Had the opportunity to directly compare it in my system to a Clearaudio
Performance DC/Satisfy Carbon arm/Lyra Delos cartridge. Total cost
around $7K.
The latter was better in most parameters especially
with respect to dynamics, detail, resolution. Tonality/frequency
balance was more natural with the vintage system (less upper frequency
glare).
Chakster beat me to it but yeah, this is the Lyra. Also to a lesser extent the ClearAudio. I have heard CA rigs like this that were scarcely better than digital.
This brings up another thing, that I have been saying for a long time, that analog and turntables in particular are so good you can get great sound from just about any of them. Even more so if instead of spend spend spend on flipping components you tweak tweak tweak what you already have.
The entire reason you got the answers you did, from me anyway, is the question you asked. Ask a different question, get a different answer! You asked a hypothetical when maybe would have been better to ask something more specific.
You could for example get a LOT closer to the
"dynamics, detail, resolution" of the expensive rig WITHOUT sacrificing any of the vintage rigs
"
Tonality/frequency balance" (which is its strength) with a few select tweaks. Put that table on a set of Townshend Pods, put some Synergistic PHT on the cartridge and arm (I recommend Green and Black) put Origin Live Cartridge Enabler and maybe their Mat on it, and trick it out with some fO.q tape, and I think you will be surprised. Hugely surprised.
If the goal is cost-effective improvement without sacrificing any of the great qualities you already have this is the way to go.
