[TONEPUB]

Well, for everyone that was crabby about the $9,500 Lyra Atlas, the new Clearaudio Goldfinger Statement tips the scales at "Only $15k"  (at least that's what the Needle Doctor website says)

All kidding aside, pretty amazing cartridge.  And as you can see, it's got lots of dust on it from playing records like crazy...

[WGH]

Named after Auric Goldfinger (far right), a prototype of the cartridge was first shown to James Bond in 1964 by Oddjob, Auric's faithful henchman.

[TONEPUB]

I did play the Goldfinger soundtrack first!

[orthobiz]

What tables are you going to use it on?

Paul

[ptmconsulting]

What tables are you going to use it on?

Paul

A 20 year old Rega Planer 3, of course!   

[TONEPUB]

What tables are you going to use it on?

Paul

It is currently on the AVID Acutus Reference SP with the SME V tonearm.   Going to move it this
weekend to the AMG V-12 table to finish up the AMG review and that's probably where it's going
to stay as the main analog reference in room two.

Fun cartridge.  Reminds me of the Lyra Olympos.  A little smoother than the Atlas, kind of the ring
to the Atlas' yang.

I don't think I'd even put it on my P9.  I have used a couple of carts in the $3000 range to excellent
result on the P9...

[blakep]

Here's one with 300 hours on it for $4300 if anyone is up for a drive to Toronto. A pretty steep discount to the full retail price; the drive might be justified for some . Needledoctor's price seems a bit stiff as the Cdn. and U.S. dollar are pretty much at par.

An additional 13% in sales taxes in Canada, though, which is not exciting on a purchase like this.

http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/649030723-clearaudio_goldfinger_diamond_cartridge_13515_retail_see_photo/

[jimdgoulding]

In case anyone is wondering, not to worry, there will be a 20k phone cartridge within five years if not several.  The mind hears the benefit.  Not the objective mind, the desirious one.  Fools gold for chumps who can afford it.

[TONEPUB]

Come on down and take a listen.  I think you'd change your tune.

Seriously I wish these cartridges cost $600 so everyone could have one, but they don't.
It's crazy money, but compared to other things I've heard and currently own in the $3000 - 6,000
range, it's quite a bit better.

We had the same experience with the Atlas, when we mounted it on the same table as the
Titan i, or the Kleos and played the same record side by side, there was a very substantial
difference.

$4300 for a used one is a great deal.  Wonder if that's a series one, series two or a Statement?

One of our staff reviewers has a series one and two and says the Statement is still more refined.

No one is putting a gun to your head to buy this stuff.

You just sound like someone who is crabby because they can't afford it.  I wish I could buy
an Aston Martin, but I can't.  Doesn't make me think the man that owns one is a fool.

[TONEPUB]

Guess I probably shouldn't start a thread about the $75k phono stage sitting here!

[Sonny]

well, at the California Audio Show this past summer, I walked into the Wilson Audio room with the massive Alexandra 3's or whatever and three huge subwoofers.  They were using the Goldfinger on a Clear Audio table ( i think) and within 1 minute, I had to leave.  It didn't image, sounded very warm and boommy and well, it wasn't for me.  I am sure it's fine cart and i wish I could have heard it in a more appropriate system...

[neobop]

In case anyone is wondering, not to worry, there will be a 20k phone cartridge within five years if not several.  The mind hears the benefit.  Not the objective mind, the desirious one.  Fools gold for chumps who can afford it.

Understandable reaction to to another seemingly way overpriced product from CA.  This is brought to you by the same company that contracts with Audio Technica and offers MMs for twice their worth.  Soo... now we have a 16.5g cart that tracks at a measly 2.8g    with a cu of 15.  That's a good idea, LOL.

CA is into boosting the output on their carts to increase dynamics and of course, distortion.  Get out your Sheffield Drum Records - output is .8mV!!  I'm sure it sounds dynamic, the epitimy of HI-FI.  Hope you don't overload your MC phono stage, maybe that's part of the fun? 

The gold coils slow it down and make it a little more palatable.  That's what gold coils do - smoother and slower.  The body is machined out of 14K gold.  Not sure how much that's worth, but a far cry from $15K.  Tracking ability must be marginal. CA doesn't even list it in the specs. Maybe the sheer weight, inertia and VTF hold it in the groove. 

I haven't read the reviews.  I'm sure they're glowing.  Our problem is credibility.  Most subjective reviewers .....
neo

http://www.clearaudio.de/_en/tan_Goldfinger%20Statement.php

[jimdgoulding]

Come on down and take a listen.  I think you'd change your tune.

