A $50 eyepiece in a $5,000 telescope gives you a $50 view
A $5,000 eyepiece in a $50 telescope gives you a $50 view
A $500 eyepiece in a $5,000 telescope gives you a million $$$$ view
Two things to remember:-
1) An optical system is as bad as the weakest component in it.
2) An optical system is only as good as the weakest component in it.
Stick with decent eyepieces in a decent telescope. That having been said, the 6",8",10" and 12" newtonians (dobs)produced by both GSO and Synta are quite good and worthy of using decent eyepieces in. If anything the GSO mirrors may be consistently a bit better than the Synta mirrors, but they are both very good and close in quality. For mass produced optics they are both outstanding. The Meade mirrors are nothing to write home about, some good ones and some bad ones. They are a long way from premium optics that's for sure. If anything the GSO and Synta mirrors would be "consistently", a touch better then the Meade mirrors IMO. Without a doubt the GSO and Synta dobs have far better designed mirror cells and the entire scope is a far better quality product than the Meade Newts/dobs IMO. Vixen is a slight step up in class but you pay for it. As an entry to the hobby you would be very happy with one of the 6" to 12" dobs from GSO or Synta, exceptional value for money. They are better products than something costing 10 times more money 20 years ago.
I wouldn't jump straight in and buy Pentax or Televue eyepieces, they are very good and very expensive. The Baader Hyperion/Orion Stratus offer a very good level of performance for less than 1/2 the cost. They are the best value for money eyepieces presently available. They are a quantum leap above the starter eyepieces (cheap plossls) normally supplied when you purchase a scope.
CS-John B