Where is the significant point of diminishing returns on hi-end turntable?

I bought the 9.87, very pleased.

NKJ, 

"I also believe that wood and plexiglass don't belong as part of a precision instrument- just me."

Try this simple little experiment next time your at your local Home Depot or similar store. Go to the isle where they have the extruded aluminum bars - take a 3 foot one and gently drop it on the cement floor take note of the sound it makes once it hits the floor.  Then go to the isle that has the hardwood take a piece of hardwood like oak for an example - you should easily be able to find a smaller piece gently drop it on the floor and take note of the sound it makes.  You may change your opinion :-)

MMporsche - if "set it and forget it" is what your looking for find a table that has a SME arm on it, they are about as "set it and forget it" as they come.

Good Listening

Peter

mmporsche,

With all due respect, if you want a "set and forget" system, you’re better off putting your $25K into a digital front end that gets you as close to the sound of great vinyl as possible. You can do it these days; digital has gotten that good.

In order to get the most out of vinyl, though--or even just to make your $25K sound like $25K--you really have to be willing to participate in the sound, every aspect of it, and actively.

Why? Because vinyl is experiential on both sides of your speakers. We love the sound because it engages completely--because it has the potential (as Coleridge described the ideal poet) to bring the whole soul of man into activity. Activity. Vinyl is not really a spectator sport. You have to get in there up to your elbows and then your ears, and that takes time, patience, and commitment. Gradually, you sediment in the experience and knowledge you need to realize the medium’s wonders, and that’s part of its charm.

So, I’d echo some earlier comments and say, get ready for the long game. Spend money on quality tools for set up, a variety of them, and learn how to use them. Become a patient student and experimenter; read all you can, ask the village elders for advice, and simply try and err. In the process, you’ll understand what makes the medium work its magic on *your* ears; and, like Dr. Strange, you’ll learn how to conjure that magic at will. Only then will you get your money’s worth, and your $25K will sound like a million bucks.

Bill

I already invested $6k into my DAC and that's good enough for me.  It is very nice but I know how good vinyl can sound when done right. 

To be clear, I enjoy tweaking and some of the ritual associated with viny. I just don't want to spend more time preparing to listen than actually listening. That is why I chose the KLaudio cleaner; seemed to be the balance between a quality cleaning and low end user involvement. 

Nottingham arm is also set and forget it, just spend couple of hours or less to set the VTA and anti-skate and VTF and leave it alone. Check the settings every year or so just in case or if you hear the difference.
What I most dislike about playing vinyl is cleaning the stylus before playing each side and flipping records every 20 minutes. Cleaning records does take time and effort, but you don't have to do it often unless you constantly buy many records. I think, mmporsche is on the right path, it is just difficult to choose when you have good funds and not many opportunities to compare. But many people keep their tables for a very long time, so it requires a special attention because of that too.