Turntable upgrade recommendations: SME vs AMG vs Technics vs other

@dover 

Thanks for helping me through this musical discovery process.  Having had a Rega player since my fist audiophile days (first a P3, then a P8), I wasn't too enthusiastic about vinyl.  However, when my Rega Apheta 2 cartridge broke, and I replaced it with a Linn Krystal, I began to hear what analog was capable of. . . and, of course, then I broke my Linn Krystal cartridge, and that's part of the reason that it was time for an overall upgrade, and I have to say that while I really enjoyed the Rega P8, the Dohmann Helix One Mk 2 renders a much more musical and realistic presentation. 

Six months ago I had no idea about cartridge installation and alignment, but I used a SmarTractor UNIDIN point alignment to align the cartridges and adjust tonearm pivot to spindle distance.  I've got an AnalogMagik on order to further fine tune the adjustments of the cartridge.  The videos from that company have helped quite a bit.  

I received a Dohmann Helix One Mk 2 last week, and got it set up with 2 Schroder CB 11 tonearms, one with a Koetsu Urushi Black and the other with a Lyra Atlas cartridge.  

The sonic improvement over the Rega P8 is unbelievable! 

As well it should be given the huge price difference.😉

That's an awesome turntable setup you have there - congrats.

SME have also entered into the Market Place a New TT and Tonearm.

I think SME has lost the styling plot with the model 60 looks kind of generic and boring - though no doubt precisely engineered. Looks wise the Dohmann Helix blows the SME away. 

Compared to the Helix One - the SME tech seems lacking too. Rubber bands vs a fully integrated MinusK vibration isolation system - Hmmm which would I rather have?

I put the link up in another thread recently, this device seems to sahre a very similar role as the MinusK.

Brochure_i4.pdf (google.com)