Kuzma/Koetsu feedbak??


I am seriously considering the purchase of a new TT rig.  It consists of a Kuzma Stabi XL DC turntable, a matching Kuzma 4 Point 14" tonearm, and a Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum cartridge.  It will be played through a Naim 500 series amp and preamp and phono stage.  The speakers are a pair of brand new Grandinote Mach 36's.  I would appreciate any and all feedback from those familiar with this equipment.
Thanks for taking the time,
Mitch
orenstein
@thom_mackris , where is your shop? You sound like a most ethical dealer!

@orenstein, "  I found them to be stunning!" Ever since I read a post that called fuses stunning I have not trusted that word when applied to audio gear unless it's "when I saw the price I was stunned!" That I believe. ;^)
(Jus' kiddin')
@2channel8,  LOL........my adjectival choice for the Luna cables could have even been worse:   AWESOME!
But seriously, as each of my current  Hi Line and Power Line Naim cables were interchanged with the Luna, the difference was really "stunning".  There were several people in the room, all in the high end industry, and all were amazed at the improved performance.  The substitutions included:  a 5 DIN interconnect between my NAIM 555 CD player and the Naim 552 Pre-amp,  2 XLR cables between the Naim 500 amp and the pre-amp, speaker cables, and 4 power lines from the various power supplies.  As a result of this demonstration, I put my money where my mouth was, and purchased the entire lot of them.  You might want to check them out.  I have Danny's (owner) contact info if you need it.
Mitch
@2channel8
where is your shop? You sound like a most ethical dealer!

Thanks for the kind words. We’re in Colorado, a bit North of Denver.
@orenstein -
The Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum cartridge comes highly recommended by Danny Labrecque, co-owner and designer of Luna cables, who has been in the high end audio business most of his adult life. He feels that the Stabi XL DC with the 4 Point 14" arm and the Aforementioned cartridge would be a perfect match
I felt a bit uncomfortable in commenting the way I did. I was hoping that you could use your current cartridge as a baseline - to guide you toward your next cartridge purchase, but obviously this isn’t possible.

I think you know that I wasn’t trying to steer you away from the Koetsu, as it is a lovely cartridge and the Kuzma really takes control of it. That’s the reason I mentioned that I carry it, so you didn’t think I was trying to steer you away from it (toward something I carry).

It sounds as if Danny has worked with you at length and he’s trying to compliment the attributes of your Naimm electronics. Good on him!

At the end of the day, the best place in to tune your analog chain is at the cartridge, and it sounds as if Danny is steering you in the right direction.
Is there anyplace in the NY Metro area where they are featured
We’re pretty small fish and we sell direct to our customers, but we’ve been known to fly folks out to Colorado for auditions.

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier Design

@thom_mackris - have you ever talked with Franc? He's pretty accessible (as you are) and might be able to work with you in a joint development to address what you wrote:
"I’m giving serious thought to integrating one of the Stabi R’s (or Stabi Reference) into the Galibier lineup.

This may seem odd for a turntable manufacturer, but with a direct sales model, my primary goal is to best fulfill my customers’ requirements and I think I’m hitting my head against the wall in trying to design a $9k turntable to compete with the Stabi R." 
Perhaps there's something the two of you could do together as a joint project that could add value, and bring it in at a price point in the States. 
Have a XL DC upgraded from my previous XL 4. I use a 4pt and ref313 arm.
Have tried a Coral stone in the 4pt - they did not gel at all,  produced a rather dull and un-dynamic sound.
My friend who brought the coral stone over has heard similar results in several different arm combinations - he reckons Koetsus respond best to FR arms.
Lyra, airtight and shelter carts have all sounded excellent. The cartridge phonostage interface is crutial in my experience. I had older naim gear (82 pre, 135s etc) that were not up to scratch.
The XL is an excellent TT in my opinion but I have only owned Garrard, Linn and sme TTs.  I have found it responds well to careful consideration of the support  structure and  placement. 
You might also consider the Kuzma stabli M - I have read reports of  it rivaling the XL - certainly worth a listen especially as a dealer who has the XL would presumably  have the M as well.
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