I have an SME 20/2A with IV.V arm and Koetsu Onyx Platinum cartridge but have not done the direct comparison you seek. Hopefully, someone else who has done so will chime in.
I will put in a few words for the SME 20/2A. This is a superbly engineered table with performance that ranks it with the best. It is a suspended (and damped) design which means a reduced premium on finding a super solid platform to place it on. It plays classical music without congestion or coloration.
With the SME 20 I can pick it up, put it on padding on the floor of my car, drive 40 miles, put it on a rack, and simply plug it in and turn it on to play music as beautifully as if it had never left its place in my home.
I regularly get to hear an SME 30...There is certainly a difference between the 20 and the 30 but it is very subtle.
Every so often the 20's become available on Audiogon for $6k to $7k. You have the makings of a superb system and I am positive that the SME 20/2A will not disappoint.
I will put in a few words for the SME 20/2A. This is a superbly engineered table with performance that ranks it with the best. It is a suspended (and damped) design which means a reduced premium on finding a super solid platform to place it on. It plays classical music without congestion or coloration.
With the SME 20 I can pick it up, put it on padding on the floor of my car, drive 40 miles, put it on a rack, and simply plug it in and turn it on to play music as beautifully as if it had never left its place in my home.
I regularly get to hear an SME 30...There is certainly a difference between the 20 and the 30 but it is very subtle.
Every so often the 20's become available on Audiogon for $6k to $7k. You have the makings of a superb system and I am positive that the SME 20/2A will not disappoint.