First Sounds: Grand Prix Audio Monaco 2.0

jfrech

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Speaking of First Sounds, I see a contemporary discussion of the Monaco 2.0 'table at the Audio Exotics forum with several pictures. I don't read Chinese or know how to make a post, but it looks like a first encounter with first reactions for many of the forum members. About half of the reponses are in English and I used goog le translate for the others. Interesting comments.

Tima, thanks for posting. I read the English comments. I am surprised however to see other record clamps and it appears they are not using the GPA clamp and it's associated damping rings. This seems to be a integral part of the Monaco's feature set and I suspect they aren't hearing it at it's best.
 
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tima

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Tima, thanks for posting. I read the English comments. I am surprised however to see other record clamps and it appears they are not using the GPA clamp and it's associated damping rings. This seems to be a integral part of the Monaco's feature set and I suspect they aren't hearing it at it's best.

Yes, I noticed the alternate clamps as well. If I knew how to post - no reply opportunity that I see - I would ask about that. But this sounds like the Monaco entre to Asia.
 

howiebrou

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Yes, I noticed the alternate clamps as well. If I knew how to post - no reply opportunity that I see - I would ask about that. But this sounds like the Monaco entre to Asia.
Just register at the bottom and you can post.
 
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tima

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Just register at the bottom and you can post.

Thank you Howie. I did register yesterday when I discovered the thread and I can be signed-in - at least it shows my account in the widget at the top of a page. But I see no message input box or link to one within a thread. It's a nice forum where people are respectful of one another.
 

howiebrou

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Thank you Howie. I did register yesterday when I discovered the thread and I can be signed-in - at least it shows my account in the widget at the top of a page. But I see no message input box or link to one within a thread. It's a nice forum where people are respectful of one another.
Oh. Not sure why that is. I posted a message today and it went through. May be there is a register to post period?
 

jfrech

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That's what I was thinking. We'll see.
I'll be curious if you post about the clamps and what they say. I thought the extra weight of a different clamp was a no-no on the Monaco's suspended in oil bearing assembly...plus defeating the damping rings. I've found on my Monaco their is a sweet spot for clamping pressure, to much and the sound is damped somewhat, to little and misses some musical info. And it's pretty easy to get it right. (while I have the Monaco 2.0, mine is a earlier version and doesn't have the cool LED lights to indicate proper clamping pressure as the current model)
 

jfrech

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Tima,

PS, I am also very curious on their arms paired with the Monaco, the Thalia Statement and the Durand Tosca. I do have the itch to try a new arm one day soon.
 

tima

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I'll be curious if you post about the clamps and what they say. I thought the extra weight of a different clamp was a no-no on the Monaco's suspended in oil bearing assembly...plus defeating the damping rings. I've found on my Monaco their is a sweet spot for clamping pressure, to much and the sound is damped somewhat, to little and misses some musical info. And it's pretty easy to get it right. (while I have the Monaco 2.0, mine is a earlier version and doesn't have the cool LED lights to indicate proper clamping pressure as the current model)

No feedback on the 2.0 clamp. The one shown in the picture is a Dalby Pirueta clamp described as "the holy gral in our analog community." I think there is a thread or discussion about these on WBF.

I did learn that Audio Exotics will be carrying the Monaco 2.0 which is big news for GPA.
 

howiebrou

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No feedback on the 2.0 clamp. The one shown in the picture is a Dalby Pirueta clamp described as "the holy gral in our analog community." I think there is a thread or discussion about these on WBF.

I did learn that Audio Exotics will be carrying the Monaco 2.0 which is big news for GPA.
I believe Jeff Dorgay is a big fan of the Monaco. I considered it before when looking for a DD tt but ended with the AF Technics SP10mk3
 

tima

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I believe Jeff Dorgay is a big fan of the Monaco. I considered it before when looking for a DD tt but ended with the AF Technics SP10mk3

Yes Jeff Dorgay gave over-the-top praise to the 2.0 - he really liked it. The link to that review at the Grand Prix Audio site is broken - Alvin is not a marketing guy and doesn't keep this stuff up to date. Tone Audio has excellent photography.

https://www.tonepublications.com/MAGPDF/TA_084.pdf
21mb download.

Dorgay wrote: "If you’re a new TONEAudio reader, you might be thinking this is just like other hifi magazines, where a new “best” is declared practically monthly, only to be superseded when the next bauble is unraveled. Not here. Let the record state that this is the finest turntable I’ve experienced, at any price."

