GOLDMUND - Swiss Made High-End Audio Equipment

Goldmund probably never introduced before a product which generated a such spontaneous enthusiasm. Everybody here calls it “La Bomba” (the bomb..). You recognized, I am sure, the new Goldmund SRA power amplifier.

If you already received your first sample (lucky guys !), you sure are already waiting for a full batch of them with impatient customers waiting in line.

If you did not listen to it yet, hold your breath…

The supremacy of the Goldmund new SRA over any other commercially available amplifier of reasonable power (even at a much higher price) is indisputable and already virtually undisputed.

Its only real master, the legendary original “Job” amp, is a rarity, remains backordered for months (if not years), and should never become a concurrent, except in the legend.

As with the Goldmund Reference, or the Mimesis 36 CD turntable, Goldmund has once more hit the jackpot.

Considering our business, this success has its usual drawback, badly increasing delays. Please be patient and make your customers ready to wait.

It is the first time Goldmund manufactures such a low price amplifier.

It is the first time Goldmund manufactures such a unique amplifier, sonically.

It is the first time Goldmund has to produce such high numbers, and it is a big challenge for our factories.

Michel Reverchon

Among the never-announced Goldmund products, there is one, very sophisticated, initially created by Michel Reverchon for his own LP to CD conversion and which attracted, few years ago, a lot of attention among the great record collectors that were always a large part of Goldmund turntables customers.

The system was based on a powerful computer, linked to an analog to digital converter, a CD recorder, a large scanner and a color printer.

The software, initially imagined by Michel Reverchon himself was supposed to automatically transfer the record signal to the CD, and simultaneously scan the record jacket, reducing it to a CD format and adding the necessary other information (date, contents, etc..) to print a CD jacket looking exactly alike.

The sonic accuracy was guaranteed by the quality of the analog and conversion components (Reference turntable, A/D from Stellavox, and Goldmund Mimesis 15 CD recorder).

Alas, with the disappearance of Stellavox, the project never went to completion.

Today, with the capabilities of the recent PC computers, and the soon-to-be-released DVD (see in our Technical Corner), the project could well be finding new grounds and could be the solution for the record collectors to keep their LPs usable in the future.

Already available for a few weeks, this new combination of a Mimesis 39 CD transport with the new D/A technology found in a Mimesis 12+ is a great improvement pricewise vs the separates components.

To achieve an extremely attractive price, we certainly had to reduce the D/A circuitry to its minimum.

However, the fact that the two units are located in the same box makes the jitter-cancellation techniques more effective. This probably compensates for the other various simplifications, providing an exceptional sonic result for the price.

The unit looks very identical to a regular Mimesis 39. Only 2 additional RCA jacks for the analog outputs are visible on the back panel. Digital XLR and coaxial outputs have been kept, so the CD transport can easily be upgraded, using a better external D/A.

Yes, but for a limited time, Goldmund offers the possibility to upgrade the existing Mimesis 39 transport units to the new integrated Mimesis 39DA CD player. The work involved implies that this upgrade should not be left to the final customer but must be assembled by a qualified technician.

You probably already know that beast. No need to tell you it sounds good. Your orders never came faster, and never came so numerous after the first prototypes were launched.

The only limit we know to the success of the SRA is its limited power (2 x 50W).

But with the unique transparency and dynamics it provides, we have seen it driving huge speakers in huge rooms with an insolent ease that many big amps may have shared with pleasure…

You know we had the chance, for the SRA, to have access to the “Job” circuit and it made all the difference. In fact the amp uses most of the original “Job Stereo” design. When opened, it reveals the incredible density of this tiny circuit and looks pretty empty. But performance is absolutely unique!… We are now below the nanosecond in time response accuracy, above 3Mhz of bandwidth (before limitation), and the general ease of the amp on complex signals is unique.

Being the small brother of a star, is not a piece of cake.

The SRP has everything to be frustrated by the overwhelming success of its associated power amp. In the shade of an amp like the SRA, any new small preamplifier would be.

But this could be a wrong perception.

The price is certainly the key purchasing argument of our new small separates and never before has Goldmund produced a more reasonably priced preamplifier either.

But more than by its price only, the SRP should certainly be considered for its remarkable sonic performance.

Its schematics is exactly the same than the schematics of the SR integrated preamp section and its sonic liquidity, unveiled dynamics and phase accuracy makes it a very good match for the SRA, as well as a quite smart choice to associate with more powerful or ambitious amplifiers.

So, even if you rave about the SRA, do not forget to make a short listen to the SRP. It certainly worth it.

To fulfill the need for a complete Goldmund “Entry Line” product line, and also because there was no speaker cable on the market to be fast enough to do justice to the phenomenal SRA amplifier, at least in the reasonable ones, we have launched recently this “no-gimmick” version of the Goldmund Speaker Cable.

