Indeed my Kuzma Ref 2 brings a lot of enjoyment, and will not be bettered for the price range I'm shopping in. But that is around $14K retail wth the 313 VTA gimbal, so it wouldn't be a fair fight. My only real experience with DD was an audition of a Brinkmann Spyder and Bardo. The former is belt, and Bardo a Direct Drive. Same arm/cartridge, same time, same system. The Bardo did nothing wrong, but missed emotion...The Spyder was more relaxed, and I recall hearing the decay, and subtle spatial cues that the Bardo glossed over. Lew- as you mention, It is a slippery slope, but there's no turning back now (-: I have the Naim XS with built in phono, and the Harbeths with Trager stands all set up. I like this Naim with the Harbeth quite a bit...I prefer it to the Lux class A, and Croft I had previously. Here are a a few I think will be enjoyable...The Wand 4-14...I think this is a long shot, but it's such an interesting, well thought out table. New model of the Thorens TD 1500...I also think Well Tempered Amadeus tables tables sound great. But I've owned a few, and would not go back unless it had their Symetrex arm with cue lever. I'm retired from lifting tonearms. (-: I think the Dr Feickert Volare could also be a nice option. The ease of adjustability on the Kuzma arm has really spoiled me. That's what I could end up truly missing.