Sorry...yes, I got the Raven...standard version with single arm. There are some new updates like Stillpoint feet but you may know that already...I think that's true but it's a little hazey right now. I will be using for the time being my SME 309 as Jeffrey thought it a better choice than the Vivid Two that can be gotten with it. The arm board for the SME is brass and black laquered/painted...whatever...sorry.
A change of plans for my cartridge...I was leaning towards the Strain Gauge but the Raven took me over budget...In my head were prices from 2006...and so was my budget...oops. Do I want the Raven, do I want the Strain Gauge...Do I want the...
That's okay because I worked with Jeffrey on this and he made recommendations that were outside-of-the-box from what I expected. With his help, I decided on the Otono-Edison Shilabe. What's really important to understand, is that Jeffrey is thinking about my particular needs, my particular budget, my existing components, my upgrade path, and what type of music I enjoy most when he made his recommendation. That's special because it's personalized.
The Strain Gauge system offers a perfectly matched preamp...you even get a little blue light telling you so. Wow...pretty cool. I'll have to get over it but I think I'll be alright.
Instead, I'm getting the Tron 7 that's upgraded to the caps used in the Tron Reference. I don't know if I'm the guinea pig or if this mid-upgrade is already available...don't care but I thought I'd mention to Tron 7 users just in case. I'm also getting the Tron 7 with XLR outputs. This may not be normal either. I have a BAT VK-5i to plug into and Tron (Graham?) and Jeffrey thought this was better than doing the RCA to XLR cable. BAT only accepts XLR connectors. This may only mean semi-balanced and nothing more.
I'm happy that I met my budget with Jeffrey's help, and will get some stuff that makes some magic. Hey, I'm looking back at a Sota Star and Grado Sonata...okay I'm done looking.
