I need some turntable guidance

@mijostyn While I agree some idlers have flaws, I have to once again object on your blanket pronouncement that idlers are inherently sub-standard. I listened recently to a $125k Basis AJC Transcendence/Vector with a $10k MySonic cartridge, $15k Gryphon Diablo amp and $40k Rockport speakers.
Later, I played the same vinyl at home and notwithstanding the scale of the equipment, my admittedly tricked out Garrard 401 sounded far better. Bags more detail, color, timbre, snap and musicality. Without rumble!

Noromance, you have your system set up the way you want to hear it. It is what you are use too. On top of that audio memory is very short. On top of that we hear what we want to hear. So, I am afraid that kind of comparison has no validity. Hook your turntable up to an oscilloscope and measure the rumble. It will be much higher than any belt driven turntable 
that has an undamaged bearing. I never mentioned anything about sound. I only talked about rumble. There are four additional hard contact points in an idler wheel turntable. The motor bearing, capstan to idler wheel, the idler wheel bearing then idler wheel to platter. Each one is a source of noise. Idler wheel turntables are dinosaurs. Radio and DJ use has been transferred to the much better direct drive turntables but for audiophile use the belt drive reins. It keeps the motor as far away from the cartridge as possible and has no hard contact points between the motor and platter so you are only dealing with the noise of one bearing.
Effischer, I did not know that Kirk had passed. RIP. I was talking about the effective mass of the tonearm in relation to the cartridge. The absolute mass of the tonearm is critical to a suspended turntable which is why the SOTA's  compensate with lead shot added to the well under the tonearm board. You can compensate to a large degree but there are some arms like the 4 Point 11 that are simply too heavy to mount on a SOTA. You run out of lead shot to remove. I use my Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum on a 4 Point 14 and I get a resonance frequency of 8 Hz. You could add mass to the head shell of a lighter tone arm to get the desired resonance frequency but then you would lower the resonance frequency of the suspension. You would have to remove the arm board and remove lead shot. There is some lee way in the resonance frequency of the suspension so you can play around a bit without getting into trouble. 
Anyway the point is to make the music sound better and avoid situations that would interfere with the enjoyment of same. 
Enjoy the music!

I am afraid Mike has blinkers on when it comes to anything else except a belt drive..
Having owned numerous belt drives and now LOVING the drive and energy from my 401 there will be no turning back for myself.

But I will not start criticizing belt and DD tables as a whole, because no matter what the science may say,  it is all.......


IMHO

And nothing more.

you have your system set up the way you want to hear it. It is what you are use[d] too. On top of that audio memory is very short. On top of that we hear what we want to hear. So, I am afraid that kind of comparison has no validity.

Gibberish. My audio memory is superb. I hear in a system what sounds like the most accurate rendition of live music. If aural comparisons had no validity, there would be no point in any of this. Further, just because power is transmitted via belt does not mean you can ignore the drive contact points of motor bearing, belt on pulley, and belt on platter nevermind all the dynamic energy oscillating within the elasticity of the belt.