Which vintage direct drive?

Terry9:

“Suggest that you consider belt drive. I tried a quality vintage DD, and it was notably inferior to the belt drives - but then again, they (the belt drives) were far more money.”

Prey tell, what DD did you use that was inferior to a belt drive?

Belt drives tend to be a boondoggle for the mfrs. They are far cheaper to design and manufacture, yet they charge more. Take your best belt drive, mount the noiseless,  cogless, slotless, brushless dc motor to the platter and you have a competent DD. Throw away the added belt motor, belt, extra friction noise and extra bearings and noise sources of the belt drive.

Eno, You wrote, "I just learned that the TT-01 is the Japanese version and the JVC-QL10 is the American one."
That is not correct.  First, the alphanumeric designation of the chassis is TT101, not "TT-01", but I expect that was just a typo.  More importantly, the QL10 consists of a TT101 chassis + plinth + Victor tonearm, usually the UA7045 (9 inches) but sometimes the 12-inch version, UA7082 (I think). So, for Victor ("JVC" only in the USA), the TT prefix indicates a chassis with no plinth and no tonearm.  The QL prefix indicates a complete ready to use turntable system.  I can't comment on a comparison of the specific models you mention, because I only own one of them, the TT101/QL10. I added several pounds of mass and stiffness to the plinth, made an armboard out of aluminum to replace the standard MDF armboard, and then mounted a Fidelity Research FR64S tonearm with B60 base, to replace the UA7045, which I do intend to try out some time.  This combo is fantastic.  I think the QL10 would outperform the PL70, but the TTS-8000 with proper restoration and a careful set-up might compete with TT101, but like I said, I am not qualified to make these comparisons.  You'd still need the FR64S, in my opinion.

What about a Technics SP10MKII? Much easier to find than any of your chosen models, probably no more expensive, almost certainly more reliable and/or more easily repaired, and probably better to boot. 

I like all these suggestions and advice. Most of the models I listed were 100v Japanese models I realized. I like the idea of the vintage coreless/brushless DD, they seemed to have evolved into developing a more mature drive system. One of the things that is a bit tough to accommodate, is that the Trans-fi tonearm needs to be on the same horizontal plane as the top of the platter. This means that I have to get risers or make a new plinth. The Victor or Panasonic is at the top of my list, I think. I tried looking into an SP10mk2 earlier, but most of the sellers' tables had a lot of cosmetic damage. 

Getting the Trans-Fi I knew I was investing in a project, so I can be flexible. 

Yes, the QL-10 had the entire package of the plinth, tonearm, and drive system, but, I believe, the drive system is exactly the same, just 120v.

The belt drives I really enjoyed were an old VPI Jr. and Nottingham Interspace, although I did not like the arm of the Nottingham (man, could they make turntables but their arms were crazily overdamped ). 

My choice:
Luxman PD-444
Denon DP-80
Victor TT-101
Technics SP-10mk2
Technics SP-20 

from this list i think Luxman PD-444 is the best of them all in terms of usability for almost any tonearm, designed for two arms (long and short). 

Victor tt-101 is the most problematic, hard, expensive or impossible to fix. You may never find a working sample. 

Technics is great, but not for "9 inch arm. 

Denon is nice!