Radikal Linn LP12 or Palmer 2.5?

@latenitecity Today I auditioned the AMG Viella V12 with the 12JT Turbo tonearm and Benz Gullwing SLR cartridge. The associated equipment was Audio Research Reference 3 Phono to an Audio Research Reference 6 pre to Audio Research 160M mono blocks. Speakers were Wilson DAWs. Transparent Cabling throughout. I thought this setup sounded really good. The TT is definitely in the mix for me as I try to narrow the field I'm interested in seriously considering. Overall, I thought the sound would have benefited from the Benz LP-S cartridge. That is not based on personal experience with the LP-S, however, it simply is affirming what I have read elsewhere of folks who replaced their Gullwing cartridge with the LP-S and why they did so. Others who have owned these two cartridges have commented that the LP-S compared to the Gullwing is lusher, has more bass, with the midrange having more body to it. However, it has been noted that the Gullwing has extended highs compared to the LP-S. Now having heard the Gullwing, if the descriptions of the LP-S are correct, the LP-S would probably be more my cup of tea. But, the big take away from today is that the AMG Viella V12 provided a nice quiet background for the music to emerge from. 

@latenitecity I heard the Technics SL-1000R. It is $18K with tonearm. You may want to give this a listen if you haven't already. Speed is perfect. It plays the record at the exact right speed through every passage--even complex ones. The big problem is that you can't get the exact tonearm you want in the righthand position. You have to live with the Technics tonearm. It isn't bad, but there are better choices out there. You can also get the Technics SP-10R ($10K) and then add a bespoke plinth. Doing this gives you many more tonearm options in the righthand position. I'm running this path down right now.

I listened to lots of turntables at AXPONA this weekend including a restored Garrard 301, the Technics SL-1000-R, the Grand Prix Monaco 2.0 and a bunch of belt drive tables. I won't spend time comparing sound quality since they all were in different systems and such comparisons would be mostly meaningless. But, what easily stood out to me is the audible difference between direct drive, idler drive and belt drive turntables. Before you buy a TT I highly recommend going through the process of listening to these three different drive systems to determine whether you prefer one over the others.  

No I don't think any drive system seemed superior to another. I think it all boils down to what fundamentally moves you. I hadn't heard a Garrard TT before; now that I have, I completely understand why it has so many adherents. The direct drives sounded "faster" than the others, but I'm sure this has to do with strictly consistent timing.