Well Tempered Classic or Technics SP10Mk2

IMO, there is no contest here; the SP10 ensemble, obsidian base and all, would cream the WT, if you want accurate unsentimental retrieval of the information on an LP. So there ya go.

And as Dmgrant1 suggested, the EPA100 tonearm is superb and highly sought after. I have serious questions re the WT tonearm(s), on the other hand. The only piece that could be upgraded is the obsidian plinth, but it is not a true liability, either.

The factory-supplied electrolytic caps in an SP10 are now upwards of 30 years old. The lifespan of an electrolytic cap is less than 30 years. After 10-20 years, they start to leak DC and can even leak electrolyte onto other circuit elements. It is quite normal to replace an electrolytic of this age, empirically. Other than that the SP10 is pretty darn bullet-proof. Modern electrolytics are superior in performance and longevity to any that were available back in the day of the SP10, so your new caps will last even longer now than originally, until the next such service becomes necessary.

Macrojack alluded to it. And IMO, the weak point of the WT is the tonearm, as he inferred. The table itself is a very clever design. I have much (frustrating) experience fiddling with the WT Reference tonearm on the WTR that belongs to a close friend.

Dear MDT, I own a Triplanar and love it. However, with reference to the EPA100, my comments were based on hearsay. So many disparate reputable persons say it is excellent (e.g., Mosin, Raul, etc) that I have come to believe it IS excellent. I have no idea which arm would win a head to head comparison. The point is that you cannot go wrong buying an EPA100 at a fair market price; at worst you can sell it and apply the cash to a Triplanar.

Dear Audiofeil, Did anyone here say that the EPA100 is the "best arm ever made"? I don't want to re-read all the posts, but I don't recollect that anyone made that claim.

Thanks, Mike.
Macrojack's statement does not quite make the claim that Audiofeil wants to debunk, but it is likely to be the one he had in mind. The real question is why is Audiofeil so angry?

As regards vintage tonearms, whatever anyone tells you is just his or her opinion. A few years ago, most of us were convinced that vintage idler- and direct-drive turntables, and even the ideas behind these drive mechanisms, were inferior and passe'. My feelings are quite different now. (And of course you were ahead of the game with your Rockport table.) Likewise, I personally have had an epiphany as regards the merits of vintage MM and MI cartridges. (Pause while Audiofeil cranks up another insult....) So I am keeping an open mind on tonearms. While the engineering of many of them may seem dated, the quality of construction is often very high, higher than that of some of the current crop. I haven't heard them all, but think of the vintage SME, Ortofon, Lustre, Stax, SEAC, and older Dynavector products, as well as the Technics vintage arms.