Turntables better than a Wadia 861SE w/ Statement

I have a Wadia 861xi which I like hugely. I have also heard an 861 modded by Northern Sound.

I also have an analog rig which I generally prefer although the sound seems to depend hugely on the mastering and manufacturing of the particular recording.

Originally, my vinyl setup was a Rega P3 with a Koetsu Black cartridge and Tom Evans MicroGroove+ phonoamp. This would retail for about $4.5k. I thought that this analog rig was in many ways better than the Wadia. Generally, there was better detail in vocals and strings, and large symphonic works were less congested. On the down side, the bass was somewhat bloated and it turned out that the notes did not decay as quickly as they should although I did not recognize either of these deficiencies at the time. My newer analog rig, which is based on the SME 20/2 turntable, sounds even better.

I think you're phono stage is your CAT is pretty good. Maybe someone else can comment. But for under 10K...you'll have a ton of options. I'd go for a used SME 20/2 with SME IV.Vi arm...approx 6k. Or a SME 10 and arm...4k. Spend about 2k on a good cartridge, Lyra Helicon, Shelter, something. $500 on a VPI 16.5 cleaning machine, $500 on a better arm cable, like a Hovland or similar.

You have a lot of options in the price range. The Basis mentioned above is also great. The SME 20/2 is a lifetime investment. You may trade cartridges...but the table will likely be a permament resident.

Good luck.

>>I've come to realize that I have probably the same level of performance I once had with a Rega and nice Grado cartridge!!<<

Comparing an 861 SE Statement to this analog combo is apples to oranges. Mount a Zyx Airy 2 or 3 cartridge with a good tonearm/turntable and it's goodbye Wadia.

Check out the Nottingham table/arm conbos,really worth checking out.Especially the Space/Acespace unit at about $3K.

CAT phono stage is excellent although the gain is pretty high for some cartridges which can make volume settings a bitch with the stepped antenuator. That was my experience with an early CAT Signature, anyway.

There are better arms than that Nottingham for less money. SME is the way to go but don't buy it from the North American distributor as you'll pay TWICE as much as from other sources.