Without the luxury cosmetics of our top model, the SR Speaker Cable uses the same general principles and even the same schematics.

The new cable may be slightly slimmer, the connectors less exotic and the general look less flashy, but the full technology is well integrated and the sonic advantages of the big brother are well present.

One small detail worth be mentioned : the banana plugs found on the SR Speaker Cables are using the famous expensive Copper-Tellurium alloy that provides the best possible contact for a Banana plug, especially when carrying small signals.

Manufactured only in standard lengths of 2.5m, 3.5m and 6m, the SR Speaker Cable is already available.

We already worked on this baby for a long time. The challenge is formidable. Everybody knows that our main CD transports are sounding better because their mechanical construction is heavier, more rigid, and respects fully the Goldmund “Mechanical Grounding” principle. Alas, high-precision mechanical parts cost money, which explains why a Mimesis 39 has to be half lighter and cannot be as well sounding as a Mimesis 36.

Now, the challenge is an even tougher one : we have to build a CD transport that still sounds pretty good (better than a Meta Laser2), but for half the price of a Mimesis 39, so with less mechanics.

For months we are drawing parts on the computer, trying to figure out a way to get out of this dilemma. Today, we know that we are close.

If the schedule is respected, we could be able to present a model this fall. But do not push. We have to make it right.

The very first prototypes of the Epilogue 1 Satellite, the first part of our future big Epilogue system, were just recently presented in Paris during the French 1996 “Festival du Son”.

Of course, it is only the first part, and the larger bass and sub-bass units remain to be seen. However, the full-metal construction, with its unique rigidity and resonance controls has already proved its advantages. Despite a not-so-high efficiency and a rather small size, the new Epilogue 1 Satellite proved to be exceptionally dynamic and transparent. With the capability to be driven at extremely high level for Home-Theater applications, it is certainly today the most ambitious small system existing in High-end.

We expect to get in production during fall for this first satellite, so be patient.

We already postponed the final production of these ambitious new units several times. Today we must postpone the first deliveries until approximately June, due to the lack of some parts, not yet available on the market.

Please excuse us once more for this new delay.

Our most recent version of the Goldmund Lineal Interconnect are looking slightly different. Some customers may wonder if something significant changed in their performance. In fact, only the cosmetics change.

In order to improve their reliability we are now assembling the interconnects with a longer plug that leaves us enough space inside to build solidly the adaptation components, without endangering their long term integrity.

No other change has been made to the cable and there is no performance change to expect. Thank you to explain it to your customers.

The new DVD machines are not yet on the market, the standard has only been announced for a few months, but most audiophiles are already worried by the implications it could have on their system.

Let’s first be prudent. It is most probable that, as it already happened in the very early days of the CD, it will be at least 2 to 3 years before the software exist in sufficient quantity, and before the technology (CD transport, chips, etc..) improves enough to be attractive for the high-end market.

Waiting for the technology to improve, the best chance for an audiophile to access to the DVD is to buy one of the inexpensive players as soon as they are on the market, which should be before the end of 1996.

But, for Goldmund, we believe that the DVD is a good format and we have decided to support it strongly. We think it is a good format because it is really universally accepted. Not only among the manufacturers (no more of those VHS-Beta or DCC-MD stupid battles), but also, and it is a unique event for the future of Home Electronics, between different fields of the industry : Audio, Video and Computers.

So, Goldmund will do everything to provide better DVD for its customers. In the same time, for those among the fortunate audiophiles who plan to buy today a very sophisticated CD transport like the Mimesis 36, the relative proximity of this new standard may certainly be considered as a serious concern.

This is why, to make the things very clear, we already announced that our Mimesis 36 and Mimesis 39 will be upgradable to the new standard as soon as this new standard reaches the level of quality that is required for a Goldmund product.

What does that mean for our customers ?

It means first that they will have to be patient. To reach the level of quality necessary to be used in such machines as the Mimesis 36 or the Mimesis 39, the DVD technology will need several years of improvement (probably 3 or 4).

Second, it means these lucky customers who already have, or will acquire a Mimesis 36 or 39, will be able to have their machine transformed, for a very reasonable price, to the new standard.

Why will the cost be probably reasonable ? Because most of these machine’s cost is in the mechanics, and because we designed them from the early beginning to be upgradable with a minimum of mechanical parts to change.

We think we may be the first high-end company to announce this as early and as clearly.

Another technical question raised by the new DVD standard is the compatibility of our current D/A converters with a new (or upgraded) DVD turntable.

In fact the question is not yet fully clarified.

