EMT 927 vs. Micro Seiki 5000 or 8000 - different?

Does anyone know what is so special about the big M-S turntables, apart from their obvious build quality, which can after all be matched by several of today's high end belt drive turntables? They seem to use an inverted bearing; is there anything special about the materials used in the bearing? How is the bearing lubricated? The motor assembly seems quite large but probably in part due to the incorporation of an elecronic drive system. The belt? I know a guy who used to sell M-S in the 80s and 90s. He thinks of them as "good" but not mind-blowing. I don't necessarily take his opinion as gospel. I am interested to learn more.

Nandric, Please don't take me wrong,my last added paragraph is laced with sarcasm.
Mark

In_shore, In some countrys you need to tell in advance that
you intend to tell a joke. Then depending on their upbringing (aka politeness) thy should laugh. I love jokes
so I am very sorry to have missed the point. But we agree
about those ''old TT's'' I think.

Regards,

Nandric Being born in the new world to a German mother and Scottish father the influence of both cultures I guess made me this way, no harm intended at all and yes we arein full agreement.
Mark

"Does anyone know what is so special about the big M-S turntables, apart from their obvious build quality, which can after all be matched by several of today's high end belt drive turntables?"

Hi Lew,

In my opinion, the string drive, combined with high mass and speed control, is key to the performance of those turntables. The string is a limited, or more properly described as a calculated, slip. A typical belt drive has inherent belt creep that is difficult to overcome, so it is typically less accurate overall. That means a string drive is easier to control for accuracy, and Micro Seiki made a competent controller for that task. Then, the mass does its job with inertia and resonance control. All that makes for a very good turntable, and the other features are lesser in importance, but because of their precision play an important role.

Caveat: Note my use of "in my opinion" and "typically" in this post. I have heard some exceedingly good belt drives that are more traditional in their construction. The Fairchild 750 is one example, but there are others.