Is the Townshend Rock 7 "the" giant killer?

I love my Rock, but haven't compared it to higher dollar tables. I did A/B it with the other giant killer table that is getting much love: the Well Tempered Amadeus. You can see a thread with my impressions here:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=105495.0

The bass on the Rock is superb, and has only gotten better with my recent addition of the Moerch DP-8. Hell, that table sounded great with a Rega 301, though that tonearm was holding it back. Changing to an Audiomods arm and then Moerch arms really took it up a notch, especially in the treble.

I would love to hear that Helius Omega arm on the Rock, supposed to be an excellent pairing. But the Moerch DP-8 had such a great reputation in the bass, and Moerch has those exchangeable armwands of different mass which makes cartridge matching a breeze.

I am also interestested in the reasons for Notec's opinion. Were these compared side-by-side? I compared the WTA and Rock 7 side-by-side and both were excellent. With a Rega 301 the Rock did some things better than the WTA (bass for example), while the WTA did better treble. Felt like a pretty lateral move based on personal preferences. And Robert Greene's description of the WTA being top-down vs the Rock being bottom-up rang true for me. BUT the Rega arm on the Rock was a real weak link for me when I made my comparison.

Notec, what arm did you hear on the Rock? This will make a big difference.

In fact, it would be appreciated if anyone giving impressions of the Rock specified the tonearm used.

It was a standard Amadeus that I compared to the Rock 7 with the Rega 301.

And I would be very interested to hear how you think the standard and GTA Amadeus compare to each other sonically.

Come to Chicago and you can hear mine.

...and bring your killer amp.

If you have never heard it, it is pretty irresponsible to post "Its not as good as the WTL Amedeus or Versalex." That sure suggests that you have actually heard the tables in question. Shame on you.

Laza,

I just saw your post re: Moerch vs. Audiomods.

I didn't get a chance to do a lot of A/Bing the Moerch arms and the Audiomods. I do think, outside of the bass, that the big jump in sound quality was from the stock Rega 301 to the Audiomods. Audiomods gave improvement in the treble in particular. And besides that there was an increase in detail over the stock Rega. The 301 was outclassed by the Rock and was a limiting factor. But I would not say that was the case on the Audiomods.

The Moerch arms do improve on the Audiomods in ways you would expect from much more expensive arms. Again, detail is improved, and the Moerch arms, especially the DP-8, really bring out bass detail and impact on an LP. In a way I think most would find surprising for analog playback. From Audiomods to Moerch, you are entering another class of tonearms. But with the Audiomods you are entering the realm of tonearms well-suited to the table (not holding the table back).

Alonski,

Nice to read your impressions. Thanks for taking the time to pass those along.

Yes, I'd also guess that if someone doesn't like the Rock, it would sell pretty quickly and easily. I bought the only Rock 7 I had ever seen for sale used (from a dealer who got it as a trade-in). I have only seen one for sale used since. Impressive considering all the upgradeitis seen here.

Enjoy that Nott table. That is a table I'd like to hear.

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...