So you spent a ton of money on gear not because it was better but because your accountant told you to get rid of some money?
Turntables are mechanical devices that need some very basic things to be taken of to get good sound. Designers have all tried different approaches. Springs are used because it is a cheaper way to build a table and also damp vibration. Another way is to use high mass to kill vibration, but it is expensive to build and ship. Cartridges and tonearms require very high levels of presicion to be good, again...expensive.
Of course there is the silly high end markup we all bear, but some of the expense is that it really is expensive to build some of these things.
I have champagne taste with a beer budget so I buy used or try to get a good deal when I can, also having lots of friends helps
So I did not to try to offend anyone, but some people just look to be offended and wear the offense as a badge of honor, you my friend are what I call "high maintenance".
The thread was"Back into vinyl" in my experience people give up on vinyl because they don't have the tools to compete with their cd's, so their inexpensive table or the bad worn out records we all have tend to ruin the vinyl experience.
My response was trying to explain why more people do not find the magic records can bring, and honestly it does require a bigger more expensive rig to really show what vinyl can do compared to very good digital which is what all of us here obviously have.
That you thought my response was an attack on what you own is telling. You should be more confident.
If Joeblow posted "my Technics turntable is the best turntable" I would not respond and say it is a piece of shit(which it is) I would congradulate the guy on his happiness.
So I may appear to be a snob, but in actuality I really am not at all.
So let the fun continue before I get banned
Mike