Years ago I happened to be be at a high end hi fi shop in the bay area one day when a person was trying to make a decision about which turntable to buy. The contenders were a Linn Sondek and a Linn Basik. Both tables had the same arm and both were equipped with the same cart - I think it was a Grace F9E.
First up the was the Axis and it sounded good, but within seconds of the Sondek starting to play it was no contest. The Sondek was clearly better. I was actually stunned by the amount of the difference.
Now, to be fair, there are numerous variables that could have been tweaked by the dealer to make the Sondek sound better, so all this has to be taken with a grain of salt, nonetheless the difference was startling.
I have just acquired a Shelter 901 Mk III and loving it, but I don't have near the exposure to high end carts that others on this thread do.
First up the was the Axis and it sounded good, but within seconds of the Sondek starting to play it was no contest. The Sondek was clearly better. I was actually stunned by the amount of the difference.
Now, to be fair, there are numerous variables that could have been tweaked by the dealer to make the Sondek sound better, so all this has to be taken with a grain of salt, nonetheless the difference was startling.
I have just acquired a Shelter 901 Mk III and loving it, but I don't have near the exposure to high end carts that others on this thread do.