Given a somewhat quirky look and the fact its design goes against the traditional grain of big & heavy, it's taken GPA a while to gain recognition. I suspect we will see a version built especially for AE and its market.
UK distribution is handled by Definitive Audio. Now with Audio Exotics, the Monaco is at two of the finest salons in the world.

EDIT: Here is the on-line Web article at ToneAudio:
 
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tima

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I believe Jeff Dorgay is a big fan of the Monaco. I considered it before when looking for a DD tt but ended with the AF Technics SP10mk3

Also an excellent choice Howie - your table looks really sweet. So many vintage and new choices. The Air Force lineup has invigorated the market. We may be in a golden age of turntables.
 

howiebrou

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Also an excellent choice Howie - your table looks really sweet. So many vintage and new choices. The Air Force lineup has invigorated the market. We may be in a golden age of turntables.
The choice has never been bigger. Vintage, new, belt driven, direct drive, idler, small and petite like the Monaco or my Avid, or bloody huge like the AFZero. You really can take your pick. My wife asked me last week "since when did you have 4 turntables"? I said "I've always had 4, whadya mean?" :D
 

jfrech

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No feedback on the 2.0 clamp. The one shown in the picture is a Dalby Pirueta clamp described as "the holy gral in our analog community." I think there is a thread or discussion about these on WBF.

I did learn that Audio Exotics will be carrying the Monaco 2.0 which is big news for GPA.
That's great to hear. I'm a big fan of GPA having 4 Silverstone F1 racks and the Monaco 2.0. I am still surprised on their clamping ideas...
 

Andrew S.

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Dear all.

Tim asked me to share some thoughts about my time owning a Monaco TT V1 with Triplanar VII.

I am only too happy too, but my recollections of it may be of limited value given I haven't listened to vinyl since June 2019, and this deck was sold in August 2014. So all I can rely upon is (a rapidly failing) memory.

1. The form factor was small, which is aesthetically pleasing to me. I like simple small minimalist and streamlined things. Build quality was flawless.

2. The speed control via an external speed control was absolute. Something I liked very much changing from 33 to 45. You just pressed a button, it locked on, and away you went.

2a.Timing (speed control) is to my mind crucial when listening particularly to classical. By memory it (including stability) was perfect. There were no notes not on pitch.

3. It was completely silent.

4. Detail retrieval was excellent. It didn't make a bad recording good, but equally didn't punish it too much. Bass extension notable, if it was there.

5. Noise floor was non existent - it had the blackest of backgrounds.

6. It didn't need any isolation - that appeared to be inbuilt via the footers. It may have benefited from further isolation, but I didn't feel anything was missing.

7. The clamp worked very well. It spun down easily. I actually think this was a thing with this deck - ie it worked better with the clamp than without it. I seem to recall the clamp was sensitive to pressure. Something like 'firm and then back off 1/4 of a turn' seemed to work best for me.

8. Static wasn't an issue.

9. It took and was tolerant to different tonearms. I liked the Triplanar VII I had with it. The dealer I bought it off had a Morsch. Each tonearm by memory had its own armboard made to fit it.

10. I found scaling - which I think of how quickly you can go with transients ie from zero to 100 to zero - excellent. Torque was monstrous. A corollary was extension and control. It exerted, as I recall, something of an iron grip.

11. Tone - as far as that derives from a deck - I happen to think it is the sum of the whole, but anchored by speed control - was first rate.I never thought it 'sterile' - although that again is the sum of the whole.

12. It was able to be upgraded to the 1.5 at modest cost, by the distributor.

13. Edit: Thought of another - it was beautifully engineered.

I think that is all I can say. Ultimately the most resounding memory I have of it was its perfect speed control, detail, black background and huge torque and control, and a lovely form factor. I adored it, and in retrospect, was among the few items I truly regret selling.

I don't have any photos from that time of ownership unfortunately.

However to make this more interesting, I found a picture of my old 57's which it was primarily partnered with, from a subsequent resale. I had them refurbished, powder coated white, and bought custom legs for them.

IMG_2355.thumb.JPG.2c2675bf2a8b59b60f2fdd740e6368fe.JPG

Thank you for reading.

ps - Hi Shane (XV-1)!
 
