Hi all,
I'll tell ya all a little story that will likely put you to sleep. Save it for your bedtime reading (grin).
Three years ago, a former importer of English high-efficiency drivers mentioned my turntables to Art Dudley, and I subsequently set up a loaner for Art to write about.
While I approached this situation with caution (sending a high-mass turntable to a Linn lover), I felt that the benefits outweighed the risks. At the time, my installed base was fairly small, and my goal was to convey that Galibier was a real company, and not merely a pattern of electrons viewed on a web browser.
The risk was one of getting hammered in public, but I considered anything more than a lukewarm commentary from a Linnie to be more than a moral victory.
The fact the old Quattro Supreme fell into Stereophile Class-B is still the subject of friendly ribbing from more than a few friends and owners. You can my private as well as published reply to the article on my Rants Page if you're interested (Sterophile officially limits replies to 750 words and this only scratched the surface).
To the point of all of this, let's not construe anything dirty about trying to get a certain full function preamp into Mikey's hands for commentary. At the same time, Raul, please don't let anyone mistake that either you or I are wearing a crown of thorns.
As much as we love music and hi-fi, making a product "real" by manufacturing it is a lot of hard work and deserves a proper reward. There is nothing impure or shameful about this, and you needn't hide behind a shroud of benevolence.
If the cost of entry for a write-up of a certain phono / line stage is the loan of a cartridge, I say be honest and be proud - you have taken the first step toward gaining recognition.
As far as the veracity of reviewers is concerned, I'll leave this to the good Mr. Salvatore who more closely mirrors my views on the subject. That's a whole 'nuther topic.
Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier
