Reason for buying old/classic turntables

There's a lot of BS sorounding the improvements to turntables over the last thirty years. It is, after all, a wheel, and we've had that down for 3000 years or so. Advances in bearings and damping are real, but for most applications a table that was great thirty years ago is still going to be great. Witness the popularity of vintage Thorens TD-124s and the like. Having said that, I think the guy with the $3000 SP10 is crazy. Some people think that because it would cost XX if it were new today that thats how much they should charge for it even though its really old. Personally I use a twenty-year old Sota and it is competative with most of today's tables. Do a lot of research before you jump in with big dollars.

"It is, after all, a wheel, and we've had that down for 3000 years or so."

That is true.

One thing I do not understand is the recent renewed attraction or romance with direct drive tables. What's wrong with a good belt drive that is well able to rotate the platter at a constant speed. Doesn't a belt design provide a more natural and cost efective means of isolating the platter from motor noise or vibration?

I'm sure DD tables can sound good as well but the design seems like it would be harder and more expensive to accomplish well than belt drive. Maybe that's part of the appeal?

My take is that the turntables of old can be good but not so much the tonearms and their old wiring. I would be happy with a Thorens TD125 cleaned up with isolation reinforcement and a good Rega arm. This could be done for well under $1K. If money is no object I will go all modern.

ET

Mapman, we are entering a new golden era of direct driven turntables! I must say that I liked the ads from Technics/Akai/Sony/Denon very much --> direct drive was for my generation the ultimate in drive technology (Technics SL-1200, Denon DP-60, wow!) and back then (during the seventies) it was a "politically correct" thing to have a DD turntable.

Chris

One thing I do not understand is the recent renewed attraction or romance with direct drive tables. What's wrong with a good belt drive that is well able to rotate the platter at a constant speed. Doesn't a belt design provide a more natural and cost efective means of isolating the platter from motor noise or vibration?

just listen to a top level direct drive tt and you will understand. my opinion is that belts have compromises, direct drive, properly exectuted, does not have compromises. the 'rub' is 'properly executed'. there are dozens of threads about belt verses direct drive. my viewpoint is not universally held.

I'm sure DD tables can sound good as well but the design seems like it would be harder and more expensive to accomplish well than belt drive. Maybe that's part of the appeal?

yes; the cost of designing a direct drive system from a clean sheet of paper and then selling it at a reasonable price could only be done with the economies of scale in the market place of the 60's and 70's. these days it takes a very very expensive tt to have an uncompromised direct drive system. that is the attraction of incorporating the direct drive system of these vintage tt's into a present day tt.