Micro Seiki, or TW AC-1

I heard the TW Raven One and AC on four different arms and carts. All in the same system and at the same time. My impressions about the TT did not change. Some things are too foundational and if it comes through, you know it is the TT. The same room also had a Dr.feickert woodpecker and Nottingham Analogue hyperspace, I also auditioned them and they did not exhibit the issues I noted with TW. Of course they lacked behind the TW in some other ways. It was just an observation. For me it was relevant enough to pass the TW even though I was getting an amazing deal.

Pani,

You have me surprised as I owned the Hyperspace & Raven AC. The characterization you have given the Hyperspace is way off. And it contradicts reviews as well. If any turntable has a characteristic sound the Nottingham would be it. I still feel it is a great table but it does shed TW character through everything and you must choose the right cartridge to get a more balanced presentation. I just can't trust what you are saying.

And Syntax, let me just get everyone on the same page. Your mission in life is to bash a few brands and give your biased opinion about products you get deals on. It is well documented here so why don't you let it go. H I forget you can't. You have nothing better to do. Not even listen to music. I wonder why.

Pani's take on the Raven TT : "BUT, to me it had an artificiality/coloration in the flow of music. The notes did not naturally bloom, hold and decay the way we know it should. There is a "rush", a little too much leading edge and not enough time to bloom. There was also a colouration in the timbre of the instruments as if to artificially make it sound "rich"."

I hear things differently with the TW Raven One partnered with the 10.5 tonearm in my system. Varieties of strings, horns and woodwinds do not sound artificial, but very much like I hear them in live concerts. Double basses and cellos especially resound with marvelous tones. I've also never heard percussion instruments like piano and cymbals reproduced with as much accuracy as I presently do. There is richness and bloom as well, with neither of those characteristics sounding artificial to my ears. Regarding the assertion, "...there's a little too much leading edge...", that is an interesting point. Before I learned to make the proper kinds of adjustments to the 10.5 tonearm, I was indeed hearing too much leading edge. That arm is quite sensitive to very slight movements. I don't know if Pani had the opportunity to hear it coupled with any of the Raven tables he auditioned. Even if he did, it's possible it was not ideally adjusted for lps of various thicknesses. My experiences making adjustments with this arm, aided by markings I have affixed on pieces of painter's tape have enabled me to "dial in sounds" that run the gamut from too much leading edge to dull edge. Yes, I can get lps to display the kind of balance that to me is indeed accurate AND musical, UNLESS a particular record was simply recorded badly one way or another to begin with.

Jaspert's statement above bears repeating because it rings with an air of truth: "Seriously how can one tease out different turntables performance from the whole chain which involves different cartridges, arm,phono stage, pre/amp, speakers/room from listening to different setups at different times?" I would also re-iterate the need for experimenting with and making adjustments.

Someone has asked for a suggestion out here because he wants
to put his hard earned money into it, just like I did few
months ago. That is the reason I wrote as honestly as I
could what I heard with "reasonable" conviction.

However, it is interesting that more people out here want to
tell me I was wrong because of XYZ reasons. If one cannot
hear a TT's contribution in a chain of TT-Tonearm-Cartridge-
phonostage then I suppose there is no reason for audiophiles
to ever go for a TT demo, neither should dealers have any
demo room for TTs! I am not saying it is as simple as
auditioning a pair of speakers. But if one spends enough
time in the demo room and that too comparing three different
TTs and multiple tonearms, it is not all that difficult to
point out the characteristics which are glaring in a TT.

I commented strongly about the TW because it was one of the
serious contenders in my shortlist, I took multiple
auditions of it through multiple chain of electronics just
to ensure the validity of my concerns and it so happened
that the character that bothered me was too strong and
present. Even simple Norah Jones track sounded zippy. I even
took my AKG headphone setup to the dealer to clarify this.

In hifi equipment selection, isnt it as necessary to figure
out the compromises one could live with as it is to know the
strengths ? I am more concerned about construction and flow
of notes while someone else would bother about soundstage
construction or frequency extension. Why is it so difficult
to believe that TW had its own share of weaknesses which
occurred to me because I am more sensitive to it ?

Regarding Nottingham TTs, I did not say anything about it
because it is not a TT under discussion. It had other issues
due to which I did not buy it either but it did not exhibit
the problems I noted with TW. TW's problem was quite unique,
that is why I mentioned it the term "cooked".

I have no dog in this fight, other than that I'm sympatico with the OP because we share certain system attributes. I don't doubt Pani heard what he heard and will admit that the only time I've heard the AC table (I think it was the Black Knight) was courtesy of Jeff @ Highwater in show conditions. I think we'll all acknowledge that turntables at any level~ and here, we are talking about a pretty high level of performance~ will sound different from each other. My suggestion is that the OP contact Jeff when he is back from Rocky Mountain, and be candid about his interest in a used table. Take a trip to NY and hear the darn thing, presumably Jeff can set it up as well as anybody. (Ideally, he'd use a cartridge you are familiar with or willing to consider buying).
The Micro Seiki seems to be a little risky in trying to get support if you have problems, assuming the OP could source a good one without issues. The Platine- very cool table and one I'd certainly consider in this league if available in the States. It's been around a long time, and is still made.
Does that make sense? (I'm not encouraging abuse of a dealer here, which is why I suggested candor- Jeff, who I don't really know well, but have talked to a couple times, is one of the best folks in the business).