Turntable upgrade: What to do?

My recommendation of the Basis 2500 and ClearAudio Champion Level 2 were made primarily on the basis of choosing TT's in the "reasonable" price range. The Basis 2800 is an excellent TT, and offers some improvement over the 2500. There is also, I believe, a ClearAudio TT that falls mid-way in price between the Champion L2 and the $12,000 Reference, but I have not heard it. My self-imposed dollar limit on suggestions was made based on assumptions I made about Gboren's apparent budget for upgrading.

I have had some short listening sessions with several of the TT's I mentioned, but not long enough to say with certainty which one is the "best choice". All will probably do a fine job with the right arm and cartridge.

Michell and Nottingham are two British manufacturers that have quietly produced some of the best TTs at their price points for decades. Some recent designs from others look a lot like the Orb and Space Deck, which have been around for years.

I am considering the same up-grade
situation. My Linn 12 has been modified
by George Merrill with new damped suspension,
syn. arm board, mat, record clamp, Morch arm
and Benz cart. Looked at Oracle, Basis and
SME tables. More ad money than table/platter
investment. Seriously considering Redpoint,Teres
(both DIY's) and Nottingham. Check out Schroeder
and Nottingham arms also. Try AudioAsylum website
before buying. We all take Stereophile, Absolute
Sound,etc. too seriously. Listen to other end users
also. Lots of choices,limited chance to try before
buying-good luck.

I was sort of in the same situation as yourself. Check out my recent LP12 upgrade adventures under the 'Extreme Phono-first impressions' heading.

None is bad or wrong, just preference. Remember for each $, you get something, you loss something.

American camp - big, over-damped sound, shoot-for-the-star/deep-in-the-trench frequency extreme. VPI, Basis etc. Phono stage examples: Aesthetix, CJ Premier, Krell KPA.

British camp - fast, agile, not-care-about frequency extremes, timing and rhythm are kings, Rega, Linn, Roksan, etc. Phono stage example, Linn Linto (listening to Linto will teach everyone a lesson what rhythm/drive/timing is about.) Tom Evans, Audible Illusion M3 (without MC Gold).

Somewhere in middle - Well Tempered, SME 20/30, Simon Yorke, Micro Seiki, Clearaudio and other European tables which I have not had a lot of experience. Phono stage examples, Spectral DMC20, Vendetta Research, Hovland.

Notice that the somewhere in middle camp includes very expensive table, and there is a reason. To have the engineering cost in order to capture rhythm and timing, yet retains the weight, authority and frequency extrmemes do not come cheap.

Some people are just more sensitive to timing and rhythm, and others more critical to bass and 'air'. Getting VPI and squeeze more timing/rhythhm out of it (like adding SDS), or getting Linn and squeeze more extension (using carbon graphite), just different avenues towards a satisfactory musical experience.