Best turntable for the buck

One does not know until they try out a few new experiences, especially making in roads to encounter devices that can make a positive impact and leave a lasting impression.

Limiting an access to create an experience on the pretense of pre conceived ideas, is much akin, to the individual who selects an item to purchase with no prior experience of how it presents, with another's account as the only guidance. 

Good Luck to that one, the Hospital ! oop's I mean' sales adds ' are full of the casualties from this as the buyers method.

I am relatively new to digital, but have been involved in a few experiences where the Digital Source vs Vinyl LP Source have outshone each other on the impressions being made.

I am no longer endeavouring to have them in a competition, I have accepted each for their fortes over the other, but this place was not found without making changes to each of the Sources supporting ancillaries, I will say the most significant impression made was from the introduction of a Custom Built DAC and Custom Built Phonostage.

The Phonostage was produced to my own specific tuning,  

Prior to parting with any monies on adding equipment, I would attempt to have a listen to other Vinyl Set Ups and see if there is anything on offer from one of the demonstrations, that is looking like it can challenge/surpass your Digital Source.

If all goes well there might be an option to have the device that is believed to have been most instrumental, in making the positive impression, used within your system for a demonstration.

This type of encounter will enhance your experience base and will certainly allow for a much better evaluation and assessment of how you would like to proceed and how much of your hard earned monies will need to be allocated to the budget, if the .a device has proven to be quite attractive to you. 

@solypsa There is not any information offered on how to receive a demonstration of the recommended TT that comes with a retail of approx' +$7000. 

How does a interested individual arrange to receive a demonstration of the TT being promoted as a choice to consider exchanging to ? 

As a further advisory, as the TT's distributor of the recommended TT, which Tonearm and Cartridge would be the suggested combination to be used as ancillaries.    

I understand that not wanting to seem overly biased, the directing an individual to a online rave for a product, is going to divert the individual to information that is in keeping with the bias that is on offer.  Where what is really happening is that the information being encouraged to be sought out, is only going to introduce the individual doing the search, to a commentary from a very limited number of individuals.

This type of reporting can be found on almost every device available, it is not really a method to enable a interested individual to assess a device for it capabilities, especially in comparison to other options to be found at a similar price point.

The best way to show a TT's Capabilities to any individual, is always through demonstration, and even better if carried out in a purpose produced environment. From my end it seems quite askew, when a Dealer of a product is not encouraging a experience of a device through demonstration.  

My recommendation on offer to any forum member, when there is an inquiry made about their options that can be considered for an item of equipment, is to suggest the inquirer attempts to receive a demonstration of an item that has become one of interest and not only use recommendations as their final guidance.

I very rarely recommend equipment on this forum, as I am not familiar enough with other Countries set ups to enable a demonstration to be arranged.

From my end, and governed by what I suggest is a valuable practice, my inquiry was to get a objective for the OP, as to what the suggestion would be for a Tonearm and Cart',  to be used with the suggested TT.

The OP has made it quite clear a 4K Budget was being considered to be allocated and a TT that surpasses that Budget by approx' 100% is the recommendation, how much would the Tonearm and Cart' add to this recommendation that is already far exceeding the OP's budget.

I was not quite understanding why the possessor an item that was being promoted through recommendation as a device to replace an already owned device, that has an equivalent function, was keen to guide towards a few comments by others that will undoubtedly be complimentary and not encourage the opportunity to offer a demonstration.

I have no concerns about the mention of the STST Motus DQ, I can fully see the benefit for the OP from receiving a demonstration, I'm sure they would much enjoy the experience. What I did express concern about was the missing encouragement to arrange for such an experience.

Even though too many miles from my home, I can experience and have experienced items that are sold through Ana Mighty, of which some are now on a list to be home trialed in 2023. I have also recommended the Companies Services to forum members who reside in mainland Europe.         

Improving on the performance of a Vinyl LP Source does require the consideration that a considerable outlay may be needed to acquire equipment that will noticeably surpass a already existing equipment.

The performance that is achieved as a result of the restructure of the system will hopefully be quite impressive and wanted to be maintained as a keeper.

In the field of Digital there are opportunities to produce a Digital Source that can compare to a Parity or Surpass a Vinyl presentation for the impression being made on the quality of the presentation.

With Digital it is quite possible to achieve this with an outlay that is less than the cost attached to a MC Cart' from certain Brands Middle to Upper Middle Models in the Cart' Range. 

