Balls.....

Upgrade asap for much better sound.

Thanks for the responses. What type of turntable did you perform the upgrade upon ebm? Was it a diy project?

wturkey, I doubt it will make a big difference. It might effect noise levels but for better or worse? Depends entirely on the quality of the bearings and the type of cup or thrust plate being used. If your turntable is quiet and running well I would leave it alone. If the ceramic bearing is inexpensive then you have not much to lose trying it. It would be interesting to test rumble levels before and after the switch.

I had the thrust plate and ball on my TNT V bearing replaced a few years ago by a fellow at the Asylum called tubesforever and trading as Applied Fidelity.  Unfortunately he passed soon after.

The thrust plate was replaced with a sapphire crystal and the ball with a ceramic one.  He also supplied a very high viscosity lubricant that made the tt take a VERY long time to settle down when reassembled.  The result, though, was fantastic.  

Don't know if this helps, but that's what I found.

BTW, in case others want to do this who is that guy in NJ?

In the 17 years I have run the Miller Carbon Teres turntable https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367 I have run stainless steel ball bearing on teflon coated brass thrust plate (original), stainless on delrin, silicon carbide on tungsten carbide, stainless on brass with delrin insert, brass on brass with delrin insert, and probably some other variations I’m forgetting. It is something to think about, when some giving advice have tried none while another has tried more than he can remember.

Bearings are actually kind of a complicated subject. It would seem the hardest smallest contact area will be the lowest friction quietest and best solution, but this is not the case. A tiny point of contact means high pressure means no lubrication even submerged in oil. Vibrations travel up and down the spindle. So the bearing material influences the sound more than just by contributing noise or silence.

Bottom line, you can only judge by listening. I would either just get the bearing and try it (paying some guy to do this, why? DIY!) or search around for listener impressions.

By that I mean only those who have heard this particular ceramic bearing on your exact table.

FYI the settling in described above is exactly as expected, the high pressure causes wear that stops once enough is worn to lubricate, and then it is settled in, wear slows to a crawl, and it sounds better.