Waaay back when, I owned a BIC. It wasn't bought as an 'audiophile' thing and luckily, it didn't trash the records as I still own many from that time (Just last night I fired up Henry Mancini's 'Combo' and it sounded great! Don't laugh, recorded in '58, an RCA Living Stereo). Ever since I was a kid, it always made sense to handle my records with care, and it paid off. My 1st 'audiophile' table was a Revox B791. I'll never forget as it was my 1st brush with audiophile snobbery, I bought it used from an old Jewish gentleman from Queens, when asked I told him I had Pioneer separates and Ohm Walsh 2's, and he said; "this is too much turntable for yr system!". At the time I thought he was a douche, but of course he was right! Later on I owned a SOTA (also bought 2nd hand) and it never sounded right, which I attributed to it being mis-used by the previous owner. I went on to my beloved Mapleknoll Athena. Had the air pump, the arm design that preceeded the ET-2, wooden side walls with the springs, & the lead platter. Man, she was a beast but, and this is a huge but, it was a magnificent-sounding beast! But she was too finicky, requiring more than I was willing to give and in 1990 I bought my 1st (and last!) brand new TT, a Linn LP12/Ittok IV/Lingo that, due to my increased use of CD's since I bought it, has been gently used only requiring a few tune-ups in 24 yrs!
