Does a turntable make a DRAMATIC difference?

@rvpiano

I think I can add my $0.02 here since some of the components are similar.
I’m using Hana ML with Sutherland KC Vibe Mk2. When I purchased the Hana my digital front end was Lumin U1 Mini and Benchmark DAC 3 HGC.

Turntable is MoFi UltraDeck and I used Dr. Feichert protractor to align the Hana ML cart.

Compared to Lumin/Benchmark the analog set up had sweeter sound with wider soundstage. The detail retrieval is on par with digital just different presentation.  Overall more relaxed and natural sounding but slightly trailing behind the benchmark in dynamics and bass drive and impact.
The analog combo was so good that it prompted the DAC upgrade as it had exposed some not so great traits of the benchmark DAC.

One other thing…prior to MoFi UltraDeck I owned Rega P2. The MoFi is a significant step up in build, features and sound quality. Rega’s lack of VTA adjustment alone is a deal breaker when you’re talking about going to better non-rega cartridges. Yes you can use spacers but still not comparable.

problem with this thread, this question asked, is different people would not easily agree on what is 'dramatic'... 

RV, something to consider that I've failed to mention. I don't know if my experience is unique or if it is something that other attentive audiophiles have had to deal with. Back in the day when vinyl was my primary source of music I had a fairly good (near SOTA) system but not a particularly fine, and comprehensive, collection of music.

I finally started to pay attention to digital in the 90's and concurrently started ignoring vinyl. All the new (to me perhaps), unexplored, music was coming out on CD's so I followed it. I tuned my system to get digital listenable and I succeeded (I think) but, interestingly the changes I introduced seem to degrade my vinyl system's reproduction (not that much perhaps) so it was easy to continue to ignore my records and just play CD's.  Being unable to get both sources on equal footing I simply gave my analog system (and records) to my grandson-in-law and moved on with just fond memories of the greatness of vinyl.  He's happy and so am I. And, ultimately, digital is so plug and play as opposed to the set up AND maintenance of a vinyl system so I have more time and less to worry about.

ghprentice, I suspect I might, just might mind you, be much more anal than you when it comes to vinyl. :-)

Look for a great vintage manual table that was issued with a great tonearm and see if you note a difference. If you buy a good one and there is no difference you will always be able to sell it for the same amount or possibly more. The JVC QL7 would be an example of such a table. I’m guessing $400-600 would get you a good one. There are others but you will pay more for other more highly recognized makers and not have much if any significant benefit.

I upgraded table and arm in a controlled circumstance-- same room, system and phono cartridge. The difference with the better table/arm set up-- fewer sonic artifacts from the better table/arm combo. 
Sometimes, it is hard to discern an artifact until it is gone. 

For example, the "halo" of sound that I often associated with record play is simply absent on the bigger, high mass table and linear arm--

The bass is better too, but to fully appreciate that,

I needed to augment the bass reproducing capabilities of my system-- 

Now in a bigger room, with additional subwoofers.

And the thing that really made a difference was a change of cartridge-- not so much fancier or more expensive, just different voicing. If I had made that cartridge change with a different table/arm and without the bigger room/augmented subwoofers, would it have been as dramatic? I doubt it--but it took more than just a change of cartridge or table to get to this point. The improvements were cumulative. Is that true in every system/circumstance?

I don't know.