Stiltskin,
Congratulations. Looks like you will be getting a similar setup as mine - Gavia with Serac platter. I am probably the newest entrant into Galibier (my unit came in less than 4 weeks ago)and the farthest (I am in Singapore). I was looking for a high end Turntable but wanted to stay below $10K for the whole setup. I was originally looking at Teres but quickly found Galibier on the internet. I made a trip to Denver and the meeting with Thom made up my mind. I have always liked dealing with small passionate and dedicated manufacturers and Thom is absolutely great. It did take some months but Thom always keeps you updated. And for those who are a little worried about having the TT shipped and setup - well it made it safely to Singapore and I was up and running in a few hours. Thom's packing, instructions and attention to detail stands out in the audio world. I have a vintage Denon DP600 direct drive and the Gavia beats it handsomely. I cannot compare the Gavia to others like Teres, RedPoint, Raven or Dr Feickert as I have not heard them sufficiently to comment. Its always hard to compare TTs because of arm/cartridge combo and setups. A very experienced turntable dealer (Top Class Audio in Hong Kong - http://www.topclassaudio.com/web/eng/index.jsp) once advised me the following: "...Look at what the manufacturer is giving in terms of material (aluminum/PVC instead of wood/acryllic in the case of Gavia), bearings (solid, tightest tolerance) and motor (one of the best available - Maxon) and you can't go wrong.." I believe the price of the Galibier range (especially the Gavia) is IMHO, the best value there is in TT.
Congratulations. Looks like you will be getting a similar setup as mine - Gavia with Serac platter. I am probably the newest entrant into Galibier (my unit came in less than 4 weeks ago)and the farthest (I am in Singapore). I was looking for a high end Turntable but wanted to stay below $10K for the whole setup. I was originally looking at Teres but quickly found Galibier on the internet. I made a trip to Denver and the meeting with Thom made up my mind. I have always liked dealing with small passionate and dedicated manufacturers and Thom is absolutely great. It did take some months but Thom always keeps you updated. And for those who are a little worried about having the TT shipped and setup - well it made it safely to Singapore and I was up and running in a few hours. Thom's packing, instructions and attention to detail stands out in the audio world. I have a vintage Denon DP600 direct drive and the Gavia beats it handsomely. I cannot compare the Gavia to others like Teres, RedPoint, Raven or Dr Feickert as I have not heard them sufficiently to comment. Its always hard to compare TTs because of arm/cartridge combo and setups. A very experienced turntable dealer (Top Class Audio in Hong Kong - http://www.topclassaudio.com/web/eng/index.jsp) once advised me the following: "...Look at what the manufacturer is giving in terms of material (aluminum/PVC instead of wood/acryllic in the case of Gavia), bearings (solid, tightest tolerance) and motor (one of the best available - Maxon) and you can't go wrong.." I believe the price of the Galibier range (especially the Gavia) is IMHO, the best value there is in TT.