With a budget of 4K and your reports that the in use Digital Source is capable of showing itself as a Betterment over the Vinyl LP Source, a small proportion of the 4K Budget allocated to the furthering of the performance of the Digital Source, might just provide a Digital Source that any selected Vinyl LP Source might fall short of in making an impression that is Parity during a comparison.     

The interaction with Vinyl does not need to be lost entirely.

I am not with a System in use at present, my home is to be worked on and most possessions are readying themselves for a period of storage.

Through being member of a HiFI Group, I am regularly invited to experience in both Analogue and Digital Equipment demonstrations. Additionally there is on occasions new unfamiliar equipment made available for broadening the experiences being encountered.

I am happy to Purchase New Music Recordings to be used at the meetings, and if well received, leave them as loaned music for the group to use on their own systems, or used when I am absent from a meeting.

The interaction with the groups arranged events, has enables myself to encounter items of equipment, I would recommend to others, but also allow for my discovering equipment, I have now put onto a shortlist to be trialed on the home system when reinstated for regular use. These are curve ball moments, and were not anticipated to leave such strong positive impressions, to the point where an item might find itself a place on the rack.      

I would struggle with the idea that if a individual struggles to feel impressed by a TT, the set up of the TT is solely the cause of the deficiency of the SQ.

I have been a user of a Belt Drive TT, Idler Drive TT’s and Direct Drive TT’s.

My methods used for the mounting of a TT have progressed over the years, to utilise methods that are to my assessment, substantially improved over previous methods used.

I still own all three of the different motor drive TT’s but am no longer owning a very heavy massy plinth Idler Drive that was used to supersede the use of the the Belt Drive many years ago.

All TT’s get a spin, of which the Belt Drive is the least used, it does not present in a way that is an attractor to me, even though it replays music that is quite fine and at times even enjoyable.

I find the Idler Drive as a comparative to a Belt Drive to be much more attractive, the presentation from the Idler Drive is ’up my street’ and I look forward to hearing the various versions that are available to me.

I don’t see the point in a Belt Drive to Direct Drive comparison in my system, the DD is for myself the most attractive when compared to an Idler Drive, the presentation from a DD TT ’floats my boat’. I go out of my way to hear these in use in their various guises and in differing set ups. The ones I am encountering all delivery the goods in a manner I settle with very quickly.

IMO, the thread has leaned towards the merits of a DD TT and I understand why this can be a very good thing.

As always, I encourage nobody to purchase blind using recommendation only, the least should be a decision made following a demonstration in a unfamiliar system.

The best option being a demonstration in the owned system.

After reading a few reviews,

I can not see how reading a few reviews is a safe method to assess anything about a item.

Further to this I will not encourage any individual to prime themselves to part with 4K on any device/devices with out having had some form of a demonstration to support the decision to be made on a purchase.

A friend who I assisted with their purchasing of a Tonearm, through my loaning them an SME IV to compare to other options being made available for demonstration on their system. When having selected a Tonearm was loaned a Cart to try out from a Dealership.

After trying the Cart' compared to a few other Cart's that were available.

They bought the quite expensive Japanese Cartridge shortly be for the period of Covid and Lockdowns. The opportunity to hear this Cart' in use was a long time in waiting.

I read many reviews on this Cart' from many different reviewers based in different Countries. When I finally got my invite to audition the Cart', I was quite knowing what was to be expected - 'How Wrong I Was', this Cart' in use with the Selected Tonearm and TT, did not match the pre-conceived thoughts I had put together on its presentation.

The Cart' impressed the pant's of me, it is an indelible experience, and one I am always keen to revisit, even better now that the owner has carefully selected other supporting ancillaries to expand on it qualities.

More importantly the Owner was quite correct in their finding a way to receive home demonstrations and expanding on this by having options on comparison demonstrations.

This equipment purchased with a careful consideration, are keeper devices, there is no questions about other alternatives, as the impression made has surpassed expectations.      

Well, I got the Sutherland 20/20  installed on my system.  The good news is that it sounds fantastic right out of the box!  Night and day difference. Probably a much better choice than getting a new turntable,

 Yes, I think I’m going to be listening to a lot more records.

It is quite pleasing to see your choice made has been able to create such a positive impression, I know how significant a impact a well chosen Phonostage can have.

I would recluse now , enjoy the Honeymoon Period and get a good few hundred hours on the Phon' and Cart'.

You have made what might be a very good next course of action known in the quotes above, amalgamate the used words from above,

 "Yes, I think I’m going to be listening to a lot more records, Night and Day".     

Get a few hundred hours of use under the Phon's belt and then re-evaluate.

Also when all components are with a run in period, there is also the odd device that likes a warm up from usage prior to it letting the full potential be revealed.