Goldmund Reference II – the name alone is enough to make a hi-fi buff’s pulse race. And when terms like “Mecasyl-lubricated, play-free, ultra-precise ball bearings”, “hyperbolic tracking correction”, “progressive analogue optical detector” and “calibrated micrometric azimuth adjustment” start to drop, tears of rapture well up in their eyes. And yet the Goldmund Reference II is, fundamentally, just a turntable.
But what a turntable. Built in Geneva by the legendary firm Goldmund, founded in 1978, which as early as 1982 shook the music world with its first model, the Goldmund Reference. Its design and engineering were from another universe: it was the best turntable the world had ever seen. There were 300 of them; today you can buy a used one for a paltry 35,000 euros.
A Parting Gift
From 1990 Goldmund stopped producing analogue turntables and focused on the digital world. But a parting gift to the good old days was a must: the Goldmund Reference II appeared in 2007 in a limited edition of 25. You can’t get more high-tech. 250 kilograms in all; the five-layer platter of methacrylate and brass alone weighs 20 kilos. The drive belt is protected from heating and slackening by liquid nitrogen, the electric motor is shielded by 15 kilos of brass, the T8 tonearm weighs seven kilos and has neither play nor vibration. A marvel of engineering and absolute precision that you could place in your living room for 300,000 dollars.
Asia in Its Sights
Who the 25 buyers were remains a secret to this day. Michel Reverchon, founder and president of Goldmund, will only say: “Prime ministers, captains of industry, researchers, company bosses, doctors – anyone who loves something that is one of a kind.” And he adds: “We focus above all on the Asian market. We’re not very interested in Europe and the USA.”
Goldmund has no need to seek out customers with the requisite pocket money. Reverchon: “They find us. Our quality gets around. We only develop and produce components if they are the best in the world. When you do the right thing right, marketing loses its importance.”
This article appeared in MEN issue 2/23 (November 2023).