Seriously I wish these cartridges cost $600 so everyone could have one, but they don't.
It's crazy money, but compared to other things I've heard and currently own in the $3000 - 6,000
range, it's quite a bit better.

We had the same experience with the Atlas, when we mounted it on the same table as the
Titan i, or the Kleos and played the same record side by side, there was a very substantial
difference.

$4300 for a used one is a great deal.  Wonder if that's a series one, series two or a Statement?

One of our staff reviewers has a series one and two and says the Statement is still more refined.

No one is putting a gun to your head to buy this stuff.

You just sound like someone who is crabby because they can't afford it.  I wish I could buy
an Aston Martin, but I can't.  Doesn't make me think the man that owns one is a fool.

He might be.  You don't know til you know the man.  And You might could afford a used one.  Me, I'd jump for joy having a '56 Lotus Elite.  Having the latest of everything shows some kind of neurosis to me.  But if five guys bought the cartridge under discussion, that's a win for the manufacturer.  It's business, don't you see.  One that you and a lot of other folks depend on.  But, not I.

[orthobiz]

I for one don't mind reading about unobtainable stuff. I think Jeff has given his time and effort graciously to this forum and to the Tone Publication magazine. He has done features on used equipment and best bargains and the like, not just emphasizing the most expensive gear by any means.

It seems that a lot of the technology that goes into the really expensive stuff manages to trickle down into the "cheaper" equipment in a company's product line. So todays 15K cartridge will have features appearing in tomorrow's 1500 dollar cartridge (still more than I am willing to spend!).

 I appreciate everyone here and enjoy the banter that sometimes goes on. It's way more time than some of the other sites, this is the only one I frequent on a regular basis.

I say bring it on, Jeff. Keep reviewing and keep posting. And if there's a 70K phonostage out there, hook it up to the Goldfinger and let the music flow! I wanna hear about it here first!!

Paul

[rollo]

     Well we know this cart. is not for the average Joe.  For the money one would expect everything a cart is capable of. Is it ? I'll never know unless I read the review.
       It would be interesting to know how the Goldfinger compares directly to say a Lyra Titan or Strain Gauge from Soundsmith. . Using two exactly the same arms and TT. Is it the best to be had out there ? When is a review forthcoming ?


charles

[jimdgoulding]

For the record, I like Jeff's magazine a lot.  I like the content, the layout, the graphics, the photos, the whole nine yards.   I think it must be a lot of fun to make a living from your passion, also.  Keep on truckin, Jeff.

It just occurred to me that Clearaudio may have been a little shortsighted.  i mean if this cart is called The Statement, what the heck are you gonna call the next one?  Oh wait, I have a novel idea.  Make a new line of seven mid priced cartridges (with new The Statement technology, of course), fine tune them for a particular feel, and call them The Planets.  Mars could be the bold forward one (for rock), Jupiter could be the laid back ethereal one (for classical), and so on.  I'm kidding, of course.  And they could be in different colors!

[neobop]

It seems that a lot of the technology that goes into the really expensive stuff manages to trickle down into the "cheaper" equipment in a company's product line. So todays 15K cartridge will have features appearing in tomorrow's 1500 dollar cartridge (still more than I am willing to spend!).
Paul

You can't be serious, cartridge technology/features?  At least Atlas is asymmetrically machined out of titanium.  Still seems overpriced.  The technology goes way back.  Look at the Ortofon SPU line. 

Jeff,
Yes, you do us all a great service with your glowing reviews of pricey equipment.  You seem to keep the stuff, like Atlas having a permanent place on one of your tables.  Does this come out of your operating budget, or gratis?  Even at dealer cost (prob $8 -9K for the CA), this seems like a lot of advertising revenue. 
Nothing wrong with reviewing the most expensive stuff, TAS has been doing it for a long time.  I get the impression that Tone's forte is with mid and budget equipment.  You guys do a good job with that.
neo

[SteveFord]

Only 15K, huh?
I'll never even think about buying one but it's fun to read about unobtainium (to me, that is).

[Guy 13]

Hi all Audio Circle members.

Dreaming in color and in CinemaScope about something is free !

Keep coming the motivation for dreaming, I like it.

The more expensive it is, the more my dream is enjoyable.

Guy 13

[TONEPUB]

You can't be serious, cartridge technology/features?  At least Atlas is asymmetrically machined out of titanium.  Still seems overpriced.  The technology goes way back.  Look at the Ortofon SPU line. 

