I have seen some audiophiles go complete circles in TT's, finally ending up where they started
Good point, I've met a few such owners. But don't judge them, not everyone is really looking for the best possible reproduction, they all say, they do (they need a reason for spending money and that is ok) but they also want something they "like". Be it the color, be it the Design, be it a listing in Stereophile Class A, be it a price the neighbor can't afford, be it a limited Edition...be it the ambition to be a respected Audiophile member because the turntable is 45k and everyone congratulates ...
You would have to believe that Dev had heard many other turntables before investing in the Raven brand........from his numerous posts, you can see that he had.
So the Ravens at many stages.....sounded better to him than other turntables?
Then suddenly.....not?
That's fair enough.
I think, everyone of us starts with the same positive feeling, or hope when buying something (no one buys something when he knows before that it is nothing special)...after some time the splitting begins, but that is an individual one, some still like what they have (for whatever reason) and some discover after some time that the unit has some flaws which can disturb more and more (I am one of those, I am not Jesus and of course, my priorities are not shared from everyone. But there is a difference between "don't like it" or "there is definitely something which is done better from other manufacturers").
That is normally a basement for discussions which can show a way for the reader he can use. It is his decision anyway.
What happens is they "upgrade" but the cycle of discontent from mismatching and poor set up starts all over again.
That is very common to say (the owner is too unexperienced, too stupid, he has 10 left thumbs ) but from my experience in the last 15 years, it is not matching. Except you have a real problematic design like the LP12 with its wood frame, springs etc. but the most units out there are the way they are. Maybe you can win a bit with leveling :-), but not 50% gain in Performance when a turntable is level and running.
What sounds bad is normally bad.
What sounds wrong is normally wrong.
(Same with demos .. room is so bad...mains is so lousy... I heard demos at exhibition shows which were stunning... just an example, I never heard a Mark Levinson demo which made me sit longer than 3 minutes but they sell / sold a lot. So, I am simply not the right customer for it. The difference is probably, that I can say why I don't like it and what kind of electronics can do that better, but that is my opinion. Can be shared or not.
It is very, very difficult to go back, to be honest to yourself, saying," oh man, I burned 30k with my whatever". Had this situation 12 years ago when I got an invitation from a record collector and I got a demo I never heard before... and no DIY stuff, no ultra rare units, all with available brands.. but simply with units which were able to mere the curtain... all the hours when driving home I thought about it and to make the story short, I knew, there are only 2 ways:
To deny what I heard (would save me a lot of money) or to realize what went on (costing me min. 70K)...I made my decision.
I also know an example from an experienced (say, he spent thousands of $$$$) Audiophile, sitting in a top demo and finally he said: "this kind of soundstage is filled with so many information, it does confuse me. I don't like it".
Anyway, I think it is a difference to read about design solutions which have some serious flaws (the reader has also 2 choices, he can deny it, or he can check it) or you get these competent 1-Liners from Ebm.
Well no. We are Audiophiles, that means, there is always a third option. A Dgad option, always avoiding to talk about a problem, instead to move the discussion in a total different direction (Personal Problems, Hate, nice guy being treated badly, wrong delivered, Set Up made from uncertified Set Up Specialists, not owning the latest version (it is the 8th version from an identical product but there are differences only a few know) and so on and on...
Don't get me wrong: I love all 3 versions, but for MY decision I have only one.