If the lower quality type of use of a DVD (like video movies) will probably not much raise the standards (it can even lower them), everybody expects something like a “Super-CD” format to be announced with the DVD, designed for music only, and which could reasonably be 88 or 96 kHz and probably 24 bits, compatible with the current music CDs.

None of our existing D/A (neither those of our competition) allows such a standard to be decoded. The frequency is too high for the circuitry and the 24 bits mean different modules.

For small converters like the Mimesis 14 and 12, it is most probable that a fundamental change of the whole unit will be needed since a full upgrade would not cost much less than a brand new unit.

However, in order to avoid our new products to be incompatible, even if we had to design them well before the standards even exist, we already designed the new Mimesis 20 to be upgradable as soon as the new standards are known and announced. We designed it first to be 24-bits compatible and to be able to carry higher frequencies than 100kHz. Only some new modules will probably be needed, since they will have to include the new format.

Of course we will keep you updated when we have more information.

Better than last year but not as good as next year.

We once more received our international and American customers in a large Hospitality Suite at the Treasure Island Hotel. Far from the noise and the furor, we had time and space to present them our new products. This year we had prototypes of the Mimesis 39DA CD Player, the new SRA/SRP separate Entry Line electronics, and prototypes of our Mimesis 20 and Mimesis 22 in their final appearance. We also showed the new Goldmund table elements.

Next year we will have an even larger suite and we hope to be able to have a playing system with the Epilogue, the Mimesis 20/22/24 and maybe some new other things..

Chit-Chatting about “Job” for an European Audiophile is fast becoming as exciting as talking about Internet for an American ! No product has ever been seen by so few and discussed by so many.

Trying to put your hand on a real “Job” is another story. So far, the designers are still making them anachronically one by one and by hand…

The legendary Job

In fact, you do not really need their amplifier anymore since you can approach its quality (we bought a license but had not the right to push the performance as far as they went in their latest amps) with our new SRA amplifier.

However, you should have a look at their unique “single stereo” speaker, derived from the Stereolith that we presented here already twice in the past. The “Job” version of this tiny speaker is really exceptional and is so practical that it should be used in all its “second systems” (computer multimedia, home-theater, kitchen, office, boat, even car) by any decent audiophile. And unlike their “magic” amplifier, the “Job speaker” seems to be produced in reasonable quantity and to be nearly available !

The New Job Speaker

The recent change we made in our server may have got some of you or some of your cyber-freaks customers lost in the dark.

Let’s make it clear.

• We do not have anymore our previous address.
• We now have our full server facilities at “www.goldmund.com”.
• Our E-Mail address is now : goldmund@goldmund.com

These changes are due to the fact that we finally have our own server. With the fast increasing number of our daily visitors (thanks to Yahoo especially), we could not catch anymore using a shared server.

Please advise your customers and help them finding us again..

It was unavoidable : already some of our competition starts selling direct on the net.

You may already see proliferate a new kind of “Net Dealers” who can offer you most of the American High End products directly to your door if you simply give them your credit card number… This sounds quite frightening for the quality of the distribution network we are using, but had to be expected. Most US high-end manufacturers had already no remorse selling factory-direct if you asked them nicely. If they go to these Cyber-Dealers, their reputation is dead.

It could be a good chance for the Goldmund image, since we always refused to sell direct. We could soon become one of the only product line available through qualified installers only, with a real warranty and no future bad surprise.

In many countries, some of the products of our Entry-Line (SR Integrated Amp, SRA, SRP, SR Speaker Cable and soon SR CD player) could represent a very attractive high-end line for some small high-quality dealers who have not the surface nor the experience to sell our more high-priced equipment, but can present to a larger quantity of less fortunate audiophiles a good introduction to the Goldmund quality.

We are working on a solution that could allow us to open some of these dealers to our Entry-Line exclusively, without disturbing the geographical protection and business position of the well established conventional full-line Goldmund dealers.

For those who are interested, please contact us.

In the contract we made with its designer, you remember that we only had the right to produce 300 pieces of the famous Goldmund Reference turntable. And we finished those 300 around 1992.

However, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Reference introduction, we got the authorization to produce a very very limited of turntables again, in order to replace the turntables that, since 15 years, have been totally destroyed in various types of accidents.

This is a good deal since it means that, finally, we will be able to produce some more new Reference turntables !

To celebrate the anniversary and have fun, these new models will really be unique, with special engraved gold plates, and we will even arrange to make them sounding slightly better than the original…

Of course, cost will be high and availability so limited that we are sure we will have more demand than turntables…

But anyhow, if you have among your customers some real analog records fanatics, it’s their last chance…

If not as gloriously as last year, the return on the circuits of our Goldmund Porsche driven by Philippe Albera has been seen in Monza where we finished 6th. Hope we are back to another victory in the Porsche cup soon.