I am looking into an upgrade to my TT (Thorens 203, total POS, do not recommend at all).

I want to go the Shibata-style stylus route for least wear of my vinyl, and that benefits from VTA adjustments. I want VTA with micrometer-type adjustments, and that is only available on higher end models, or as a retrofit with EasyVTA.

My question is: Does it make sense to even look at a EasyVTA ($200) add-on for a solid but not superlative table (say Rega Planar 6 ~$2000), or is this penny-wise/pound-foolish and I should just bite the bullet with something like a VPI Prime ($4200)? Financially, both are possible, but I don't need pointless "golden toilet seats". Or will the add-on degrade sound too much that it will render higher end cartridges/styli moot?

I don't have a listening room set up, but appreciate well-built mechanical instruments (microscopes). Amp is a Rotel 1572 with B&W CM6s plus sub in my home office, and have a Woo WA6SE with upgraded tubes and Grado R2s for headphones. So decent, but not stratospheric. I will also then invest into a separate phono pre-amp with adjustable capacitance and ADC, but that is a separate topic; first things first.

Thanks for your thoughts!