Micro RX 5000 Renaissance?

The best of MS TTs are its looking but not its overall quality performance. In the other side the MAX 237/282 tonearms are really a reference product an a true challenge to any today tonearm designs.

Is this a joke?  Having owned 1500, 5000, and 8000 I am a MS fan but  the 237 and 282 arms are by far the most overrated tonearms of all time, and nowhere near the level of their better turntables.  They sound thin, sterile, and downright unmusical.  A cheap Rega 250 sounds better...far better

For any of you who may not be aware, English is not Raul's first language.  So in this case I think he might be given some slack for using "ignorant" in the strict dictionary sense.  As cleeds points out it does suggest something different in common, everyday usage. 

At the same time, I met Raul some years ago and found him to be very courteous and knowledgable in person.  Unfortunately many of his comments do not read that way.  I attribute that to his passion for the subjects of music and audio but believe while he tries hard, English as a second language must be difficult when there can be so many meanings behind a given word or phrase.  As he said himself several times, we all have much to learn here.

 Opus, I respect your opinion, but you do realize that you are the one who is in the minority in your dislike of the M – S tonearms. The value of the tone arms in the used market place is a testimony to the fact that both of them are very highly sought after. This is not to say you are either right or wrong in your opinion of them. Because I have never heard either. Just based on hearsay evidence accumulated over many years of reading these online forums, I would venture to say that the goodness of the M – S turn tables is a more controversial topic than is the question of the merits of the tonearms.

My assessment of the MAX-237 and 282 arms comes from a direct experience of having owned both of them.  I bought a NOS MAX-282 brand new sealed in the box with 3 different armwands from a dealer many moons ago.  I was so disappointed at the sound it produced that I thought there was something wrong with it.  Aware of all the accolades and hype, I figured something must be wrong with it so I ended up buying another one to compare, but it sounded equally bad.  The only good thing was I sold them on Ebay for a lot more than what I paid for them, but I honestly felt guilty selling them because they sound so bad.

Love the way they are made and look, but they are simply poor sounding.  Their used price has nothing to do with the way they sound and everything to do with the myth and rarity. 

The only other audio component that ended up being as disappointing was the Lamm L-1 preamp which was highly rated when first came out.  Talk about a sterile sounding preamp!  

I'd take SME 3012, Ortofon RMG(A), Pioneer Exclusive EA-03 (now this is a great tonearm), not to mention many of the great modern tonearms, over the 237 and 282 any day.

Just because it is highly sought after and fetches good money doesn't mean it sounds good.  Another example of highly overrated arm is FR-66(S) but at least it sounds good (thought not worth $6000+).