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Can a $3K table be among the best out there?

I am on the market for a $3K turntable. I am going back to analog after a number of years so I know little of current market. So, I did some research and stumbled across the Townshend Rock 7 and WT Amadeus tables. I've read a lot about them.. The impression one gets after reading user comments or reviews (like TAS reviews for instance) is that it's hard to get a better table, period. In a world where you can easily spend $4K on a tonearm, I found these statements to be surprising to say the least. What's so special about these turntables, and can anyone comment on the notion that it's hard to beat their performance at any price?
ggavetti
fjn04
1,561 posts
 
Ggavetti- This guy liking Teres is kind of my point. Maybe the guy thinks every table/arm between $3-$5K is nothing special. As we know, the Teres is not in the Amadeus price range. That said, if he hears an Amadeus, a VPI Classic, a Rega RP8, Clearaudio performance..., then it becomes meaningful. My only personal experience is with Basis tables, up to the 2500. No knock on Basis, but I am not looking back. The Amadeus gets an awful lot right, for a table in it's price range. It seems like all components built at a certain price point, don't do it all. Glad to see you are liking the Massetto! What cartridge will you be using on the Empire, and what is your amp/speaker setup. Cheers -Don
ggavetti OP
143 posts
 
Fjn04, actually in our conversation he mentioned the VPI classic and WT as two TT's he'd never get. This is a guy who has spent his entire professional life on turntables and tonearms...he knows pretty much everything under the sun. And by the way, he doesn't look at gear based on price ranges. I paid my Empire $700 and he thinks this an awfully good setup. If I don't get a Teres, I might get a Townshend TT.
Using an ortophon mc-30 with the masseto. Perhaps we chat offline on shindo gear. please email me at giancoz77@yahoo.com
thank you.
soix
9,456 posts
 
Understood your friend knows his stuff, but the question that seems to not have been answered is if he's actually heard a WT turntable. Has he?
ketchup
698 posts
 
Just curious- why even start this thread if you have a friend who "knows pretty much everything under the sun?"
ggavetti OP
143 posts
 
because I value fellow travelers' opinions and because i always though that the most knowledgeable people (that is designers who know stuff 99% of us does not even dream of) might look at things in an overly technical (e.g. from the engineer's standpoint) way. even if I overall trust my friend's judgment, for instance he might put too much weight on how much damage the cart does to the record than i care about. so, others' opinions are quite valuable datapoints to me. and by the way, i had this conversation with him only AFTER this thread had validated what I had read in reviews about the amadeus and townshend turntables. so, i am learning quite a bit.
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