Clearaudio concept, emotion etc

There seems to be a lot of people talking about Rega's both the good and not so good aspects. But can not find much reference to Clearaudio tables, just wondering what people's experiences are on the turntables? Thanks in advance for your input.

Many people also upgrade, old Lencos, old Garrards (more restoration), Technics SP10, Linn LP12, VPIs of various models and Michells.

Why?

1 - because they can

2 - perhaps they could not afford the more expensive model as a first purchase or were uncertain that additional expenditure was worth while at that time.

3 - because it is a hobby within a hobby

There is no certainty, to me at any rate, that any particular model of CA is sonically superior to any particular model of Rega on a $ for $ basis as a new purchase.

Choice of particular brands may be decided on many factors, not least being any particular deal being offered at the time, personal knowledge of the sonic characteristics of the chosen model or expectations thereof, usability and WAF factors, peer acceptance, bling, favourable reviews from trusted sources, potential synergy with partnering equipment, availability of a particular brand within the local market or opportunity to audition that brand locally.

As an example, I might choose a particular tonearm because it is capable of running a particular cartridge that I wish to use, a lot of arms cannot run an Ortofon SPU for example.

I may already own a turntable on which to use said cartridge but not have an appropriate arm fitted to it, I might then "upgrade" the arm to one suited to that cartridge.

Not sure about "residing" ?

Sometimes it would prove more cost effective to purchase a more expensive deck in the first place, but it would not provide the same learning experience nor be half as much fun.

I "auditioned" a Ca Concept t/t a few months ago  and it really is very good as supplied from the factory. However, at the same time it was compared alongside a Roksan Radius 5 fitted with my own ancient Goldring 1042 cartridge and factory Nima arm. I was won over by the Roksan combination but it was, of course, around £400 more than the Concept. Was it £400 better? To my ears, yes it almost was. It's fitted with a Cartridgeman Musicmaker at the moment which is a sublime combination.
By all means take on board recommendations and reviews but the only way to decide properly is to visit a reputable hi-fi dealer and audition various turntable/arm/cartridge set ups  for yourself. By reputable I mean one who respects your requirements/budget and doesn't try to flog you the most expensive stuff available!


Edited by oldagetraveller - 07 Mar 2012 at 11:39am

We had a thread months back about tinkering and tweaking. Tony's post above captures it, certainly I acted on some combination of the three factors each time!