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Maurits

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Oct 24, 2016
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Yes Jeff Dorgay gave over-the-top praise to the 2.0 - he really liked it. The link to that review at the Grand Prix Audio site is broken - Alvin is not a marketing guy and doesn't keep this stuff up to date. Tone Audio has excellent photography.

https://www.tonepublications.com/MAGPDF/TA_084.pdf
21mb download.

Dorgay wrote: "If you’re a new TONEAudio reader, you might be thinking this is just like other hifi magazines, where a new “best” is declared practically monthly, only to be superseded when the next bauble is unraveled. Not here. Let the record state that this is the finest turntable I’ve experienced, at any price."

Given a somewhat quirky look and the fact its design goes against the traditional grain of big & heavy, it's taken GPA a while to gain recognition. I suspect we will see a version built especially for AE and its market.
UK distribution is handled by Definitive Audio. Now with Audio Exotics, the Monaco is at two of the finest salons in the world.

EDIT: Here is the on-line Web article at ToneAudio:
Hi Tim,

I see that you have two arms for the Monaco v2.0. Could you tell me what the differences are between the Kuzma and Tri-Planar on the Monaco?
 
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tima

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Hi Tim,

I see that you have two arms for the Monaco v2.0. Could you tell me what the differences are between the Kuzma and Tri-Planar on the Monaco?

Hi Maurits,

First, I'll say the basic characters of neither the 4Point nor the Tri-Planar are changed by being on the Monaco. What I've gathered though my experience with the 1.5 and 2.0 and from other Monaco users is that the table is iargely affable to whatever arm it hosts. There probably are some poor matings but I'm not aware of those.

To me one significant difference between the arms is the 7 grams difference in their effective mass, the Tri-Planar at 11g, the 4Point at 18g. This effects optimal cartridge mating in terms of arm-cartridge resonance, and thus cartridge choice. Low compliance cartridges such as the Fuuga or Alnics are happy on the 4Point, the Tri-Planar might make a better mate for the Lyra Etna. I'll speculate the Tri-Planar may work better with a broader range of cartridges based on compliance. Resonance is but one factor to consider.

That means a 1 to 1 compare/contrast of the arms using the same cartridge is not quite straightforward.

But in vague general terms I'd say the Kuzma is a bit stronger on dynamic contrast. The Tri-Planar may be a wee bit looser at the lowest frequencies and very slightly warmer than the 4Point.
 

Maurits

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Oct 24, 2016
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Hi Maurits,

First, I'll say the basic characters of neither the 4Point nor the Tri-Planar are changed by being on the Monaco. What I've gathered though my experience with the 1.5 and 2.0 and from other Monaco users is that the table is iargely affable to whatever arm it hosts. There probably are some poor matings but I'm not aware of those.

To me one significant difference between the arms is the 7 grams difference in their effective mass, the Tri-Planar at 11g, the 4Point at 18g. This effects optimal cartridge mating in terms of arm-cartridge resonance, and thus cartridge choice. Low compliance cartridges such as the Fuuga or Alnics are happy on the 4Point, the Tri-Planar might make a better mate for the Lyra Etna. I'll speculate the Tri-Planar may work better with a broader range of cartridges based on compliance. Resonance is but one factor to consider.

That means a 1 to 1 compare/contrast of the arms using the same cartridge is not quite straightforward.

But in vague general terms I'd say the Kuzma is a bit stronger on dynamic contrast. The Tri-Planar may be a wee bit looser at the lowest frequencies and very slightly warmer than the 4Point.
Thank you, Tim for your explanation. Yesterday I bought a Monaco V2.0 with a TriPlanar VII U2 tonearm. I'm not so familiar of good matches with this TriPlanatr tone-arm. So, I have to do some research on this. On this moment I have a Shelter 9000 and a VandeHul Crimson. First I will do some listening with those two.
 

spiritofmusic

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FWIW, I've heard the GP 1.5 w Triplanar and Dynavector cart...I thought it was hugely musical and resolving, certainly a level above the TW AC-3 that I heard just days earlier.
 

tima

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Thank you, Tim for your explanation. Yesterday I bought a Monaco V2.0 with a TriPlanar VII U2 tonearm. I'm not so familiar of good matches with this TriPlanatr tone-arm. So, I have to do some research on this. On this moment I have a Shelter 9000 and a VandeHul Crimson. First I will do some listening with those two.

That's a big deal - Congratulations! Please let us know what you learn and how you like it. Let me know if you have questions.
 

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