General Asylum: REVIEW: Grand Prix Audio Monaco 4-Shelf Rack by Romanesq

Model:	Monaco 4-Shelf
Category:	Rack
Suggested Retail Price:	$3,495
Description:	Aluminium Tripod rack w/ Acrylic shelves and Carbon Fiber supports
Manufacturer URL:	Grand Prix Audio
Model Picture:	View

Review by Romanesq ( A ) on June 25, 2002 at 10:01:41
IP Address: 67.82.192.97

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for the Monaco 4-Shelf

In this hobby, much is written by industry "experts" touting the next big thing. Sometimes it is a product that does have a plus, but it turns out not to produce the bang for the buck that we'd hoped. Then of course, our expectations are dashed a bit until we try the next big thing that comes along, all in the name of audio nirvana. And so the quest for the Grail goes on.
Now I won't be able to help adjust that psychology based on individual experiences, however I can say that on par with some of the great improvements that I have encountered that could justify their investment, i.e. the PS Audio Power Plant, there is another area that has been neglected, alebeit from a scientific perspective. I am talking about isolation.
Now I've tried some of the solutions in this and was for a while an avid participant in the great floating experiment with the Aurios MIBs.
I must have dropped over $2,000 to float my entire system and this inlcuded B&W 803 Nautilus speakers. After a year of what I thought was a most positive experience, someone noticed a post and emailed me a detailed view of what they called the "great bass suckout" due to the Aurios. I thought about what this guy stated in his emails and did give it a whirl first taking the devices from my speakers. After having them sit on stands, I realized that more gains were probable (overdue) with an attempt at spiking. Turned out to be the right move after two plus years of improper application.
What this told me along with experiences using different cones, aurios, etc., was two primary things:
one, changing the sound with the use of a device such as rubber, steel, etc. would produce a change and this change would not neccesarily be one desired. To a degree it all came down to taste. Thus, for the amount of objects on the market to tweak your equipment, none could claim to be a model for everyone's system.
two, the changes were not measured in any scientific fashion so the "desired" changes could not be appreciably replicated.
So not to long ago, I thought that maybe it was time to take another look at the isolation world. Having recouped some money back from my original investment, I decided that the time was right to see what was going on. I came across many racks on the asylum, but one product in particular stood out: Grand Prix. So I looked into the website and contacted the creator, Alvin Lloyd who as it turns out spends way too many hours a day researching and developing solutions in this area. He however has one differential from the army of people selling products in this arena. He takes time to do objective measurement testing to see where the improvements are, how much and what is left for improvement. He allowed me to use some component feet as an initial test for my equipment. I tried it and was pleasantly surprised. He said that there were other approaches we could take in lieu of a stand but that his Monaco stand would produce by far the greatest return on investment.
Skeptical but armed with a trial period, I took him up on his offer.
Boy was I surprised. Music by any measure in reproduction has numerous obstacles to overcome. Having returned from the 2002 HES show, I can say without qualification that there are many great systems out there but many are lacking in the emotion they produce, no matter their overall cost. Many high priced systems did not move me much from an emotional standpoint. The Wilson Watt Puppy 7s were one exception but then again, this is a $22,000 investment.
What the Monaco does is take a large degree of vibration throughout the environment and reduce it greatly allowing a component's "original" intent shine through to a great degree. The clarity and blackness added into my system was not in any way an incremental improvement. People have commented about the rack as a system and/or component. The real determining factor is your head and what hits your hears.
The results are stupendous. And Alvin Lloyd is about as dedicated to his craft as one could hope for in the modern era.
At the HES Show, Sony apparently felt strongly enough about the Monaco that they used it for their presentation of SACD multichannel with the upcoming Rolling Stones' releases.
Test drive one and you'll see for yourself. You've got nothing to lose but the grunge.

Product Weakness: Design is too beautiful for rest of decor
Product Strengths: Improved clarity, background and soundstage. Construction is superbly designed and crafted

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	McCormack DNA 2 Rev. A
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Spacetech QA-808
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	None
Speakers:	B&W 803 Nautilus
Cables/Interconnects:	Silver Audio DH Labs
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Jazz/Blues/Classical
Room Size (LxWxH):	28 x 11 x 10
Room Comments/Treatments:	none
Time Period/Length of Audition:	3 months
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	PS Audio P300
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	Design is too beautiful for rest of decor
Product Strengths:	Improved clarity, background and soundstage. Construction is superbly designed and crafted