VAC Statement 450S amp is wonderful, but this system is not as amp-dependent as the main loft rig in a bigger room. I get great results, very close, with a humble Rogue Stereo 100 or Phison A2.120SE. The Hagerman Trumpet Reference phono stage and Rogue Hera preamp have wonderful synergy here and beat much more expensive VAC and ARC gear in these slots (which I can borrow at will from the main rig). I like older Meridian gear for digital. Generally don't like the sound of modern high-resolution DACs. There are some CDs that sound amazing which I enjoy, but mostly the mastering quality of CDs is generally poor, and vinyl wins easily. My Japanese CDs sound SO much better - almost every single one. IMO there's no use pursuing expensive high-end digital, when the mastering quality of most of the material I listen to is so poor on CD. So I enjoy the small portion of CD collection which actually sounds good, but vinyl still rules here, and it's not even close. 

Gear rack is off to the left side and turntable is in back corner. It's VERY hard to manage energy feedback to turntable in this room - this combination of location, SOTA Cosmos, and rack bracing worked by far the best. Also, a cheap crappy Lovan rack worked better for the SOTA than the expensive CMS Sotto Voce rack - I'm not happy about that. 

SPU cartidges are THE way to go in this rig. The theme here is musical energy, vibrant midrange, full-bodied tone,  immersion factor, and overall "gusto" - NOT razor-sharp transient edges, or a fire hose of high-freqency information.