Quincy, that's the cart I have now (M2 version, but I have to admit I was able to get away spending less with a trade-in [of my busted old AQ] and discount from The Elusive Disc, thank goodness...I also didn't have to wait like you did - what's up with that stuff?). Anyway, the thing that initially held me back the most was this cart's totally exposed 'nude' bodiless design, which won't even accept a stylus protector and doesn't come with one, a first for me. And that needle for sure does stick right out there, not to mention the generator assembly and those wires much thinner than a hair.
Now I'm used to handling this cart and don't feel so much like I'm living on the edge of disaster all the time, but suspect this level of comfort is illusory: Like you, I learned first-hand that when they say to watch out because the magnet is so strong, they aren't just whistling dixie. Fortunately, my stars must have been in alignment the day I unthinkingly brought this cart and a free piece of metal within several inches of one another - like an insaniac, I seem to have been seized by the momentary idea that I was going to use a steel jeweler's screwdriver to assist in dressing my headshell lead-out wires (Doh!!) - and I can confirm that unexpectedly experiencing an object ripped from your grasp and moving through space straight toward your cartridge at such a lightning rate of acceleration will definitely lose you a few heartbeats you won't be getting back anytime soon. I can still close my eyes and practically feel that sickening sensation at the moment of impact. Don't know how I ever escaped this one with zero damage done, but something tells me that in the end it'll only be a matter of time...
And the digital-only types wonder what makes us treasure so much our time wasted on vinyl-playing preparatories...Hey, as a thrill, it's safer than rock-climbing...
Now I'm used to handling this cart and don't feel so much like I'm living on the edge of disaster all the time, but suspect this level of comfort is illusory: Like you, I learned first-hand that when they say to watch out because the magnet is so strong, they aren't just whistling dixie. Fortunately, my stars must have been in alignment the day I unthinkingly brought this cart and a free piece of metal within several inches of one another - like an insaniac, I seem to have been seized by the momentary idea that I was going to use a steel jeweler's screwdriver to assist in dressing my headshell lead-out wires (Doh!!) - and I can confirm that unexpectedly experiencing an object ripped from your grasp and moving through space straight toward your cartridge at such a lightning rate of acceleration will definitely lose you a few heartbeats you won't be getting back anytime soon. I can still close my eyes and practically feel that sickening sensation at the moment of impact. Don't know how I ever escaped this one with zero damage done, but something tells me that in the end it'll only be a matter of time...
And the digital-only types wonder what makes us treasure so much our time wasted on vinyl-playing preparatories...Hey, as a thrill, it's safer than rock-climbing...