I am sure that the Metronome and the Zanden are fantastic pieces of kit. I know the Esoteric is, having seen one and heard one.
We all get enthused by changes (and the 'improvements" which go with them) - and I am as guilty as others - but I suggest the expressions need to be tempered. If the addition of a base makes a "huge" improvement, then the removal of the base, by definition, leads to a "huge" worsening. Which is somewhat of a criticism of the remaining kit. It won't "work" without the base!
And this also possibly suggests that the space for further improvement in future remains "huge", and that changes we make now, regarded as significant and probably costly, will fade in significance (and in resale value should that be pertinent) in two or three years' time as a new ancillary designs emerge.
I don't deny that changes which are inaudible or trivial for some will be material, even significant, for others. But I think that expressions need to be used with care - were I to have rated equipment changes, on a scale of 1 to 10, be they absolute improvements over what we had at the time or narrowings of the gap between what we had at the time and perceived perfection, I would suggest that there have probably been less than ten or twenty scores at the 'huge" or "10" level over the past 60 years - which I am not going to attempt to suggest save for one, the original Quad ESL. "Huge" improvement at the time and still regarded as "hugely" significant now.
All IMHO!!!
Ian - point well taken. Let me try to explain my impression of the mighty Metronome Kalista (without Base) and with Base:
1. Without Base: very detailed and very smooth...extremely capable and an impressive piece of equipment. At the time, I specifically noted to the Distributor who was setting up a demo nearby "wonderfully smooth and detailed, but its almost as if thefrequency spectrum is uneven". Don't get me wrong, incredibly good transport, but this was not an error of omission but of commission and it was disturbing in a transport so expensive.
2. He came over and took 15 minutes out from setting up the demo and installed the base underneath. Frequency 'waver' was completely gone, and as a result, the musical message also became more concentrated and easy to listen to because there was no 'mini-wobble'. Flow significantly improved as a result.
So yes, it was a big difference but not because of anything other than [I have subsequently read] a very high sensitivity to the underlying support. In this case, it was an old bookshelf the dealer used that was heavy duty but perhaps had some resonance...could not say.
Put another way, it took an 'exceptionally capable transport' into the realm of 'magic'. And by the way, I have found less detailed, less capable transports with 'magic' (ie good balance for my ears), but there was no magic with the Metronome transport for me without that base (on that dealer's particular shelving)...and that's a lot of money to go with detail but some kind of super-subtle 'waver' and thus no magic.
Could I mask it in a system with loads of other components that have magic? sure...but for that kinda money, I was initially disappointed and would not have ever thought of going to that price point. I would have much been happier savings loads of money and getting less detail, less smoothness, but a balance of music that overall i preferred (with the money in my pocket). By contrast, I was literally within a 10% pricing difference on negotiating to buy the Metronome Kalista Ref once 9 months after that day...yes, it was for a lot more than the regular Kalista, but again i'd rather just save my money if it were without the Base...fortunately, the Kalista Ref went to someone else who must be very happy, and I found my 2nd hand Zanden Transport 2 years later for a lot less.
Next time, I will try to explain a bit better, because generally I agree with you...non-specific hyperbole does not help any of us understand anything. And it gets tiresome. Hope the above helps a bit. Essentially, the difference of the Base for me was the difference between not wanting to buy the Metronome at all...preferring to save the money and actually preferring the balance of a 'lesser transport' that struck me as being better balanced overall in terms of its presentation...and being very happy to pay a lot more for the Kalista Ref (ie, the beefed up transport with Base) because it brought a special 'magic' that is rare indeed.
