Hi Wini, - o.k. first of all: Syntax you won the bet ...
If TW and Mr. Wiedemann do think they have designed - based on their knowledge... - the ultimate tonearm as they do understand it, this is certainly great for them, but not my problem.
There will certainly be enough "claqueures" (sic....) in their camp to further promote those ultimate products.
Fine.
We will see in due course - in 1-2 years - the used market price for the TW 10.5 (because there will be enough first hand buyers who will part again in due course with this ultimate tonearm...).
That will be the first real judgement.
We will see.
BTW - TW has sent me 3 emails as PM yesterday and congratulated me on my expertise and in-depth knowledge of his products and their flaws and virtues.
So you see - he and me, we really are on good terms.
That one quote of you however is puzzling:
***It has nothing in common with products, which components where bought in for cheap and sold in a shiny package for a lot of money (e.g.stepups from a Bavarian seller).***
I don't understand..... you mentioned (and I know that was true at least yesterday..) that TW is based in Herne/North-Rhine Westfalia.......... is he now about to move to Bavaria ?
You mistake my comments in one vital point. I am not in here for bashing any products for the joy of it.
What I can't stand is that every decent new launched product is hailed as the holy grail and the "ultimate".
I look at those products (mechanical ones - TTs and tonearms - NOT amplifiers) and see off hand several aspects of its design which I know do compromise its performance.
That is the reason why I ask for some earned laurels first before allowing any product to be called state-of-the-art right away.
Well - in any case, in early summer you are most welcome to discuss here a turntable I have designed and which will be presented here on Audiogon as well as in some international audio magazines.
It has 4 times the price tag of the TW's Black Night - so most german audiophiles won't be able to afford it.
However they will learn a lot about turntables.
But they won't like it at all......