KAB 1200 vs. everything else.

I own a KAB Technics table. I believe Kevin is being extremely optimistic in his
$4500-$5000 estimate. However, I'm also certain one could find people who
prefer a KAB Technics to $4500-$5000 (or higher priced) table, just as one
could find other people who would prefer a competing $1000 table to a KAB
Technics.

I don't understand the romantic versus technical reproduction argument and
how it factors into his pricing estimate, but I'm sure if Kevin explained this
himself, it'd be plausible. He's a rationale and reasoned person.

I believe Kevin is being extremely optimistic ..

Me too!
I own a TW Acustic Raven One with Michell Tecnoarm and the SL1210 with some Kab Mods ..
The SL1210 sounds fantastic for the money it costs .. but please don't compare with a Raven One

I could see a fully modded Technics SL-12xx making it very difficult to see significant performance gains until you reach the $4,500 to $5,000 price range. Granted, this is just conjecture on my part, but I feel there is a big price / performance gap between the $1,000 and $3,500 price range. Until you're ready to drop some coin, you're better off focusing on set-up and low-dollar tweaks on an SL-12xx than investing in what I see as the analog "no man's land." Again, just my opinion.