Best sounding turntable and cartridge for $1100

sunnyjim,

This is off topic, but I noticed you do a lot of research on gear before making a purchase. Also, in another thread of your's, I'm pretty sure I mentioned that you should find some old copies of The Audio Perfectionist Journal because they talk about your Ayre CD player. Its not in print anymore because the person who published it died a couple of years ago. As it turns out, Vandersteen got permission to make the journal available to anyone who wants it. He lists all the issues for free on his website. Aside from reviewing your Ayre, APJ in my opinion, is the best resource for high end audio I've ever seen. By far. You definately want to check it out.

http://vandersteen.com//audio-perfectionist-journal

@sunnyjim Yes, I agree about not preferring speed/pitch adjustments, and disabling that is one of the common mods. The motor is very robust and one of the strengths of the 1200. Remember this wasn't built for the DJ market, it was designed as a mid-to-highend table and was adopted by DJs etc. because it was so reliable, speed-stable and durably built. These are all good reasons for the modder/tweaker community to embrace it over most others. Only doing a total plinth replacement and more on a SP10, Garrard 301/401 or Lenco 75 is a likely better option for going from something that can evolve into a great table from modest beginnings. The 1200 is the only of these that fits many budgets and that's why there's such a community of shared experience to make it feasible on the cheap. Okay, I'm done ;-) Cheers,
Spencer

Spenser,  Thank you for the additional information.  SJ

A really good TT in your price range that many people seem to overlook, is the Sota Moonbeam. Sells for about $800 with an arm. Use the rest for a cart. 

Sota offers 2 things that I like very much. First is upgrades. They're upgrade selection is probably the best in the industry. Second is trade in policy. They allow you to trade in your TT on a better model, for life. I don't think any other manufacturer has a policy like that.

If you don't have a local dealer, Cable Company sells them. They may even have a demo unit to send you. 

Back to my previous query, I’m still thinking about that Pro-Ject "The Classic" table as I can change the cart to something I like (for example, Needle Doc gives you 50 bucks off if you want to bag the Silver thing), it has a lid (unlike the Pro-Ject RM tables), it has BALLS (it does…6 of ’em I think), and it seems cheap-ish for what it is. More reviews are in order to help me decide so GET GOING AUDIO COMMUNITY…my Linn Basik won’t last forever.