Am I going sideways?

Why buy another Sapphire? The vacuum system of a SOTA Star would be a definite improvement.

the saphire is a tiny step up from the rock, but hardly worth the money, if the rock is in great operating condtion and still does it for you.

Also am considering a vpi hw19jr upgraded. Is this more of a step up? The rock is in great working order, but am finding a bit flat sounding in my system. The rock is only the base model as it was produced in 1987. Have not been using the trough as i find it too fiddly

What's the rest of your system? You've got a *great* cart, your arm is decent, and I'm only familiar with your tt through name. You could throw a lot of money at your system and not (in fact, never) overtake your cartridge. In particular, perhaps your phonostage would be a better upgrade then your tt-at least, a better choice than the two decks you're looking at.

Saying that, the HW19 is a lively deck that might provide some needed PRaT to your system. I don't share the same enthusiasm that you do with the SOTAs but then, that's me.

And don't forget-since you're buying used, you're looking at more of a long term, low-dollar-outlay audition for these TTs than a real purchase-you can always re-sell for *at least* close to your purchase price.