Is the Townshend Rock 7 "the" giant killer?

I am not sure what versions of the Nott you listened to, but the hyperspace with a top-of-the-line nott tonearm is darn good...I'd be surprised if there was such a big difference as you imply, but they certainly appear to be different tables on many dimensions.

I have had two versions of the Spacedeck. The last was the most recent version before the 294. It had the Ace-Space arm. It did sound very good, but the Amadeus is muuuuch better.

Shakey

Just installed the hyperspace with anna tonearm....i find it to be amazing. note that the hyperspace is supposed to be much better than the lower models. i had a few friends over (long time audiophiles) and they were blown away by the airiness of the setup. i guess at this level it's a matter of taste.

Glad you are enjoying the new table.

Yes, at most levels it is a matter of taste. Which makes it important to try out as many flavors as possible to determine what works best for you.

I have heard a number of highly regarded tables. I preferred the Rock to the WTA in direct comparison, and while I didn't directly compare them I wasn't impressed enough by the VPI Classic heard in a friend's system to arrange a head-to-head comparison.

What I have yet to hear is a high mass table. But a high mass table will be out of my budget for a while...

It's much easier to find a used Rock 7 in Great Britain ( 240V 50hz motor ) than the US and at a much better price. I just bought one for 1000 Pounds plus 50 pounds shipping ( about $1650 ) including an Audio Origami RB251 arm. It's easy to run a 240V 50Hz turntable in the US by buying a good quality 12V to 240v 50hz power inverter ( about $280 ) and a good quality 12V linear power supply. The combo puts out a really stable 240V 50hz output and allows you to use 240v 50hz motor controllers such as the Heed Audio Orbit 2 which requires no mods to the turntable motor at all.
look on HiFi Wigwam in the classifieds forum. They come up once in a while.