considering a Maplenoll

Check out my "system" and my "threads" and you'll find quite a bit to chew on. I love these tables but the quality control was very funky. The Cleo replaced the Athena and is a step up. I would get the Signature Ariadne like I have if you could. I might be able to get you an Ariadne with some of the signature upgrades. You definitely need to be a bit more hands on than most. Good luck.

The Athena was especially funky. If you go for a mid 90s upper end model that has been fixed up properly by someone who knows what they're doing, you won't have so much trouble. That said as someone who has been very hands on with my own and a dealer for 15 years. It ain't a Rega. If you can handle it, you'll get a taste of the magic of the Walker Procenium for 1/10 the price.

Larry,

Sounds like your pump was not original. The so called "Super Quiet Pump" that came with the later upper end models is just about quiet enough to put in the same room although I never have. Typical air pressure on the arm is about 40psi once you have the platter pressure minimized appropriately.

As good sounding as the Athenas were, their build quality was more like a high school science project tahn a professional product. You haven't experienced what a Maplenoll can be like until you've seen the better/later models.

I would just add that if you do get it all ironed out, it can then be a relatively set and forget assuming your floor/wall support is stable through the weather changes. If not, the only adjustment required is a simple check of the horizontal balance, which takes a moment. That and emptying the water from the plenum periodically and you're good to go. Personally, I have no resistance to being hands on, but not everyone enjoys that.