Chime in if you bought a second table that cost a fraction of your main table.

Some very different situations here, but this does give me idea how you (my fellow enthusiasts) are getting on with your backup table. So no offense to the following brands, but they are not in the running...VPI, Rega,Technics and Pro-Ject tables. I'm feeling like spending a little more will get me in to something I can enjoy. Not that there is anything wrong with $1000 tables, but I have been spoiled. Even the Well Tempered Amadeus (base and GTA) tables I had could be very engaging. The only reason I won't go back to Well Tempered is the lack of cue lever/ arm lift. They do have another arm offering called the Symetrex, which does have one, but I think it takes the Amadeus Jr out of my price range. Here is my short list of considerations...Dr Feickert Volare, Thorens TD 150...I was considering AVID, but apparently I would have to go up to a Diva SP in order to have push button 33/45 selection. The Marantz TT15 mentioned above is actually the table I heard when I auditioned (and bought) my Naim XS. It was actually very hard to fault with the Virtuoso cart. It seems to play well above it's price point. The cartridge seems like a throw in. However, my goal here is to end up with a tonearm that will play nicely with the carts I mentioned above...the TSD 75, and Charisma (wood) Denon 103. No harm in trying an MM or MI cart, but I already have these and an SUT to play them in to the Naim phono. 

My answer is a bit of a cheeky one. My main table is an SME Model 10. I replaced the M10 tonearm with an SME V.

Now presumably for many people a second table is a cheaper one, or one using, say, a different drive (belt vs direct vs idler for example). I'm totally happy with the Model 10. So what did I do when I decided I needed  a second? I bought a used Model 10!

One will be home to London Decca cartridges, which will no longer be repairable after November 2022 when John Wright plans to retire. The other will be home to my other cartridges, and used to prolong the time before I wear out both the Deccas.

I just kept my old table, a Townshend Rock mk2, when I bought an Artemis and Schröder Reference. I put a mono version of a Decca Maroon on the Rock and ran it along side. On original mono cuts it mostly beats the main deck but not always.

Got 5 TTs in two systems. Love them all, but the cheapest is my Denon DP80. Only $600 when I bought mine. Sadly they’ve become more expensive since. Among new TTs, I’d go for the least expensive variant of the Technics 1200G series. IMO that will be superior to any currently available belt drive in the sub $2000 price class.

Beware if the slippery slope. The second system can become an obsession that sucks money. Your Quad 57s are the worthy beginnings of something fantastic.

I have a high end turntable (Bergmann), and a mid-line turntable (MT5).  I always thought that I would keep the mid-level table for playing the older LPs from high school and other LPs in rougher shape.  

Problem is, everything, regardless of vintage or amount of drunken college abuse sounds better on my Bergmann.  I was trying to save the cartridge on the Bergmann, but it just sounds too darn good to not use it on every thing I spin.  Granted, I don't really own LPs with a bunch of scratches, pops & ticks.  

Could be just me, but I am always in a quandary trying to decide which table to play which LP.  I'm OK with One less decision in my life.

My biggest issue is wondering when to replace the cartridges.