SOTA NOVA, HR-X VPI, Technics 1200G recommendations?

May be another benefit of the copper disc is that it may discharge some electrostatic charge build up?

@lewm , We fully agree that a low compliance cartridge benefits from a high mass arm. Stylus shape and VTF certainly influence record wear. However, given the same stylus shape and the same VTF the low compliance/high mass combination will have accelerated record wear vs the high compliance/low mass pair. You and I both prefer higher compliance lower mass combinations. 
My aversion to direct drive turntables comes from pretty extensive listening tests back in the late 70's early 80's. The universal opinion was that direct drive turntables sounded inferior to the best belt drive turntables. There were various theories of why this might be, none of them proven that I know of. I do know that isolating the turntable from everything else going on around it including the music is very important.
The degree to which suspended turntables do this is pretty easy to see and measure. Consequently I will never own a direct drive turntable and I will never own a turntable that does not have an adequate suspension. 
I have one more issue, fuel to add to the fire. Turntables are a prime target for flippant design, The Clearaudio Statement is a great example. 
There is no advantage in making a turntable look cool. It is just a total waste of money. It has nothing to do with sound, purely visual. Mechanical artwork. Other manufacturers followed suite. IMHO the very best turntable made is the Dohmann Helix. Still very expensive but plain, unassuming in comparison to other tables in that price range. I also think Mark Dohmann has the right approach to turntable design. 
I'm sorry if I seem to be a stuck record when it comes to the influence of a motor near a cartridge. Electro-mechanical devises have a way of influencing each other  especially in close proximity. If you put the close together no amount of shielding is going to stop that interaction. 

My aversion to direct drive turntables comes from pretty extensive listening tests back in the late 70's early 80's. The universal opinion was that direct drive turntables sounded inferior to the best belt drive turntables. 

Where is the list of Direct Drive turntables you are talking about? After 30-40 years did you ever try again? 

"There is no advantage in making a turntable look cool. It is just a total waste of money. It has nothing to do with sound, purely visual. Mechanical artwork."

Are you saying that it is fine for a Porsche to look like a Toyota as long as the performance is Porsche? Some people get a jolt of dopamine from the form as much as from the function.

Chungjh, that is obviously true of cars although I have put a reservation down on a cybertruck arguably the ugliest vehicle ever conceived. I also use a 911 as a daily driver a form follows function car if ever there was one.
As far as a turntable is concerned performance trumps everything including looks. If you are buying a turntable for looks perhaps you are not an audiophile? 
@chakster, You expect me to remember models from 30-40 years ago?
Lets put it this way, they were so bad that it scared me out of direct drives forever. The designers that I have the most confidence in also shied away from direct drive like Mark Dohmann, David Fletcher and AJ Conti. There is no direct drive table that meets my requirements particularly when it comes to isolation. Technics turntables are like Toyota cars, very reliable reasonably well made pedestrian fair. Over the 30 years I have been out of the audio business nothing much has change that would get me interested enough to consider buying one although there are several newcomers on the market that make interesting products it is rare for me to purchase something from a small newbie that has yet to establish themselves in the market. Besides I am perfectly happy with the turntable I just purchased. It is right at the point of diminishing returns and does everything I need a turntable to do. The next turntable in line would be the Dohmann Helix 2, a substantially more expensive turntable. 
I put my money where my mouth is. I could have easily purchased an SP10R.