Best turntable and arm under 10k?

My Sapphire also back at SOTA
upgrade and put a better arm on it

Bardo should be on your list also IMO

I had my Sapphire repaired & updated @ SOTA a few years ago with new suspension, platter, bearing and power supply.  That gave it the stability to really take advantage of a major arm upgrade.  I ended up with a Graham Phantom and it really rocked my world with the DV cartridge I selected.  I'd also suggest you take a hard look at the Tri Planar and Reed offerings.  I've read some really glowing reviews of their arms on SOTA tables.  SME makes great arms, but I believe the others potentially offer better synergy.  Good luck & happy listening!

SME Model 10A. SME makes the best turntables and tonearm s in the world.

Without bringing up turntables you didn't mention, I'd go for the Kuzma Ref, among the ones you named.

Hi
Thanks everyone for all the suggestions- I will look at all suggestions in regards to other tables and the various arms mentioned....

it has been quite a while since my last TT purchase (my Sota Sapphire is 1st gen - 35 years and still sounding sweet..but not worth the cost of upgrading)!!!


Seems like there is quite a bit to learn about TT’s these days ...and it seems that every manufacturer has their own philosophy of why heavy mass or low mass, suspended or solid plinths material (aluminum vs steel vs acrylic) best way to reduce or eliminate resonance....the list goes on and on...

However, I was really hoping to hear from owners on any of the tables mentioned (my choices or others mentioned) to gain real world perspective on difficulty of setup, reliability, support, Tonearms that work best, etc.  Would like to know what were their favorite and not so favorite aspects of each table.

also, any recommendations of dealers and/or anyone in the metro NY area that I could ingratiate myself to get a peek and a listen on their rigs!

Thanking you in advance for your time and assistance!