell Verdier's TTs. He didn't like the MDF plinth at all on the Platine; he says that wood plinth (standard plinth on Verdier) though aesthetically pleasing, did not meet the functional requirements of the Granito base. Verbatim: "The new material needed to have the same functional advantages as the original plinth.
Wood, which would have been the most aesthetically pleasing material, did not fulfil that requirement." So he discarded the MDF plinth because it made the TT sound inferior to the granite version and found a polymer material to re-create the Granito, and this is the version that's actually been garnering a lot of praise in Europe, called "Vintage" Platine Granito. It's met with Verdier's approval, too, as it is sold also in France by Verdier, for a higher price than the stock MDF version.
But seriously, there will be supporters & detractors for everything. I'm sure some people like the stock MDF version better than the Granito.
*EDIT* I just went to Salvatore's site to read it in earnest. I saw that he lists components that he considers as "Reference." I'm not talking about my turntable here, but in the Reference Pre-amp section, he rates Atma-Sphere very highly in Class B. But he says he hasn't heard it personally (!!!!) but his friend has!!!! What. I don't care if you are God. How can someone "grade" a component based on hearsay? The only credible criterion that matters in the end should be based on your own ears. I still think his site is subjectively informative in its own way & entertaining, but I would NOT trust it as an objective barometer upon which to base a serious judgment. I think one look through what he considers as Reference in every component section should make my point clear. I still like his opinions & takes, but I'd seriously heed to it with a bucket of salt.