So i guess I do owe folks an update. I decided to pass on the Sony TTS8000 due to reported bearing issues. I was pretty well set on getting a Denon DP80 in a DK300 plinth from Unisound, however I could not get them to package the arm I wanted with it. There is one table with the DK300 plinth a bit damaged on the front veneer but it had the Audiocraft AC3000 on it. The second table has a nice plinth but what looks to be a lower end Denon arm of some sort. I had asked if I could have the AC3000 moved to the other plinth as they both were the same finish, and its a matter of moving arm boards. They declined, and I can understand why, but I thought I would ask.
In the meantime I decided to take a different tack. On Audiogon there is a
Scheu Analog Das Laufwerk No.2 table for sale in Warsaw, but the shipping costs that were listed in the ad were not horrible. Its also a shop demo so it comes with factory warranty. I hit the buy now button, but am waiting for the seller to put together the shipping cost and arrange payment process, its due to be a wire transfer. They are a 17 year member of Audiogon and verified dealer, so while I am a bit apprehensive, this is a known seller. So the Scheu would be my first choice, but as the ad read shipping was supposed to be $300 USD to the US, and if I am given a number that is significantly different then I am going to end the transaction as that is not what was represented in the ad. I should have a firm number tomorrow, so we will have a resolution soon.
Option #2 is going to be the DP80 in the DK 300 plinth with the lower Denon arm. The arm will get repurposed for another project, maybe even sold off. Or perhaps put on the sideline for awhile and eventually reunited with the plinth and a different drive unit, if I ever get a custom plinth built for the DP80. i could source something like a DP75 drive unit to make a complete table again and find it a new home. But heck I might just love the DK 300 the way it is, perhaps have it re-veneered and call it good.
Everything is kind of fluid now, the next few days should see a resolution.
For the heck of it I picked up an interesting vintage MC to use as a casual cartridge on the Dynavector. Picked up an Ortofon MC200. Has a fine line stylus, boron cantilever, samarium cobalt ring magnet, and Ortofons WRD damping system. Output is low, but the Esoteric E-03 phono stage has enough gain to handle it. I will use if for casual vinyl listening till it wears out and then send it off to a retipper I want to try. Be a good test mule for me to see what i get back.