Just got back home literally 10 mins ago from my P5 v P7 demo having spent a very illuminating hour hearing these turntables back to back. Other equipment in the set-up was Nait 5i and Naim Ariva speakers connected with NACA5. Needles were Elys in the P5 and Super Elys in the P7. Tracks played were: Al Jarreau/David Sanborn: Since I Fell For You Judie Tzuke: Living on the Coast Mahler: Der Einsame im Herbst from Das Lied von der Erde (BPO/Giulini) Morrissey: Suedehead Starting off with the P5, using its basic psu and playing the Al Jarreau track, brought back memories of the good old Rega sound I'd got to love several years ago - there are most certainly strong genes in this one! The compound 12/8 rhythm feel of the track was really brought to life and engendered the track with a great deal of 'fun' - like the band were enjoying working with their superb singer and vice versa, especially when AJ does some scatting at the coda of the song, and the band really starts to groove. Sanborn's Alto tended towards being thin, but his often raucous tone can often go this way anyway. Going on to the Judie Tzuke song (although we also listened to the Mahler and Morrissey, we ended up using the AJ & JT tracks in the main so I'll deal with these) with its busier, denser mix, tripped the P5 up in that it was harder to follow separate strands. Still had plenty of 'bop' but where Judie's voice is double-tracked in a couple of places, the higer part tended to get lost when the going got tough, leaving only the fundamental behind. All in all though, the P5 shone and for the money was a bloody good listen. And so we added the Rega's optional psu... ...It was like the depth of field on a camera lens had been lengthened - instead of the loudest part taking prominence, other strands began to appear and made a better, more cohesive overall presence. As if the band had been away and rehearsed for a few hours, only to re-appear and [i]really[/i] mean business. The pace seemed 'slower' somehow, but less frenetic and more together. Higher frequencies were clearer and less full of 'grit' too - the psu, for 150 quid, is a very worthwhile addition. The same observations could be applied to the Jarreau track I should add, especially Bob James' keyboard accompaniment which insteand of droning along in the background, became more of an instrument in its own right. And so on to the P7... One should bear in mind that the '7 had the more expensive cartridge fitted. First on was the Jarreau track once again, so before jumping to any conclusions I thought I'd let the sound wash over me for a few minutes. We changed to the JT track and did the same, then went back to AJ for a more serious listen. Sure - the P7 adds both character and clarity to its musical portrayal as though the painter's been given some extra colours, plus the backgrounds are darker, as though someone has been and turned the noisy air con off in the studio, compared to the standard P5 which was a tad 'noisy'. The thing which worried me most about the P7 though was that it sounded 'boring'. As though Jarreau was singing a hackneyed old standard, like, when he'd rather be doing something far more fun. Where was that almost 'dirty' swinging 12/8 rhythm? For the first time during the dem, my mind started to wander. Using 'hi-fi' criteria, of course the P7 sounds cleaner and more detailed but it's lost a fair amount of the emotion the P5 was injecting directly into the music's veins. The extra clarity of the P7 was also the sort you'd get from adding a better quality cartridge...which it did have, remember. To sup-up: The P5 represents absolutely storming value for money and is a turntable I could happily live with - the addition of the 150 quid psu is just the icing on the cake. Th P7 for me brings about some confusion - its hi-fi-type credentials are reasonably obvious, it being clearer and 'cleaner' sounding than the P5 and less 'gritty'. However, it is also an extra 600 quid over the standard P5 and for me that's the crux...as is the fact it has some pretty damn serious competition at the price...talking of which, as soon as I got home I put the Jarreau track on the Gyro and sat down to listen. Not only could I now hear virtually all the musicians' parts playing more clearly (especially the aforementioned keyboards) but compared to the P7 it was exciting, and when Al Jarreau, to use musician's parlance, 'goes off on one' towards the end, it really made the hairs on my neck stand up. At its price the P5's a bloody bargain...the P7, for these ears, isn't. Michael - you've got a corking turntable there. I loved it. :)