12-05-08: Eee3
As has been stated the technics table is a DJ table at best and cannot even be considered a highend table.
Not true. The Technics was not designed to be a DJ table. It was designed to be a reliable, speed-accurate home audio table that is so rugged and reliable that it became the DJ table of choice.
The two biggest factors that make the Technics *seem* inadequate are a too-dark tone from the garden-variety tonearm wire and vibration isolation limited to late '70s' understanding of NVH. These are both easily corrected for very little money. You can also bring the tonearm up to more modern standards with a KAB tonearm rewire and fluid damper, which enables the tonearm to work well with a wide range of cartridges and track difficult and badly warped records. The aluminum alloy platter can be tamed with a better mat. Or you can get upgraded tonearm wire by getting the SL1210 M5G.
You have to spend quite a bit of money in the low-torque belt-drive camp to get speed accuracy and s/n ratio equal to the Technics SL12x0 series, and even then you'll never get its ease of operation.
There are plenty of people on this forum with high end rigs who get high end sound from the Technics DD series.