First used turntable +- $20,000. Any suggestions?

SME is certainly a beautifully built contender but, IME, a bit mechanical sounding for my taste, compared to the best of its competition.

second the Walker. Of course you can spend less, and get less.

Nrostov,

Although not the simplest choice, I don't know what you mean about needing "to make adjustments to it regularly."

Maxx,

There are certainly many good choices and no one answer; a very personal thing with many factors, not all of which have to do with sound.

You may want to add Kuzma, Basis, Galibier and TW Acoustic, among others, to your list.

Detlof,

the benefits of fine VTA adjustment don't vary with the table except to say that they will show up more on higher resolution systems. My former point was that whereas there are a number of adjustments that can be made, once the Walker is set up properly, it will hold its adjustment and needn't be constantly maintained, unless the floor it is situated on is unstable, in which case the horizontal balance can should be checked and adjusted for with the simple turn of a dial.

Have you implemented a motorized VTA adjuster? I bet that is gratifying.

My comment was based on my surprise at the sound that was coming out of top of the line SME arm/table combos with stone bodied Koetsu cartridges through Airtight electronics and Sonus Faber speakers; not my own system, but not what I would have expected. Also, I did say "compared to the best of its competitors," which wouldn't include Rega.

IMO, the phrase "God is in the details" is relevant to remember here.

...and one of those "details" is the naturalness with which they are presented.

The idea that one must give up detail for musicality is reactionary.

As usual, balance.

...and then there is the small matter of the recording.

"A "top of the line" combination of components is no guarantee and/or predictor of any listener's expectations or results for that matter."

Of course. It was my expectations for these particular components that precipitated my surprised. All bets are off though when it's not your own system and you can't take responsibility for set up.

Nrostov,

the relevance of the recording is that most recordings are hyped, and one could make a case for owning a system that makes "normal" recordings sound ok. One could also make a case for owning a system that sounds good only with premium non-hyped recordings. Personally, my system doesn't add insult to injury but within that context I aspire to as much natural detail as I can get. Sounds like we're on the same page.