A few months back I was invited to check out a few items from K.T. Audio Imports’ Tom Vu. I was going to have an opportunity to audition the GamuT Phi 7 speaker, GamuT 200i solid-state stereo amplifier and Musical Conductor MK II turntable and matching arm. Sounded like an interesting combo. I had previously had the chance to listen to some of these products in a private listening session provided us at CES by Tom. All were rather intriguing in one way or another. Of course, being of curious mind and inquisitive nature I could not pass up the opportunity to take an extended listen. Unfortunately, due to timing, the allowed audition period was less than ideal for a full in-depth review of any one piece, let alone three different products of differing nature simultaneously. Most of us in the audio press community have real jobs that pay the bills (generally, writing is not a paying gig) and allow us to indulge in this hobby. So having 40 hours a week to devote to listening and reviewing is normally not in the cards. Anything less than 90 days with a piece of equipment will not yield you much in the way of a good in-depth review. This was clearly going to be the case so let’s look at this as an extended audition for initial impressions, and perhaps Tom can arrange a more lengthy review of these three products. I can tell you that all three really deserve in-depth and more detailed reviews that would come from a more reasonable time frame.
So challenge number one was to listen as much as I could in the time that I had outside of work. Not a problem. No need to twist my arm to listen to new gear. Besides I don’t sleep much. Challenge number two was getting the equipment from LA to Vegas. The only way it seemed was for me to drive to LA and retrieve it. So off I went, with Paula in tow, from Vegas to LA. Upon arriving at Tom’s place, loading the amps and the speakers was a breeze. The challenge came in loading a 250lb turntable into a small space. That was lots of fun but Tom and I managed to get it all loaded, and off we went on our trip back to Vegas.
Once home, I went about the art of unpacking and setting up. So right out of the chute it was all very normal and mundane with the speakers and amp. Both were packaged in a double boxing affair but the boxes were heavy, the foam insulation was dense and the speakers and an amp were a breeze to pack and unpack if needed. I would say the packing material was about as UPS friendly as one could expect. That is always comforting to know.
Musical Life Conductor Turntable
The real fun began with getting the turntable out of the SUV and into the house. Again, my son Matt was there to assist. I don’t think I ever take the time to thank him enough for always being willing to help the old man schlep this stuff in and out of the house. There was no shipping container of any kind with the turntable so I am not sure exactly how it would arrive if you chose to buy it. I would imagine it would come on a pallet and in heavy wood crating. This thing is a beast. Be sure that you have a stand that can support upwards of 300 pounds. I have an audio credenza that we tested by standing on it. Since it held two grown men, we were confident that it would handle the table, and fortunately it did.
Placement and dispersion of weight are serious matters to consider with this table. Also choose location of placement wisely and with great thought, as you will not want to move this and set it up again anytime soon. So, once I got everything in the house I decided to spend time listening to each piece as a standalone item inserted into my main system. I did take the speakers and insert them into my second system to allow them to run for as long as I could before doing any actual critical listening. So first up was the Musical Life Conductor MkII turntable.
The Conductor is one impressive piece of rock. Not rock as in accompanied by roll but rather as in stone. The entire turntable, sans platter, is made of slate. The plinth, chassis and two arm boards are all made from select 60mm slate. Slate was chosen for its resonance damping ability. Slate is mainly composed of quartz and muscovite or illite, often along with biotite, chlorite, hematite, and pyrite and, less frequently, apatite, graphite, kaolin, magnetite, tourmaline, or zircon as well as feldspar. Occasionally, as in the purple slates of North Wales, ferrous reduction spheres form around iron nuclei, leaving a light green spotted texture. These spheres are sometimes deformed by a subsequently applied stress field to ovoids, which appear as ellipses when viewed on a cleavage plane of the specimen. For some reason I just thought you might need that info.
Before you poo poo the idea as a gimmick, understand that slate has been used in a number of differing areas for eons. Because it is a good electrical insulator and fireproof, it was used to construct early 20th century electric switchboards and relay controls for large electric motors. It is dense and tough and fine slate is frequently used as a whetstone to hone knives. Due to its thermal stability and chemical inertness, slate has been used for laboratory bench tops and for billiard table tops. In 18th and 19th century schools, slate was extensively used for blackboards and individual writing slates for which slate or chalk pencils were used. In areas where it is available, high-quality slate is used for gravestones and commemorative tablets, and by artists in various genres. All of these uses require durability and the ability to work it to fine tolerances.
It is a truly unique and beautiful material for the use of the base and accompanying pieces. The only downside is it takes a community to move this beast because, all told, it weighs in around three hundred pounds! Can you say hernia accompanied by spinal injury? Some things really are better left to burly moving professionals and this might be one of those things. For people like me with history of spinal injuries, this is definitely not a table to take lightly, get it? Once it is set up though it is a relatively plug-and-play affair. The table came with two of Musical Life’s Conductor SE tonearms on at 10 inches, and the other at 12 inches.
The table utilizes a detached motor that is covered by a top plate that acts as the mounting board for the tonearms. The only issue I ever had with the table, is that if tightened down too tight the top plate actually causes start up troubles with the platter. If the end user finds this to be the case, then simply back off the screws that attach it to the plinth by a quarter turn and all is well. The manufacture does not provide much detail about the table and keep specs pretty close to the vest. It being such a unique affair, I imagine that is fairly normal with all the industrial espionage that goes on. At any rate though, it is all very straightforward and simplistic in setup. The platter is made of solid carbon with eight brass weights and is 40 mm thick. I would estimate the weight of the platter to be 25-30 pounds. Once set up, adjusted and dialed-in, the table’s speed ran true and consistent the entire time I had it. Of course, at these prices you expect that, and the good news is you get it. Once I had the table running I grabbed the stethoscope. As I expected, not a single sound or hint of rumble. Slate is a pretty inert material and not much for conducting vibration. One thing that really needs to be addressed is the feet. Tom provided me with three massive cone feet but they should actually come solidly attached in some way, rather than trying to balance the table on them. Be careful or you will gouge your rack or stand if you are not careful, or worse yet crush your hand under the table should you miscue this step.
