OK, you want Top Dog performance at beer-budget prices?! Try a rebuilt Lenco, if you've got the cojones ;-)! No tonearms are preferred over others, cartridges depend on tonearm. Nothing, and I mean nothing, will touch a properly set-up idler-wheel drive for rock and jazz. Or for classical. Or for folk. Or for country. I miss any? But if you want the Ultimate, then set up a VPI JMW tonearm - 10.5 or larger - on a Lenco with a Decca Super Gold or higher Decca. It'll blow the hair off your head. As to 95%, it'll be a surprise if something out there can manage 95% of the performance of said rebuilt Lenco/JMW/Decca, that's true ;-).
Suggestions- High Performance TT/Arm- Rock Jazz,
Vocals. Looking for recomendations on High perfomance table/arm combos for above types of music. Would like to keep total TT/Arm price under $10k used, so the total cost new would be in the $18k-$20k region. If there's a giant killer out there for less dough- A truly outstanding mid-priced combo that delivers 95% of the performance of the top dogs at a discount- bring it on..