Good Direct Drives

invictus005, of course! you nailed it! Any overoverlypriced high-end wire and fuse is ASKING for fake to be sold at descent profit -- why not? Now talking about primitive particle board Rega which is fake by all means LOL!

@tzh21y

I have never heard an SP10. If an earlier sp10 is as good or better than the 1200g, Thats pretty good

No, the first SP-10 from the late 60s is nothing special, no quartz lock.
I think he meants SP-10mkII which is one the the best DD for very reasonable price today (under $1200).

@schubert

Any one who thinks the Pioneer PLX-1000 is not a very good TT is just plain wrong ,at best .

If you like the clone of Technics design and the quality that is not so far from the old SL1200mkII then Pioneer is OK. However, this Pioneer turntable designed for DJs/CLUBs mainly and that’s why the price is not high for their target audience on professional market. This Pioneer turntable advertising as a DJ turntable, nothing bad about it, but ideal DJ turntable is Technics SL1200/1210 mkII. Having a Pioneer DJ turntable in audiophile’s set-up is a bad taste (imo). Many manufacturers tried to made a clone of SL1200mkII (Audio-Technica, Gemini and many more unknown companies). Even the toneam on that Pioneer is not related to the best Pioneer toneams from the golden age.

I believe if the Pioneer would like to make turntable for audiophiles it must be their own design, not a clone of legendary Technics! It could be the Pioneer Exclussive P3 or related models with original Pioneer tonearms ? But the Pioneer is no longer a High-End manufacturer like it was in the 70s. Let’s face it! Or you’re waiting for Pioneer TAD re-issue? I think they do what they do - cheap producsts for professional market, this stuff sells well (mixers, cdj players, turntables).   

But the OP asked for something better than SL1200mkII and even MK5. He ended up with belt drive which is completely different. But in my opinion something better than SL1200mkII and SL1200G is Technics SP-10 MKII which is a truly High-End DD turntable, super heavy with powerfull motor, immadiate start/stop like NO other turntable.

I looked at quite a few different decks before hand but being able to try it was the main reasoning behind my purchase.

I was just wanting to know which model could be viable and what was out there, wasn't after anything better than the 1200 or 1210 but these were what I had used years ago. Looking at the options it would appear that some of the others were more money and a risk in my book over something that I could see and touch.

It did come down to money moreover and availability which where I am was another factor and when looking into it all and weighing it up decided to go with what I have done, I am very happy with what I have and with the state of my system.

@chakster people who have heard the 1200G and the sp10 mk2 claim that 1200G is better. So I am not sure how you come to the opposite conclusion. 

Clear think, what data can you provide to back up your statements? I'd like to see it. Until then, I'll cite fremer's testing of the technics sp10R. Based on those data he declared it to be the most speed accurate turntable he's ever tested. This includes his own $150000 Caliburn. Consider also the latest fad among belt drive aficionados, which is to control the motor with an outboard system that works by feedback of platter speed to maintain speed constancy (e.g., Phoenix Engineering and their imitators). That's really a servo in other words. True, hunting is an issue with DD just as belt creep and stylus drag (and hunting if you use a feedback system to maintain speed) are issues with BD. The best units deal with these.