@br3098 -- please accept my apology for not responding sooner. I used to get email notifications when someone responded to my thread. Apparently, those were ending up in my spam folder.
I appreciate your feedback on the MA-505 tonearm and glad to know it is capable of scaling to better cartridges. So before I purchased the BL-101, I actually auditioned a number of TTs including a Luxman PD-171 (Jelco arm), Technics SL1200 (forgot the exact number), and a few more. I just loved the sound of BL-101 (for the price I paid), and decided to roll the dice. I have not noticed any resonance or noise thus far, but perhaps that's because I have placed it on Live Vibe Audio rack with Audio Point footers. My friend who came to help me with the setup was shocked how big of a difference the Audio Point footers made. I consider the Live Vibe racks and their footers one of my best investments. It is phenomenal but I digress ...
Based on your feedback and a few friends whose opinion I value, I am leaning heavily towards the Hana ML cart. I think that's the right level of cart for my setup. Anything more expensive might be overkill, IMO. Or do you think I should be aiming higher?
Having said that, the VAS-modified Denon DL-103 (Steve calls it Ebony 103) is no slouch either. It sounds very very good for the price -- excellent PrAT, good bass, and seems to present music in a very lively manner. But I think at times it can get a bit too energetic if you know what I mean. Ideally, I would want to keep all the characteristics of the Ebony but add more refinement and the ability to be more nuanced.