02-15-2007, 11:53 PM
That guy was an idiot, or a snob, or both. Anyone who's touched a CS5000 knows it's a well-made and quiet 'table; it just never had the audiophile cachet of the British tables.
The auto arm-lift at the end was of course a throwback to their heritage but couldn't realistically be argued it ever compromised the sound. Pity more manufacturers of "audiophile" turntables never even tried to do something similar.
I used to work in the biz back then and regretted not picking one up, but I had my old 504 that served me OK and soon went with a SOTA Comet. I don't think that its OEM Audioquest arm is anything special but I always have the option of easily dropping in a Rega for example.
What I need now is a local shop that will let me audition a few carts. My Grado's stylus is likely OK but after 10+ years of (mild) use could stand to be replaced.
The auto arm-lift at the end was of course a throwback to their heritage but couldn't realistically be argued it ever compromised the sound. Pity more manufacturers of "audiophile" turntables never even tried to do something similar.
I used to work in the biz back then and regretted not picking one up, but I had my old 504 that served me OK and soon went with a SOTA Comet. I don't think that its OEM Audioquest arm is anything special but I always have the option of easily dropping in a Rega for example.
What I need now is a local shop that will let me audition a few carts. My Grado's stylus is likely OK but after 10+ years of (mild) use could stand to be replaced.