Peterayer:
Here's what I noticed:
1) Tonal balance: The VPI table & arm were dark in comparison. My room is not overly lively, but not too damped either, yet most vocals sounded muddy or recessed in the mix. There was very little sense of air etc. Switching to the Raven One/Triplanar all this changed. The top end just sings and is full of detail and life.
2) Weight: The Raven One is considerably lighter than the VPI (mine had the Super Platter which was very heavy) but the sound is much more weightier and full with the Raven. Instruments have more substance than they did before. Even the highs have weight where they were thinner sounding before.
3) More LPs sound good: Only a fraction of my collection sounded good before and I found that I'd keep the ones that did near the turntable and played them more for that reason. Now I go back and find LPs that sounded mediocre and find they sound great. I am enjoying my entire collection!
4) Analog is better than digital: I can now finally say this without fooling myself. Everything sounds organic, detailed and I can crank up the volume without harshness. I use a ModWright Transporter for digital (brings weight and a sense of analog to the sound), but it doesn't compare.
5) VTA on the fly! I never thought I'd appreciate this as much as I do, but it's wonderful to walk up the table and twist a dial and correct overal tonal balance. I do this instinctively, almost subconsiously. Further, all adjustments to setup are much easier.
6) I don't feel the need to use any sort of clamp. Mind you, based on other comments (including Emailists above) I did buy a clamp and copper mat to experiment with. But all in all, playing LPs has never been easier.
I could probably go on... but I need to go eat lunch. :-)
