Well Tempered Amadeus vs TW Acustic Raven One

I too would be interested in that comparison. I'm sorry that i can't help with that.

I am curious though how the stock GTA compares to it with the DPS?

I have heard both in different systems (andf used to own a GTA and now own a RavenAC3). Both great tables but personally I wouldnt bother fiddling about between the two. The amadeus is a lovely deck with a very fluid, relaxed sound so unless you are looking for a different presentation then stick with it.

Or go to the next level in turntables (e.g. The new AMG) or spend money on a really good phono preamp.

The phono should cost as much as the whole tt/arm/cart imo, it makes a HUGE difference. Diminishing returns is not strictly true either. Just last week i comprehensively tested a £2000 phono with a £9000 one and the difference was enormous, arguably a bigger difference between two turntables at similar prices.

That's interesting. I just moved from a GTA to a Rock 7 with Helius arm and the difference was pretty profound. I don't disagree that the phono stage matters, but in my experiences I put the order of importance at table/arm - phono pre - cart - cable. I now wonder if the Raven with a good arm will be a similar jump in performance from the Rock 7?

Dear Vortrex: ++++ " but in my experiences I put the order of importance at table/arm - phono pre - cart - cable. " ++++

I respect your opinion but I have a little different one:

well the cartridge is the source and the ones that is asking for what surrounded it can fulfil its needs. A cartridge needs to be ( a must to ) in " perfect " match with its couple: the tonearm ( its couple is not the TT. ), as better matched as better quality performance level you will hear from that cartridge.

Now, my second item on importance is where the cartridge signal is proccessed that's where that signal could be degraded in high way adding and loosing precious recorded information through that signal proccess. This cartridge signal proccess happen in the Phonolinepreamp and what you add there you can't disappeared latter and what you lose there you can't recovery again, the cartridge signal pass through a tortuous and heavy proccess to say the least. So IMHO as better accurate/neutral/low distortions/low noise is your phonolinepreamp as better the quality pwerformance level you achieve.

Then comes the TT.

Of course is only an opinion.

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.

OH, Vortrex has some fine phono preamplification for sure.

And +1 on the importance of cart-tonearm matching. Though with the Rock's trough design, I think you have a bit more wiggle room there.

Vortrex, are you still using a Denon cart? If so, you owe it to yourself to try some others. (Not that the Denon is a bad choice, necessarily.)

I have a cheapo 103R on the Rock 7 and a XX2 on the Amadeus GTA. The Rock 7 is significantly better in my opinion, shockingly better. Believe me, I wanted to hate my Rock 7 for various reasons, but it is truly incredible!

And you are preferring the Rock despite having the much lower priced cart on it vs the GTA? That is mighty impressive.

Exactly, the 103R/Rock 7 combo is quite a bit better than the XX2/GTA combo.

Vortrex,

When you say the Rock7 is "significantly" and "shockingly better" than the GTA.....could you share in what ways?

Thanks much!

The quality of the bass that everyone speaks of is the major difference and there is better separation of instruments, definitely bigger dynamics, and more detail. I guess you need to hear them to get the full picture, it's a different presentation for sure. I went from a VPI Classic to the Amadeus and it was quite a leap in performance. I would say GTA to Rock 7 is an equal sized leap, even when using the much cheaper cart on the Rock 7.

Vortex wrote, ..."quality of the bass that everyone speaks of is the major difference and there is better separation of instruments, definitely bigger dynamics, and more detail". This pretty much exactly describes what I would have said was the difference between a turntable I like better (any one of several) and the WT Reference, which, in fairness, is now a 20-year-old design. But the Amadeus, which I have never heard, has garnered so many accolades in the press and on the internet that I had come to think it must be quite a bit more free of flaws than was the Reference. It probably is, in fact, a great leap forward for WT, but perhaps it is not totally cured of the WT "family" sound.

Anybody come across a direct comparison between a Well Tempered deck and the new Opera manufactured WT decks?

Vicdamone,

You might want to look on Audio Circle. A lot of WT fans over there.