So many great golden era DD tables out there, what do you recommend for $1000?

Dear @uberwaltz : The JVC QLA/ is not your best option and disagree with halcro. I linked to you the Yamaha GT750 that use a JVC motor but way better motor than the QL one, that was done under Yamaha specifications certainly it’s not the same QL one.

GT 750 S/N is -82db vs QL -74 db and GT W&F is 0.006% vs QL only a mediocre 0.025.

But the Yamaha tonearm is superb and is the same tonearm than the Yamaha top of the line TT series GT2000 that goes to megabucks price range. Take a look to the links I posted about that includes a review. Inclusive the GT750 is heavy than the QL by around 5kg.. All those have a meaning of quality between both TTs.

You can do what you want it but ? ? ? Up to you.

R.

Raul, with respect, I have to disagree on the gt750. It’s not in the same league with TT81 by most accounts. And you said it yourself: the manufacturer published specs are not meaningful for comparing two products from different companies. Also the Yamaha tonearm on the gt750 is very suspect, partly made of 1970s plastics. The gt2000 is top notch, no doubt, and comparable to TT101, but the gt750 is two big steps down. GT2000X is probably in the big leagues with P3, SP 10 mk3, L07D, etc

By the way, ALL the Japanese DDs with coreless motors borrowed heavily from the design of the Dual coreless motor of the 1960s.  The Kenwood, Victor, Yamaha, Pioneer Exclusive, and even the recent Brinkmann coreless motors are similar to each other and built just like the Dual if you take them apart. (I’ve done it for Victor and Kenwood motors and seen photos of all the others.) Kenwood and perhaps other companies were actually sued by Dual over this issue back in the day.

I agree with Lewn ... the arms applied on the lower range turntables can resemble the same arms as the top models of the house but they are not the same thing in terms of materials and construction tolerances; just look at the standard arm on the JVC QL7 which looks tremendously like the 5045 but it's not quite the same thing, as for the Sony PS X50 turntable which has as standard a tremendously resembling arm to the PUA7 sold separately but is not qualitatively the same identical item .

I fully realise I am not and will not be buying into the best vintage DD tech available.
However I do not think the Yamaha GT750 is better than the JVC QLA7, rather more similar than one being " much" better.
However it all depends on how you even define " better"?.

I will likely add some mass and damping to the JVC plinth so sort of answers the table mass point.
Who truly knows which arm is better?
I will see what my money has got me soon enough!

Dear @lewm  : You are totally wrong: the tonearm in the GT750 is the same along the GT 2000 and certainly there is no plastic down there:

http://www.thevintageknob.org/yamaha-GT-2000.html   and here:

https://www.vinylengine.com/library/yamaha/gt-750.shtml

The GT 2000 is superior to the 101. Of course that because you are a 101 owner you can't admit Yamaha is superior. It does not matters what you think YAMAHA is superior and bestgrooves is wrong too when he said the tonearms are not the same because owners of the 750 can attest it's. Could be that the finish can be better on the top models but only the finish of the tonearm not its design and used parts on that tonearm design.

I owned two JVC tonearms one stand alone and one coming from a JVC TT and I can attest both are exactly the same.

Btw, yes specs can't tell us all about a product but here the differences are really high and speaks of the quality level of the building design. You have the 101, put your money where your mouth is and buy the GT 750 for by first hand experiences can attest or not what you are posting.

Sorry but your opinions are way wrong on that regards.

Yamaha not only made it high quality TTs but tonearms and very well regarded cartridges, speakers and electronics.

Audiophiles like you almost never talk about Yamaha but this company is second to none and extremely competitive at the very top level. Please don't make mistakes with.

In the other side I don't care about uber choice because that's his choice for good or bad, he is who will live with his choice not you or me or any one else.

As always only my opinion and nothing more than that.

R.

Btw, about the PUA-7 in other thread was proved that the stand alone is the same that the one in the TT and where in " hell " exist eveidence from Sony where they attested both tonearms are not the same but different. Bestgroove where is your Sony direct evidence. ? ? ?