jackfish wrote:

I know its more than you want to spend, but with a good $200 cartridge like the Nagaoka MP-150 or Ortofon 2M Blue, or even an Audio Technica AT440MLa for $155, it will blow away any you have listed. Contact SOTA directly to see if they will get you a demo. 800-772-SOTA or 608-538-3500. Also check out LP Gear in Henderson, NV for a SOTA demo. http://www.lpgear.com/product/SOTAMBEAM.html http://www.lpgear.com/CTUS.html

Ha ha... deja vu, eh jackfish? I contacted Sota, and they said my demo option is to buy a turntable and return it if I'm not happy with it--minus a 20% restocking fee. Not exactly an idea situation. Henderson is about 16 hours round trip from here, so it's not really worthwhile.