Is the Townshend Rock 7 "the" giant killer?


The reviews I have seen of the Townshend Rock 7 (and many of the comments from owners) not only say that it's a great TT, but suggest it's a giant killer. Stated differently: it's hard to find anything in the $5K to $20K range that beats the Rock 7. Some reviewers say vinyl through the Rock 7 sounds more like master tapes than vinyl. I find this pretty hard to believe. Has anyone had direct experiences with the Rock 7, especially as it compares to other more expensive turntables? Thank you.
ggavetti
Roscoeiii- Just to clarify, when you compared the Rock 7 to the WTA, was it a
GTA or standard Amadeus. I am hoping the top-down becomes top-downer with the GTA. I am luck enough for now, to be moving my Amadeus over to a second system. The GTA will replace it in the main system. Certainly the GTA would have been a more fair comparison with the Rock 7. That said, isn't the Rock 7 with say a decent arm over 6K ? Cheers-Don
Don, the price list of the Rock 7 is $3200. The review comparing the Amadeus to the Rock 7 had a Rega 301 mounted on it--a $500 value. With a bit of discount I suspect you can get this combination for between $3000 and $3300. So, it is actually fairly comparable to the Amadeus...
It was a standard Amadeus that I compared to the Rock 7 with the Rega 301.

And I would be very interested to hear how you think the standard and GTA Amadeus compare to each other sonically.