Upper Level Vintage DD Strenghts and Weaknesses

So i guess I do owe folks an update. I decided to pass on the Sony TTS8000 due to reported bearing issues. I was pretty well set on getting a Denon DP80 in a DK300 plinth from Unisound, however I could not get them to package the arm I wanted with it. There is one table with the DK300 plinth a bit damaged on the front veneer but it had the Audiocraft AC3000 on it. The second table has a nice plinth but what looks to be a lower end Denon arm of some sort. I had asked if I could have the AC3000 moved to the other plinth as they both were the same finish, and its a matter of moving arm boards. They declined, and I can understand why, but I thought I would ask. 

In the meantime I decided to take a different tack. On Audiogon there is a  Scheu Analog Das Laufwerk No.2 table for sale in Warsaw, but the shipping costs that were listed in the ad were not horrible. Its also a shop demo so it comes with factory warranty. I hit the buy now button, but am waiting for the seller to put together the shipping cost and arrange payment process, its due to be a wire transfer. They are a 17 year member of Audiogon and verified dealer, so while I am a bit apprehensive, this is a known seller. So the Scheu would be my first choice, but as the ad read shipping was supposed to be $300 USD to the US, and if I am given a number that is significantly different then I am going to end the transaction as that is not what was represented in the ad. I should have a firm number tomorrow, so we will have a resolution soon. 

Option #2 is going to be the DP80 in the DK 300 plinth with the lower Denon arm. The arm will get repurposed for another project, maybe even sold off. Or perhaps put on the sideline for awhile and eventually reunited with the plinth and a different drive unit, if I ever get a custom plinth built for the DP80. i could source something like a DP75 drive unit to make a complete table again and find it a new home. But heck I might just love the DK 300 the way it is, perhaps have it re-veneered and call it good. 

Everything is kind of fluid now, the next few days should see a resolution. 

For the heck of it I picked up an interesting vintage MC to use as a casual cartridge on the Dynavector. Picked up an Ortofon MC200. Has a fine line stylus, boron cantilever, samarium cobalt ring magnet, and Ortofons WRD damping system. Output is low, but the Esoteric E-03 phono stage has enough gain to handle it. I will use if for casual vinyl listening till it wears out and then send it off to a retipper I want to try. Be a good test mule for me to see what i get back. 

The desision to decline the TTS 8000 if there is not access to somebody to assist with some of the known issues will leave you with one less hurdle to climb over, if a purchase did show the known conditions that can develop.
A Spindle Housing Bush is not a Direct Exchange with a Off the Shelf Bush Part.
The ID is 11mm and OD 16mm. 
A of the Shelf Bush with a close match will be ID 11.11mm.
The Platter connection to the Spindle will need a complete rethink as to how to overcome the unsuitable coupling and wobble that can be detected on certain Models.
A Worn Bush can be explained with a few descriptions, but the Platter connection to the Spindle seems to be born from Machining Tolerance issues, as it is not realy exposed to any wear during usage.

It looks like your First Choice of TT is a complete Curve Ball to the original inquiry, and looks like a nice piece of kit.
It is a New Model to myself and I am liking the aesthetics of the design.

The DP80 as a Second  Choice is a product with many followers much of the previuous post will be related to this model, as it is a DD.

Additional Information might need to be supplied to assist with getting the best support set up under theFirst Choice that is a Belt Drive.

Keep on with your updates they are appreciated         

Actually I have had a history with these kinds of tables in the past. In the late 90s I ended up being an early adopter of the Teres Audio turntable, and I had a pretty nice one with an Eminent Technology II air bearing tone arm. In a moment of temporary insanity I thought I could be happy with a digital only stereo. Utter foolishness, and I sold my analog stuff. 

About 6 years later I re-entered vinyl, and I did that with a Townshend Rock MK III but it really was not on par with my Teres. I ended up buying a Galibier Serac and was quite happy with it for a number of years even though it was a somewhat homely table. I used a Riggle Engineering 12" Woody arm on it. 

The common thread connecting these two tables is they were designed by Chris Brady and Thom Mackris, who were both founding members of the Teres Project. The table that inspired that project and their initial model was....The Scheu table. So I enjoyed both of those tables immensely, and I really should have kept the Teres. This purchase allows me to reach back to the genesis, to get the TOTL table from the company that inspired them. 

There is an added benefit that this table does not take up a lot of room. I have a credenza that hold my gear, and I have a SOTA Cosmos Eclipse on it and a Well Tempered Reference next to it. The amount of room available for a third table is a bit limited. The Scheu will fit that space, and other tables make everything quite cramped. When I had an Amazon Reference on here I had literally no room between the tables. So this is an added benefit for me. Additionally it can accept another arm board, so if I want to adding a second arm is pretty easy. 

Finding an isolation base for it would be a bit challenging as its somewhat monolithic. Weight is 38 KG, so just shy of 80 pounds. Finding a platform to handle that level of weight might be a bit of a challenge. 

Its getting ready to ship. Coming UPS from Warsaw. So i don't expect to see it for at least a week. Waiting is always the toughest part. 

It looks like your plan has a Solid Foundation from experiences enjoyed.
The acquisition of a TT built with today's technologies, that has been a inspiration in the past, is surely an exciting venture.
This is a approach, I seem to get caught up in, investigating and pursuing using modern technologies on TT's.  

Very much looking forward to your user evaluations when you are ready to report on them.

Picked up an Ortofon MC200. Has a fine line stylus, boron cantilever, samarium cobalt ring magnet, and Ortofons WRD damping system. Output is low...

Do you like it?
It's Concorde MC200 ?  

Rare model, most people forgot the Concorde was an MC and not for DJs :) Because later the Concorde MM became the most significant model and the best seller (but not for audiophiles) on professional market.