Jeff,
Yes, you do us all a great service with your glowing reviews of pricey equipment.  You seem to keep the stuff, like Atlas having a permanent place on one of your tables.  Does this come out of your operating budget, or gratis?  Even at dealer cost (prob $8 -9K for the CA), this seems like a lot of advertising revenue. 
Nothing wrong with reviewing the most expensive stuff, TAS has been doing it for a long time.  I get the impression that Tone's forte is with mid and budget equipment.  You guys do a good job with that.
neo

I've pretty much bought all of my reference gear and it does come out of the operating budget at the end of the year.  No one is giving away 10 thousand dollar cartridges.  While I am at the point where I could get long term loans on a lot of gear, I feel it makes it easier to have reference components that don't have to be returned every six months. (though my wife would probably prefer we didn't buy any of this stuff!)

I'd like to think we do a good job at the full spectrum.  I wouldn't have a mega reference system if I felt our strength was budget equipment, yet I feel the entry level point is incredibly important and competitive, which is why we cover something from the entry level in our 995 column every issue, as well as the Journeyman Audiophile column that concentrates on gear in the $1000 - $4000 per box level.  And, we've covered vintage gear every issue since day one, because that's such a great way to build a high value system.

As for the rest of the product mix, it just depends on what manufacturers have available for review.  Sometimes it's expensive stuff, other times not.

I also feel that having reference components at the level I do really helps me make objective decisions about the performance of products across the range.  All too often I hear reviewers and audiophiles alike make comments like the one at the top...   I've got an Ortofon SPU.  Great cartridge and one I really enjoy.  Fantastic value for $1000, and killer on a Technics SL-1200 or a Thorens TD-124, but on a highly resolving system, no where near close to the Goldfinger or the Atlas.

But you wouldn't know that if you didn't live with the stuff and have the system to put it in.  All too often, I feel many reviewers get a component outside of what they normally have in their system and automatically exhaust their adjective gland, which leads to so much skepticism in the readership.  I don't feel we've really done "glowing" reviews of pricey gear, we've tried to be objective and point out strengths and weaknesses, regardless of price tag.  Though the upcoming review of the Sonus faber Aida will probably be pretty glowing, they are fantastic speakers.

Though unpopular with some, I feel that the diminishing returns curve is a lot more linear than most people care to admit.  But then I've lived with this gear for a long time.  I used to feel the same way.  It's like being a great guitar player and being able to really feel the difference between a vintage Stratocaster and a Squire Strat, or a violinist that uses a Stradivarius instead of a more run of the mill violin.  It's all about tone and nuance. 

Again, I do this for a living, every day.  I am obsessed and immersed in this world.  I certainly don't expect anyone else to be as mental about this as I am, but I hope that the reviews that we have written have given some insight into these products, regardless of price that it has helped people make decisions on what to put on their short list.

What some fail to understand is that there really are people that buy Goldfinger cartridges and dCS stacks on a regular basis and it's no big deal to them.  The balance for me is to be able to cover it all, because the guy that agonizes over whether to spend $100 or $150 on a phono cartridge is just as passionate as the guy that agonizes over whether to buy an Atlas or a Goldfinger.  I also have a Rega RP -6, Linn LP -12 a couple of Thorens tables, etc etc, so that when I'm reviewing modestly priced stuff it can be put in the proper context, again, hopefully making sense for the person with a system at that level.

For me at the end of the day, it's always about the balance.

The toughest part to explain and convey is the validity of the price of some of these things.  For 99.9999% of the population, 15K for a phono cartridge is beyond insanity, yet after comparing the Goldfinger, the Atlas, the Olympos and the XV-1T to cartridges for $5,000, 3,000, 1,000 and $350 on a system that can resolve the difference, there is a big jump in what they will reveal.

So many people's emotions/tempers get raised over this stuff and it's unfortunate.  The price tag doesn't mean you are more or less serious about music or gear to me.  It is what it is.  If you can afford the primo gear, great, if not that's fine too.  My job is to help our readers navigate through the maze, regardless of the associated cost. I'm truly sorry that people get so angry about these things because they either can't afford it, or don't want to investigate it.  The people that I have invited into the studio to give some of these things a listen have always come away with a new perspective, just as I do when I drive a friends Aston Martin or Porsche GT3.  I can't afford one, but it's always an enlightening experience.

I hope that sheds a little more light on things.