Which table would you want in your home?

Stillpoint ESS.

Construction - tubular steel, some wire and perspex.

Cost with 5 x "level 3" shelves? £6,595.

or....





Fine Victorian dining table.

Construction - hand crafted from burr walnut and inlaid with exquisite detailed marquetry decorations, all set on intricately carved and decorated legs. A superb piece of craftsmanship and an heirloom for generations to come.

Cost? £4,995...

 

Could I just have the money? OTT Victoriana isn't to my taste, but you get a fair bit for your money. Mind you it is second hand

Are they really asking £6.5k for the clothes horse? Will my pants dry any faster on it? Some people literally have no shame.

 

No contest! The Stillpoints ESS 405 equipment rack is the best choice for supporting your audio (but don't forget to put Stillpoints+Risers under each critical component

 

not mine, some of the stains are rather oily..

 

Puts things into perspective, doesn't it? I wonder what the antiques dealers of the future will make of the Stillpoints.

"You do what with it Walt? You put things on it? Ok. And it stops them wobbling? Er, yeah, OK Walt. And it's how much?"

 

Does that first table option come with a tie-rack and trouserpress?

Looks like it should.

 

good points re:value - but few could accomodate that enormous wooden table.

Neither to my personal taste.


Yes though, 6.5k for a hifi stand is taking enormous amounts of piss.

 

of course value is subjective.......

I've not heard the stilpiont so obviously I can't comment on its performance ....as to outward engineering it does seem that the cost could be on the high side for me. A premiership footballer of course would think it a snip at twice the price.

equipment is only worth what people will pay ....if the unit is selling then the percived price is correct .....if it doesn't the cost is too high.

 

You're Roy Gregory and I claim my free box of Odin.

 

i_should_coco...you have mail

 

of course - but they sell at that price because people continue to buy them...

 

true enough mr Cat, and that's freedom of choice which is so important.

Long live the option for people to pay ludicrous sums for an aluminium clothes line

NB
Snoop, please forgive the gentle mickey taking.

You have some superb components there by the way, very well thought out stuff.

 

Snoopdog

Is that your system ?and if it is ,do i detect an Oxford Crystal ref turntable lurking almost of frame . Or it could maybe be a Crystalete ,which was a slightly thinner less heavy version(almost as good as the ref).

If it is that is an amazing turntable . I would love to have had the money to buy one(and the solid floor that was needed for it to work well. Suspended wood floors need not apply) But alas i was only a student back when it came out . But one could dream . I applaud your taste and fortune in having one .

When this was about ,oh say 16 years ago ,it and the Nottingham analogue Mentor ref were the two decks i aspired to along with the Oracle Delphi . Fabulous ( at least as a treasured memory)

Regards D Louth

 

yeah, it's even worse by the fact you need to buy still points to get the best out of them too...

 

It is indeed an Oxford Acoustics Crystal reference turntabe (with SMEV and Koetsu Rosewood Signature mc cartridge).

I had a Linn LP12 for most of the second half of the 1970's and only changed it when the Oracle Delphi became available in the UK in 1980. I kept the Oracle until 1987, using it mainly with the Linn Ittok and Syrinx PU3 Gold arms.

My dealer for all of the 80's was Subjective Audio and my dear friend Howard Popeck introduced me to the Crystal Reference TT by way of a visit to my home, complete with Indian takeaway and the two gentlemen behind the company, Fraser Shaw and Jonathan Harker (subsequently of Oxford Audio Consultants).

The demonstration with the new SMEV arm convinced me to change and the Crystal Reference/SMEV have stayed in my system for the past 21 years while everything else has changed!





System pics here:-

http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y76/crystalref/?start=0

 

I still have the original receipt for the Oxford Acoustics turntable. Purchased 6th November 1987 for £1790.00 (£500 allowed for part-ex Oracle turntable), so £1290.00 balance to pay.

Still going strong (oil change for bearing once in a while) 21 years later and still in pristine condition.

 

Bottleneck,

Thanks for your kind words. My Stillpoints ESS 405 rack was an ex-demo model purchased earlier this year for £1200. Alot, some may think but for the contribution it makes to the system whole, an absolute bargain. It allows each and every component to give off it's best without degradation from air and floor borne resonances. It also allows each component to 'wick' resonances from the casework to the stand and disapate it as heat.

The new model, recently reviewed in Hi Fi+ has been redesigned in respect of the shelving arrangements and whilst not immediately apparent to the naked eye, some extremely sophisticated engineering is incorporated. Anyone familiar with the leg arrangements for the Stillpoints Component Stand will be aware that tiny ceramic ballbearings are built into each foor. The same arrangement are now built into the stailnless steel croos bars supporting each shelf (four in each) and further boost the exceptional performance of this equipment rack.

Yes, £6.5K is alot to pay but this is a US product and the cost of importation must be taken into consideration. I think it retails for $9.5K in the States so it has not doubled it's price in the journey across the pond.

Everyone has their own idea of value and for some this will be beyong what they would consider reasonable to pay for an equipment rack, however, to get the best out of source components which themselves cost many thousands of pounds, the prospect does not seem so ridiculous.

Steve

 

Hi Steve,

Nice turntable BTW.

The stillpoint stand does look interesting but expensive. I would like to see some measurements done on the damping/isolation properties of the rack. This would help it's reputation.

I agree, value for money is in the eye (or ear) of the beholder.

How about this for a table.

http://www.minusk.com/content/home.html

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/minusk/platform.html

Dean

 

Snoopdog

You are indeed a blessed man and obviously are also blessed with good ears . If i ever see one S/h at reasonable money i will buy one . I now have the floor and the money but alas no Oxford Crystal Ref ,so maybe one may turn up ,some day ....ah to dream .
Regards D Louth

 

this is what I use -
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEO-Oak-cubis...9511028QQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

except mines it dark mango and weighs about the same as me...