Hey, Richard, if it works it works!

Yeah, ideally you want the c/w butting up as close to the arm's pivot point as possible. You'll achieve that if you're going to get one of John's brass jobs, providing you settle on the correct weight. You'll need to experiment to get that right, though.

You're about right with your VTF. I track my 103R at 2.7g, which I feel gives the best balance of bass weight and clarity, although of course this is very much personal taste and system dependant; certainly though the 103 sounds best set towards the upper limit of its range.

I know exactly what you mean with the Dorian. Like I said to Tim (Sid and Coke) in another thread, it's a matter of choosing your compromises. However, on second thoughts, you can spoil yourself and use both in different headshells! The joys of having a detachable headshell arm, eh?

Dealers and the uninitiated always say things like that about the 103 and probably even the 1210 or your P-71. Often in the eyes of these people if something is not a recognised and 'respected' hi-fi name (and expensive) it's automatically crap. As they say, how blissfully ignorant are the deluded!

Marco.