I have an original XL with 2 motors and the Airline arm, and upgraded from a Kuzma Reference with Triplanar. There was a world of difference in presentation- mainly in the absence of the sense of a turntable spinning. You don’t know it until it is gone-- I call it a "halo" effect--something people seem to assume is part of the record playing experience. I attribute that to both the table and the arm.
In terms of cheaper options, what about used? You can always upgrade the motors later)(I still haven’t done it and probably won’t until the original motors fail)-- I’ve had my table since around 2006 or 2007. Except for changing out a belt, lubricating once I drained the bearing well to move my household, and having Franc do some work on the inner platter, which he ultimately replaced for me--it was rubbing-- the table has performed flawlessly. There are other tables, some priced higher, that don’t make me want to change at this point.
One table that has long interested me is the Platine Verdier-- it is now sold as a "nouvelle" model, I gather the original was a killer with some tweaks. The newer model may not have issues, and is worth looking at or researching in more depth--it is similar in the sense that it is no suspension and high mass, external motor ’pod" and allows multiple arms like the XL.
One other issue that you may have to sort with tables like this is isolation.
I have not had the table on concrete slab but typically set up in older houses, wooden floors, etc. High mass isn’t easy to manage for that purpose and I had to buy a Minus K iso platform in my new location, given the weight of the table/arm and the inability to isolate it from a wooden floor via a wall mount.
I do have a 4 Pt 9" in my vintage system mounted on a period Technics SP-10 and it does deliver- no on the fly VTA like the bigger 4 Pt. models (and the Airline). I had the 4 Pt 9 set up to do side by side comparisons with the Airline and preferred the latter on my main table/system.
In terms of cheaper options, what about used? You can always upgrade the motors later)(I still haven’t done it and probably won’t until the original motors fail)-- I’ve had my table since around 2006 or 2007. Except for changing out a belt, lubricating once I drained the bearing well to move my household, and having Franc do some work on the inner platter, which he ultimately replaced for me--it was rubbing-- the table has performed flawlessly. There are other tables, some priced higher, that don’t make me want to change at this point.
One table that has long interested me is the Platine Verdier-- it is now sold as a "nouvelle" model, I gather the original was a killer with some tweaks. The newer model may not have issues, and is worth looking at or researching in more depth--it is similar in the sense that it is no suspension and high mass, external motor ’pod" and allows multiple arms like the XL.
One other issue that you may have to sort with tables like this is isolation.
I have not had the table on concrete slab but typically set up in older houses, wooden floors, etc. High mass isn’t easy to manage for that purpose and I had to buy a Minus K iso platform in my new location, given the weight of the table/arm and the inability to isolate it from a wooden floor via a wall mount.
I do have a 4 Pt 9" in my vintage system mounted on a period Technics SP-10 and it does deliver- no on the fly VTA like the bigger 4 Pt. models (and the Airline). I had the 4 Pt 9 set up to do side by side comparisons with the Airline and preferred the latter on my main table/system.