Thoughts on moving from a 1200G to Sota Saphire or above

Tough question comparing the arms! The SME has been considered close to world class for many years. The Technics arm is new and sold only with that table, I think. We know from the EPA series that Technics can build a great arm when they decide to.

The Eclipse upgrade would be an option on the Sota. I love having the digital readout tach. Strobes on Technics have a limited life too. PITA to replace the lamp, at least for me it was on SP10mk2.  Cheers,
Spencer

IMO, a dead strobe bulb on an SP10 mk2 is no great loss and would not affect function. Also, by saying I thought the SME V is superior to the stock G tonearm I certainly did not mean to denigrate the latter. I am sure it’s very good too.

IMO, a dead strobe bulb on an SP10 mk2 is no great loss and would not affect speed accuracy or servo function , I don’t think but could be wrong. (A question for JP.) Also, by saying I thought the SME V is superior to the stock G tonearm I certainly did not mean to denigrate the latter. I am sure it’s very good too.

Yes, I agree, the 1200G arm is no slouch. If I wanted to upgrade I’ve learned of some nice arms to upgrade through this thread. In a previous post on this thread I mentioned having a AQ Earth IC on demo and would move it from the table to my phono preamp. It’s not an Earth but a Water IC. I also realized I had an AQ Sydney coming out of the table and not a McKenzie. I have a McKenzie going from the phono to the preamp. Anyhow, I replaced the Sydney with the Water and noticed a difference with one album side. Before I say conclusively it was the Water that moved the needle, I’m going to relisten to a couple of albums I played recently to see if there is a difference. I’ll share my findings later. 

KAB is a USA-based company who've generated quite a following with their SL1200 upgrades. Their are many threads here and on other forums with 1200 owners trading tips & experiences regarding which upgrades were most impactful.

This wave of excitement kind of died down when the G was introduced, as I believe a number of the enhancements were accounted for by Technics in the new build.

Definitely, because KAB upgrades are for cheap and old SL1200 mk2, mk3, mk5 and related popular models from the past. Those models cost no more than $300 secondhand and that was a price tag for decades. KAB never specialized in upgrades for high-end SP-10 mk2 or related models.

There is nothing to upgrade the reference turntable in SL1200 series, such as SL1200G with retail price nearly $4k.

For audiophiles an upgrade is always an option. Tonearm upgrade is an expensive upgrade, to beat new Technics tonearm you could pay more than new "G" turntable. If one thinks about different tonearms then SP-10R is much better for that needs, because the SL1200G was introduced as a complete turntable.