My bad Chris!

Note to self: engage brain and don't try to reply to a forum while getting kids out the door in the morning.......home schooling is over you fool!!!

I re-read and noticed it was Johnny dodgem that posted the pic of his xsv4000 - hopefully he'll pick up.

I got a xsv3000 still attached to sony headshell that I bought from Yankville about 10 years back. I only took a serious look at it a couple of months ago when I switched it with an epc p205mk3. First listen to the xsv and I thought wow; that is very musical and a very different representational from the Japanese models that I typically use. I liked it so much that I had a quick look for higher models in the range (like the 4000) but they're thin on the ground, needles are few and far between and, like you said, the suspension on old stuff is a problem - this is definitely the case with the p205mk3. I have 2 that are nearly useless on account of collapsed suspension in the needles. Alhough I can use one by retro-fitting the needle from a epc100 mk1 to it. It fits ok and the body of the p205 works better than the epc100

Keith