Post by Owen Y on Jan 1, 2021 16:58:07 GMT 12
George Merrill, as far as I know, is most well known for his 'Merrill Mods' (from 1980s) for the various models of AR Turntable (USA). But George Merrill has always, since the 70s, made & offered his own Merrill Turntable, incorporating all his TT ideas. George E. Merrill now calls his company GEM Dandy Products & manufactures the POLYTABLE turntable. His stated mission behind the creation of the PolyTable was to achieve " a true high performance turntable at an affordable price ". - US$1495 - Standard blank turntable, no tonearm - US$795 extra - for Digital Motor Drive (DMD) which allows 60-50Hz 120-220VAC operation - US$2495 - Poly Table Super with DMD and Fluid Damped Motor Features: - " a TRUE high performance Turntable " - " Designed with Energy Management Technology principles " - " 19 HZ resonance, away from cart/arm resonance-below recorded information " - " No Metal or Glass used in the critical energy path " - " RCC Mat bonded to the record support platter " - " Precision Custom manufactured motor " - Will accommodate 12" tonearms   (Early images with JELCO tonearms - now, Sorane tonearms are fitted.)
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Post by Owen Y on Jan 1, 2021 17:21:26 GMT 12
Michael Fremer (ANALOG PLANET) reviews(29 Dec '20) the PolyTable Signature turntable with Sorane TA-1L 12.7" tonearm: - US$2995 (not including tonearm) - US$1875 MSRP for Sorane TA-1L tonearm " it might seem absurd that these modestly priced components were plugged into (mostly) my reference system... but as it turned out it wasn’t. " " with the Transfiguration Spirit plugged into the Hagerman Trumpet (MC phono stage US$1099)... this combo produced an enticing combination of timbral generosity—warm but not too warm—vocal verisimilitude, three-dimensional imagery, spatial focus, stability and natural attack, sustain and especially spatial decay that backed up the super-stable measured performance. " " (I’m not here to tell you the PolyTable Signature has the brute force bottom end produced by the “mega-tables”) but it’s definitely got “testicular bass” as my mentor Harry Pearson liked to refer to it. " Fremer had some minor quibbles about a few cosmetic & other details. And although almost US$5k is into Linn Majik territory, you can see that he was reasonably impressed. 
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Post by Owen Y on Jan 1, 2021 20:27:04 GMT 12
" This 'table does not have a personality " (George Merrill)
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Pundit
Post by peter0c on Jan 2, 2021 9:56:15 GMT 12
Umm er, this is undoubtedly a fine turntable but take a moment to reflect on the language used to review it - and most other hifi products. " with the Transfiguration Spirit plugged into the Hagerman Trumpet (MC phono stage US$1099)... this combo produced an enticing combination of timbral generosity—warm but not too warm—vocal verisimilitude, three-dimensional imagery, spatial focus, stability and natural attack, sustain and especially spatial decay that backed up the super-stable measured performance." I assume that the reviewer was listening to music but this is not immediately obvious. Would a music reviewer use these terms in describing a concert? Music after all is what we listen to, not verisimiltude ... sustain and natural attack" etc etc. Are we in danger of missing the point about our hobby?
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Post by cartridgeguyonline on Jan 2, 2021 10:43:21 GMT 12
" This 'table does not have a personality " (George Merrill) To which I would say "Bullshit" Every component I have ever heard has a personality, even a lack of personality is a personality ! IMHO and YMMV of course.
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Post by Owen Y on Jan 2, 2021 13:26:42 GMT 12
verisimilitude (noun) - " the quality of seeming to be true or real " - (Oxford Learner's Dictionaries)
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Post by Owen Y on Jan 31, 2021 20:52:32 GMT 12
The George Merrill GEM Dandy POLYTABLE is starting to stack up some good reviews - PART-TIME AUDIOPHILE ( Marc Phillips, 29 Jan '21) writes: This is the GEM Dandy PolyTable Signature model (US$2995) fitted with SORANE TA-1L 12.7” tonearm (US$1875) - which is a total of US$4870 I believe. That's getting into serious $$$ turntable territory. Cartridges used were the ZYX Bloom 3 & ZYX Ultimate Airy X. Phono stages employed were the Pureaudio Vinyl, the Pass Labs XP-17 and the HP phono card in the Jeff Rowland Design Group Continuum S2 integrated amplifier. " The GEM Dandy always had the poise so I could hear those little sounds, the swift feeling of air swirling, an individual texture that you don’t often hear unless you’re listening to a much more expensive analog set-up. It was a master of detail only because it was so unperturbed, so determined to get the job right. " " I kept having one thought, over and over, with the GEM Dandy PolyTable while I used it: “I can’t believe it’s only $3000.” That’s why I’m giving it my Best Value Award. "  (Note the Nasotec 'Swing' headshell.)  (The PolyTable Signature includes a two-piece decoupled platter.)  (The SORANE 12.7" tonearm is beautifully designed & made apparently.)
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