Spec Corp Jp GMP-8000 tt

awsmone said:

Yes it’s a good point, as got mine a while ago

It’s a general issue in Australia I agree, though as you point out Warwick is much better about having AF tt to listen to, As he allowed me,to hear all 3, lovely guy

That’s why I think for those wanting to listen to these, a visit to Asia may be more instructive

The distributor in Signapore is one of the few who know’s how to set up a system, and has Kronos set up , with Lois

Cecil is a great guy,very knowledgeable and helpful if I wanted to hear a Kronos well set up , if Boris doesn’t have one in,that’s where I would go

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I would take the GP Monaco or NVS over the Kronos every day of the week

spiritofmusic said:

Awsmone, Stabi M w 4 Point, either 12" or 14" is the clever, informed choice.
I'm really of the "make it as simple as you can, but no simpler" ethos.
Super damped vibration free chassis, uber torquey motor, mass loading where it's most needed, and dealer backup, is kinda what appeals to me.
And at half the cost of other super tables like the GPA 2.0, top Spiral Groove, SME 30, TW Black Knight, Kronos Pro, Dohmann etc etc, it's the main contender.
Now, I'll be going back to belt drive which I vowed I'd never return to after moving to direct rim drive, and away from my air bearing linear tracker, so verveiness, direct communication of musical message and detail not at the expense of natural warmth, are key red lines for me.
But but BUT...
just got news the Spec beauty can be had here for £15k.
And so my choice may come down to Stabi M and 14" 4 Point for just over £20k v Spec GMP-8000 and SAEC 506 12" for just under £20k.

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Marc

Compared to your current quick and nimble table, you might be less impressed with the heavier sounding Kuzma.

Why don't you get your current table up and running with that wonderful Trans fi linear tracking tonearm and wait patiently for the

Technics DD SP-10R. If its better than the SP10 mk3, it will be a game changer at a reasonable price.

Marc

To my understanding the new sp10 R is a motor unit only

Is there going to be a plinth and mounting plates

Otherwise it will be still aftermarket

The original plinth of sp10 wasn’t great shakes

Agree the motoring muscle is exciting, but will they overcome the speed stabilisation issue?

S to N is >90db which is amazing ...

spiritofmusic said:

Good and bad news on this Spec Corp Jp GMP-8000, I've found the helpful UK distribr, and the price is a pretty reasonable £15k which is at the low end of tts in the high end.
The bad news is there is zero chance to demo, unless I get lucky and hear this in someone's setup, and as far as we can gather there's one owner in the whole of Europe, in Germany.

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Hi Spirit,

I totally get the predilection for “obscure and under represented brands”. However, after reading through your Saskia thread and now this one, I’m at a loss as to the justification to reject these “obscure and under represented brands” precisely because their obscurity and under representation means they’re not readily available for audition/purchase inside your home territory. Surely if “obscure and under represented” is part of the attraction, would it not also behoove you to factor travel outside your own country to demo the Spec as a necessary part of the process?

If it’s local dealer support and immediate response to queries that are predominantly driving your decision making process, rather than support for the little guy, then I imagine you’ll be better off with the usual suspects.

I don’t mean this as a criticism, just an attempt to better understand what it is that you’re after, and the compromises you are/aren’t willing to settle for.

853guy

spiritofmusic said:

Have spoken to Mik of Unique Audio in UK, what he doesn't know isn't worth knowing, and he says it's a v fine performer, toneful and liquid w none of the leadeness one gets in many uber designs.
Add to the user report of ALF who heard it right after hearing DDKs AS and EMT, and felt it compared v favourably, and it's one to put on my very short, vaguely imaginary, shortlist.

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Mik likes all turntables. One of his favorites is the SPJ, which is a small producer, a lady named Judy Spotheim. He probably has one in stock. You can both listen and buy. It was one of the TTs that made me pursue analog in the days I said analog and digital sound the same.

spiritofmusic said:

By yr own words, wouldn't you be better buying well distributed horns, tube amps and dacs like AG, AR and Lampi?

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Difference is he has heard his gear, you haven't. Also in analog there are many, many good choices. You can get a lot of everything.

Just today I was telling others that though I prefer Schopper TD 124 to the Garrard, it is easy for me to give up 124 sonics for the looks of the Garrard. A well done Garrard is a superbly joyous thing to look at, and nice analog anyway. So what if I find it a bit less here and there.

spiritofmusic said:

As you know Ked, I heard that tt when I auditioned the Zus back in 2008. A fine performer, but coloured as Hell from what I remember.
Beautiful to behold.
Btw, he was being quite open about likes and dislikes, no sugar coated views to me.

