@seldenr You sure know how to pick terrible turntables. You are shopping for looks. If you want a sharp looking great turntable get a Basis Inspiration or the Avid Acutus, Oracle Delphi, SME 30/12, Dohmann Helix, Air Force III Premium S, and the lowly Sota Cosmos. All of these turntables are seriously better than the ones you selected. Mass NEVER isolates a turntable, that is lay intuition. Suspensions isolate turntables. If you want to use multiple arms the Air Force III Premium S and the Dohmann Helix one are the way to go. I won't use a table without vacuum clamping, so my choices are limited to the Air Force and the Sota. Rim drive is a bad joke. It is a great way to induce rumble into a system.
VPI Avenger Plus vs J Sikora Standard Max
Yes, I agree, that's a rather specific comparison, but my goal is to purchase a turntable and keep it for the long-term. Having researched the usual suspects, and knowing that I have a penchant for dynamics and realistic timbre (being an old musician I tend to prefer the sound of being rather close, if not "inside" the band), I tend to lean toward direct drive or rim drive, but not exclusively. Like most people, I listen to about 40% classical (mostly orchestral), 40% jazz (acoustic and electronic, new and old) and about 20% rock and other.
So, at the moment I have narrowed my search to the VPI Avenger Plus (due mostly to the fact that it has rim drive, heavy mass and can accommodate 3 tonearms) and the J Sikora Standard Max (high mass and reputation for dynamics and musicality, and 2 tonearms).
Since it is nigh impossible to hear them side by side I thought I would ask if anyone has had the opportunity, as unlikely as it is, to hear them together? Obviously the tonearm and cartridge will make a large difference, but I'd like to ask about your aural observations between these two turntables. And yes, I may try to attend Axpona this year in the hope of at least hearing them within a short time of each other, but the system differences may make that almost meaningless.
Thank you in advance for any help you might provide.