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

after i started this post I was determined to buy an Amadeus. Then I had the idea of calling a friend of mine who in Europe is considered a legend in analogue circles––a genius of an engineer who has no business ambitions but apparently manufactures what many consider the "best" tonearm on the planet and one of the best turntables. anyhow i asked him what he thinks about the amadeus, and he replied that he thinks it's not very good. then when i told him that i was also considering a thorens td-124 he replied that if i am into vintage i am much better off with an empire 598 troubadour. i was lucky to find one in immaculate conditions (with original box, tonearm, cart, etc)...and i am listening to it right now. boy is that good!

Fjn04, well, you know, when you are regarded as having gotten close to perfection (and dedicated your entire life to it), you get somewhat reluctant to accept other philosophies or ideas, especially if you care about measurable parameters like, for instance, the distorsion caused by a tonearm, how much damaging a needle is to the record etc. I have seen that with many other audio artisans who decided to work for themselves and not for the public (that is, who sell a few pieces to make a decent life but certainly don't aspire to get rich). Based on the way he talked about it, he knows WT first-hand and very well. I can say that one of the tables he always raved about of is Teres Audio...but that is certainly not in the $3K range. BTW, I see you like Shindo...I also got the bug (own a Masseto right now).

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.

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.

no, he never mentioned that. i just agree with someone who said in this thread that the townshend is such a game changer that it can really beat the heck out of more expensive gear. by the way, in terms of pricing it is not hugely more expensive than a teres. if you're patient you can find a used teres in the $6K neighborhood inclusive of the tonearm. I believe the townshend is $3K without the tonearm. add a good tonearm and you're easily in the $4.5K range. so, at that point one might even think of a teres. in any events, in the near term i just plan to enjoy the empire and maximize its performance...