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Was it the Alba or the La Luce, do you remember? Yes it's colored. Actually I don't like those looks

853guy said:

Hi Spirit,

I totally get the predilection for “obscure and under represented brands”. However, after reading through your Saskia thread and now this one, I’m at a loss as to the justification to reject these “obscure and under represented brands” precisely because their obscurity and under representation means they’re not readily available for audition/purchase inside your home territory. Surely if “obscure and under represented” is part of the attraction, would it not also behoove you to factor travel outside your own country to demo the Spec as a necessary part of the process?

If it’s local dealer support and immediate response to queries that are predominantly driving your decision making process, rather than support for the little guy, then I imagine you’ll be better off with the usual suspects.

I don’t mean this as a criticism, just an attempt to better understand what it is that you’re after, and the compromises you are/aren’t willing to settle for.

853guy

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Nice observation. I'm a bit confused about the reasoning also. It seems contradictory to both want to support and purchase from an obscure and under represented turntable manufacturer and then rule out most options because one can't get an audition. The shopping for a replacement "uber" analog source before Marc has even had a chance to hear his own supercharged TransFi/linear-tracker super value combo reintroduced into his upgraded system, clean power and isolation platforms in his new listening room seems a bit premature. But, speculation and shopping are kind of fun, and words on forums are cheap. Marc is on an interesting journey.

bonzo75 said:

Hi, I really can't say I prefer NVS or AS it is impossible for me to judge. Mike's room is just so fantastic.

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Ked, this is most interesting. I assume this means that even though you have heard both David's and Mike's system that you can not reach a preference for either of the respective analog source regarding sonic superiority. This does not surprise me because the two systems and rooms seem so vastly different, and the overall sound is so dependent on a myriad of factors. This makes Mike's decision to order the AS all the more fascinating. He must have heard something in David's system and attributed that something to the sound of the turntable in order to conclude that he wants the AS for himself. I had assumed it was based on sound quality alone, but perhaps there are other factors influencing his decision.

I am curious to know if Mike has ordered the AS in order to do a direct comparison with his NVS and then is planning to keep the one he prefers, or if he ordered the AS assuming it will be superior in his system and will then simply sell the NVS. Perhaps this speaks to your post about how this hobby can mean different things to different people. I think for Mike, it is all about a closer connection to the music and the journey to get him there, and he concluded that the AS would move him along toward that end, while you could not conclude such a thing about the turntables when you heard them in the different systems. And then Christian placed his order for the AS without having heard it.

And this leads me back to Marc's quest. Is it necessary for Marc to hear a turntable before buying it, or are the specs, the buzz, the reputation, the desire to help out an obscure manufacturer, or some other reason, more important?

PeterA said:

Ked, this is most interesting. I assume this means that even though you have heard both David's and Mike's system that you can not reach a preference for either of the respective analog source regarding sonic superiority. This does not surprise me because the two systems and rooms seem so vastly different, and the overall sound is so dependent on a myriad of factors. This makes Mike's decision to order the AS all the more fascinating. He must have heard something in David's system and attributed that something to the sound of the turntable in order to conclude that he wants the AS for himself. I had assumed it was based on sound quality alone, but perhaps there are other factors influencing his decision.

I am curious to know if Mike has ordered the AS in order to do a direct comparison with his NVS and then is planning to keep the one he prefers, or if he ordered the AS assuming it will be superior in his system and will then simply sell the NVS. Perhaps this speaks to your post about how this hobby can mean different things to different people. I think for Mike, it is all about a closer connection to the music and the journey to get him there, and he concluded that the AS would move him along toward that end, while you could not conclude such a thing about the turntables when you heard them in the different systems. And then Christian placed his order for the AS without having heard it.

And this leads me back to Marc's quest. Is it necessary for Marc to hear a turntable before buying it, or are the specs, the buzz, the reputation, the desire to help out an obscure manufacturer, or some other reason, more important?

