TW Raven One vs. Nottingham 294?

Picking up the thread a little bit late. I own a 294 and it seems to me it's the best value in the Nottingham range. Like Scompracer, I would recommend using a Boston Audio Mat and most of all, to not use the Space Arm, which is not very good (if still musical) and quite poorly made. Any quality tonearm will elevate the 294 performance to a whole new level. The table in itself will give you amazing back for your buck.

C: The Raven AC was purchased by a friend who has upgraded the power supply, motor housing & chip. In his case he uses a Schroder Ref. Tonearm and a Shelter 9000 w/ Soundsmith upgrade. Nothing on this planet sounds better and we have heard them all. Save your money buy a Raven and upgrade as you can, you will never buy another turntable. The Raven One is about 90+% of the upgraded AC out of the box , sans Tonearm & Cart.

I agree with Charlie (Crem) - BUY A RAVEN!!
WHY? It's a known entity and it will be the last TT you EVER buy!! And...if not... there will be a long line of folks that will want to buy it from you if you ever decide to sell it!!
Try THAT with an N-A product!
As an acid test (no not the LSD type!) ask yourself this......
If the N-A is soooo good why do they need to keep changing/upgrading it?
Downside: No instant gratification with the RAVEN - TW can't keep up with demand (another clue!). So you will probably have to wait a bit to get one.
I know, it's CUBIC MONEY...but in this case it is worth every penny of the investment to get a known, solid performing turntable in your system instead of a passing "trendy" turntable that you will probably end up wanting to sell off in 5 years or less and take a huge financial hit on.

"If the N-A is soooo good why do they need to keep changing/upgrading it?"

This is as childish as it gets, and pointless. The post above yours mentions upgrading the Raven too!
Grow up a little bit. The reason everything can be upgraded is because products are made at a price point. Some upgrades wouldn't make financial sense for the manufacturer, but can be undertaken by the owner of ANY product, unless you buy a Rockport turntable, which is built with a cost-no-object philosophy.
It's not about who has the biggest one here. Have you owned the Raven and the Nottingham to write "BUY A RAVEN!!!". Personally, I own the Nott and haven't heard the Raven, which I'm sure is very good too. I shared my experience with the Nott, including possible upgrade, but I didn't comment on the Raven. So if you have experience with any of them, even if you dislike the Nott, just tell us why, and let the original poster decide. Your post is not much help to anyone, and actually turns me off the Raven slightly.
So if I understand correctly, the Raven is great because TW Acustic, which is a new company, can't keep up with the demand? And the Nottingham is a "passing trendy" turntable from a company which has been in business for 30 years?
Just brilliant!
Thanks for the laugh.

J: I have extensively listened to the Raven and to a lessor degree the Nottingham. My listening experiences with the Raven are by far many more hours. For the "record" the Raven is the only turntable I have ever listened to gives an un-shakeable feeling of reality that can raise the hairs on your neck. Of course, the turntable was fitted with a Schroder Ref. tonearm and a retiped Shelter from Soundsmith, nothing shabby.

The man asked for an opinion and I gave it to him, nothing held back including the modifications mentioned. If I was going to spend 4K for a "Not", why not spend 20% more to get to own a Raven . Your defense of a Nottingham is fine. I personally feel my Ariadne Reference runs circles around most turntables including yours but I respect the fact few want to go to the "care and feeding" issues of Maplenoll's so I did not recommend it. As I said I know the Raven AC well and I stand by my suggestion. All the best.