Love my SOTA Nova, and agree with mijostyn3 that the Sapphire is where you need to start in the brand. And don't get an ugly oak or black finish; live a little and get it in a beautiful exotic wood! The RB300 or various Jelcos arms are good, or better yet if you find a deal on a used Fidelity Research FR64fx that arm will be amazing on a SOTA.
If you're strictly sticking to your budget and those 2 models, I'd be more inclined to try the Technics. But there are loads of used SOTAs out there and refurb/service options through SOTA too. Just be aware the older Sapphires had a 3-point suspension; the 4-point of Star/Nova models and modern Sapphires is better. But hey, even an old Sapphire will be pretty nice once tuned up.
Don't underestimate the value of SOTA's suspension; you can almost completely screw up your rack/isolation scheme and still be OK with a SOTA whereas the same platform would be a train wreck for other tables.
If you're strictly sticking to your budget and those 2 models, I'd be more inclined to try the Technics. But there are loads of used SOTAs out there and refurb/service options through SOTA too. Just be aware the older Sapphires had a 3-point suspension; the 4-point of Star/Nova models and modern Sapphires is better. But hey, even an old Sapphire will be pretty nice once tuned up.
Don't underestimate the value of SOTA's suspension; you can almost completely screw up your rack/isolation scheme and still be OK with a SOTA whereas the same platform would be a train wreck for other tables.