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I can tell you my life would be far simpler were I to keep the NVS; which I consider to be 'at least' in the same realm as other top tt's not named American Sound familiar to me. I have not done enough comparisons with all other turntables to get into ranking; but feel there are a number of really excellent turntables I have heard. and then others I have not heard and so their merits unknown to me.

but all those have not ever sufficiently captured my attention to merit them as a clearly better alternative to the NVS, except the American Sound. which I listened to for a few hours at ddk's. it was something else, but also un-obtainable so not worth thinking about. until a few weeks ago. do I prefer the total equation in my room with the NVS, to the total equation of the AS in David's room? very, very, over-simplified answer; yes. but.....I hear what the AS brings and it is singular and not by a small margin. so I trust my ears.....and away I go.

it is my way.

PeterA said:

Ked, this is most interesting. I assume this means that even though you have heard both David's and Mike's system that you can not reach a preference for either of the respective analog source regarding sonic superiority. This does not surprise me because the two systems and rooms seem so vastly different, and the overall sound is so dependent on a myriad of factors.

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Peter, it is very tough to compare sources across systems, unless you can swap in and out. With Analog it is extremely difficult.

That said, in Mike's set up, the NVS cannot be judged. That is because, his system is set up in such a way that the NVS has to get out of the way. It has to be...boring and invisible, so that the recording can flow through. If you move from digital to NVS and see a sudden bass bump, slam, or extra decay that you can attribute to the TT, that defeats his purpose. However, as you keep playing, and as you move from Anna to the GFS on the top Durand arm, you see the differences, yet the NVS continues to be invisible. The recordings, genre, complexity, change presentation.

spiritofmusic said:

853, the Saskia thing remains a total letdown.
I'm totally an idler aficionado, and to have tracked this over time, to then become aware it's not a goer in anyway, is a bummer, anticlimax, whatever you want to call it.
Even now a member emailed him, but zilch.
Ship has sailed.
The Spec thru the power of the InterWeb appeared on my screen, and I've just had an emotional reaction to it.
In a world where the vast majority of high end tts now inhabit the £35-50k bracket, some £70-100k plus, and only one or two sub £20k, it's a breath of fresh air to find this at £15k.
I'm a sucker for an overengineered product, I look at the platters and motors of a fair number of tts purporting to be special, and they're nothing of the sort, at more than twice the price of the Spec.
From what I'm gleaning the Spec has overengineered the plinth, motor and platter, and it has the potential to be a top top performer.
My friend, you're very enamoured w Aries Cerat. If I wanted this, there's nowhere in the UK for me to hear it, I'd have to travel, and rely on service from abroad. So if you finally invest in AC, and me in Spec, we'd have some v similar logistical concerns. By yr own words, wouldn't you be better buying well distributed horns, tube amps and dacs like AG, AR and Lampi?

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Hey Spirit,

WBF is a form of instant gratification that doesn’t necessarily reflect the reality of small, boutique manufacturers and the challenges inherent in designing, manufacturing and distributing their wares to the general public. It’s very easy for a small, unrelated issue (email servers, sickness, travel) to create a delay that’s misinterpreted as disinterest on behalf of the manufacturer, when in fact it’s simply indicative of the struggle many boutique houses have in maintaining a presence that can compete with those who are more than just one person.

So while I understand the frustration in regard to your Saskia experience, for a product that is essentially a labor of love from a one man operation I’d be willing to cut him some slack. On the other hand, we all have different criteria for what we need/want/demand from the companies we intend to purchase from, hence my attempt to clarify exactly what it is you’re wanting.

As Bonzo alludes to above, my interest in Aries Cerat stemmed from hearing them in person in a country not my own (Belgium). I then followed up my interest with a personal visit to the distributor (also in Belgium), and then flew to Germany to hear the same system but in a different room and with vinyl as a source. Those three visits not only allowed to me to hear the AC stuff in three different contexts, but perhaps as importantly, get to know the people behind the company and those representing its interests as a distributor.

Yes, true, if all goes to plan we will indeed be assembling a six-figure system from a company located five hours away by plane, and from a distributor not of my own country that will be a two hour flight away. But having actually evaluated the system several times under controlled and un-controlled conditions, and having met the people and become assured of their character and integrity, I have no doubt the full AC system will not only provide a final solution to our desire to enjoy prerecorded music in our home, but will be given the utmost in support despite the fact none of us live in the same country. Hanging out on WBF is fun, but its utility value apropos an experiential hobby is severely limited. Had I simply resorted to posting a few requests here on the forum to other AC owners, or sending off a few emails to the distributor - rather than making three separate trips to European countries to experience it for myself - it’s likely I would still be endlessly speculating, and changing my mind as frequently as I do my underpants. (And yes, by that I mean at least once a week….)

Be well, Spirit.

853guy