Help with Turntable/arm/cart decision

I always wondered, where do cows go, before they come home, and why would they ever come home?

Matt, Glad you're happy now, or at least happier. In fact, you need not thank most of us, because it seems you took none of our advice (re-position the tt and/or speakers; examine the tt, especially the bearing, for flaws, etc). This is perfectly OK. In the end, you know better than anyone what you are hearing in your system. If our collected ideas had much merit, a slab of granite would not have had much of a curative effect.

Matt, I just read this thread from top to bottom. I also saw the "woofer pumping" thread, but did not read it in its entirety. However, I have to ask an obvious question: where is your tt located with respect to your speakers? (I am sure this question was asked and answered on the other thread, because Doug would have also been asking about it here if that were not the case.) Anyway, on the off chance that you have not considered this, acoustic feedback from the speaker to the tt can certainly cause this sort of misbehavior. And even if the two components are not in obvious proximity, you might consider re-positioning either the tt or the speakers empirically, because quirky room acoustics can result in feedback even when there is no obvious reason for it. Further I would advise you to figure out your basic problem before installing your new REL woofer, lest you blow another one. You mention that the driver pumping has some sort of periodicity to it. I assume that by now it is established that the pumping only is observed when you're playing LPs, not with other music sources. Have you listened carefully to your new tt, to determine whether it is making a periodic mechanical noise of some sort? (This is what Doug was getting at.) One worthwhile experiment would be to install a different tt/tonearm and observe whether you still have the issue. That would indicate a problem with our new tt. Perhaps you still have your old Thorens or you can borrow a tt from a friend.

How have you been playing LPs? Cover on or cover off? If cover has been on, take it off. If cover has been off, try with cover on, but I usually find that overall I like the sound best when the tt is naked, no cover. Others don't always agree, however. First of all, do change the position of the tt in the room OR move the speakers. I, like Yogiboy, do think that the info you've provided exonerates the phono stage, unless there is some unusual electrical oscillation going on. This could be the case, if the RIAA correction circuit relies upon negative feedback, but the possibility is very remote. I have a hunch the solution to your problem will prove to be simple.

Matt, I finally went and read a few of the most recent posts on your other "woofer pumping" thread. I think Rodman9999 et al have a good point; the periodicity of the woofer pumping, plus your statement that the problem is not the same when you revert to using your older tt (which you have not mentioned here), absolutely points to a defect in your new turntable. I don't know why it is so difficult for you to face that fact, but the remedy should be to return it for repair or replacement, since you bought it new from a dealer, apparently. Also, if you are going to run two separate threads about the same problem, it is wise to keep the respondents to one thread informed regarding what is posted on the other thread.

You try to help a guy, and this is what you get... Sheesh!

Logic is the hobgoblin of the audiophile mind.