I am asking your opinion as to the best turntable

Bill,

I've got to agree with G m c if price is any consideration. All of the above mentioned tables are reported to be quite excellent. Unfortunately I doubt many have had the chance to A/B them. Isn't the Rocky Mountain audio show coming up? I'd go take a careful listen to what is displayed there.

Please take the following as intended. It is offered most humbly and is based solely on my audio memory vs. a direct A/B comparison. If you are placing a well designed, high mass rack on a concrete floor then a lesser model Teres may be just as effective, say a model 265. I say that after a lengthy listening session between a 340 and 360 model Teres and the three Schroder arms, a Triplanar and a Graham 2.2.

During this listening session the turntables were on a nice shelf BUT sitting on top of a very sturdy credenza. Not an ideal setup but still pretty darn good. I have extensive experience with a 265 on a great stand in ideal circumstances. To my ears, and based on memory alone, the 265 equaled the 360 because of the setup compromises during this "shoot out". I could be wrong.

The SME 30/2 is an excellent choice, however I stuck to a 20/2 with Pabst motor and gold SME V arm. I think that the 30 is not really worth while the extra $$$ compared to what you get from the 20.

Bill, after you have addressed usability & reliability & support, your best bet it too get whatever looks the coolest (or otherwise rings your chimes) & see what happens.
At the price points you are talking about (and much lower) it is 99% about personal taste and system matching. Nobody can tell you what you'd end up liking best & there is no way to do a meaningful audition unless it is in home and reasonably long term.

At CES this year, I was most impressed with the Continuum turntable with Cobra arm from Australia. At $50k USD, it's no bargain, but it grabbed my attention in a way most rooms couldn't. Worth checking out. A photo was in the recent Stereophile or AbSol.
FWIW, I agree with Slipknot1's comments about the Walker table. It is mighty impressive. Cheers,
Spencer

Bill, I suppose I will have to add my voice to these responses. The challenge is that we are all captives to some extent to what we've had the opportunity to hear. I'm a Walker Audio Proscenium Gold Signature turntable owner and a fan, as are several other Audiogon contributors who've not yet offered a comment.

You say, "If ultimate sonics are my first priority..." To which I will suggest that, if this is the case (as I believe it is for you), then you truly should give serious consideration to the Walker. It will deliver that superb level of sonics you require, it will make you re-think what is possible in analog replay; and it will also deliver absolute reliability and usability.

I hear your comment that you're thinking about a small footprint option, and the Walker is not that. But, if you're looking primarily for something that will give you back usable space beneath the turntable, the Walker will do that. I use Lloyd's custom built rack (after all, its what he designed the table with), and use the three shelves beneath it for other equipment. So, while the footprint in square inches is large, the space beneath the turntable is available for other purposes.

Any of us who use the Walker turntable could go on and on about its sonic virtues, ease of use, absolute reliability, fanatical build quality, etc., etc. The only real test is for you to experience it for yourself, as my wife and I did. If you're still located in NY, you're not that far from Lloyd Walker, who is just west of Philadelphia. Spend a day with Lloyd and then decide. At worst case, you will have had one of the most engaging encounters you can imagine with one of the true gentleman geniuses of the high audio art who, as Srajan Ebaen said in his recent review of the Walker Velocitor on 6moons.com, comes at audio design "from a nearly maniacal commitment to better sound."

There is no other turntable I'd rather have in my home for the remainder of my music listening days.

http://www.walkeraudio.com
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