AAS Gabriel/Da Vinci Turntable and Da Vinci Grandeeza 12 inch Tonearm This turntable is extremely rare. I don’t really see any flaws on it. I am very careful using it as you would expect.

It comes with all the tonearm accessories in two attractive wooden boxes. It also comes with DaVinci cables.

Jonathan Valin’s review of this superb turntable system is in the March 2009 Absolute Sound magazine. I met Jonathan at RMAF and he recommended using the DaVinci cartridge with it. I have been using a Transfiguration Orpheus cartridge and it sounds fabulous. I have taken a short video that shows it is working. 

This turntable has the magic partly due to a proprietary compound they use in the manufacturing process. I haven’t heard any digital system that beats it and that includes the top Trinity DAC which I heard with the Kaiser Kawero Speakers at the Kaiser show room near Munich and the MSB Select DAC which I heard a few months ago at a dealer showroom.

Two of my favorite tracks are Chris Jones’ No Sanctuary Here and Sara K’s Stars both on Stockfisch records. You listen to these tracks on the DaVinci than on a Dac and the difference is like night and day. Another favorite is the Beach Boy’s In My Room on MLSL. It sounds like they are in the room with you. My favorite track is Allison Krauss & Union Station’s It Doesn’t Matter Anymore. If there is a better recording in the world, I haven’t heard it yet.