Seeking turntable upgrade advice

"My guess is that you could spend a million dollars on a turntable and you could not get it to sound good."

Not sure I understand you. It already sound very good and I am enjoying what I have. Now that I'm not being limited by other aspects of my system, I want to get something even better. What's wrong with that? Isn't that what we audiophiles do?

I've learned that just because something is reviewed well doesn't mean it's going to sound good in your room, with your equipment etc. I've also learned that changing more than 1 piece of equipment at a time is not the way to go. I don't see how listening to different turntables in different setups is going to tell me anything. The mere difference in loudspeakers will be enough to throw off any comparison. If you can get around that in your auditioning, then more power to you - I couldn't.

Ebm - I got a Raven One. I had already purchased a tonearm (Triplanar) which I'm very excited about.

Mrmitch: are you saying that the TW Acustic is known for being more musical than analytical?

Madfloyd, So far from what I've read from others opinions (and they are only opinions), yes. This is not to say the Raven doesn't reveal lots of detail, just that bringing out the musical qualities of a performance may be the Raven One's strong suit. To me, the timbre of an instrument or orchestral section is more important than whether or not you were able to hear the conductor pass wind during a particularly loud passage. --Mrmitch

Owning an AC-3 I would have to agree with EBM that the table is very musical - as close to being in the room as you can get. Add to that the timing and nuance that the table presents and it is an unbelievable listening experience. I believe you will not find the Raven lacking in timbre either as the attack, decay, and color are fantastic as well. Enjoy your new table for many, many years to come!