What is best turntable for listening to Rock from the sixties like Led Zeppelin?

This is one of the biggest myths in audio- that certain types of equipment might favor a certain kind of music. The fact is the equipment does not care and does not exercise any taste at all.

A good turntable will treat all kinds of music the same.

Ralph's (Atmasphere) contention that components being music-sensitive is a myth is not one I can agree with. One example of that argument being mistaken is in the obvious case of the original Quad loudspeaker. I have and love the speaker, and listen to Bach through them, but would not dare play AC/DC at 110dB on them!

Quads do very well with AC/DC and Bach; in both cases they won't be playing at 110db! Quads also do well with all types of electronic music as well as jazz and blues- so long as you play the speaker within its dynamic range.

By this measure, the best speaker for anything ever is the one that can play that loudest. So maybe my Classic Audio Loudspeakers are the best for Bach, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin and solo flute. I've measured them in my room at 110 db (although I had to wear earplugs to do it).

Obviously that argument is flawed! To put this in perspective, we have a question about how are particular bit of the system can favor a certain rock band, which is nearly the same question as what speaker is best for a certain period of 80's pop music (that question is actually a thread somewhere on this site). At some point, you have to get that the equipment simply does as well as it does, and that won't favor a certain band or genre of music in any way at all.

Stereo equipment can't express taste! It can only deal with the media and signals put through it. Some say that a certain speaker plays bass in a certain way that is better, but if you look at the genre its supposed to favor, the recordings in that genre are all over the place in terms of how bass is presented in the recording. In fact that speaker playing bass in a certain way will favor all types of music that might have the bass recorded in a certain way. Its ***not*** favoring a genre!!

For some reason this myth continues to persist. The fact of the matter is that once you understand that it is indeed a myth and nothing more, the sooner you can start to build a better sounding system as you will avoid trying to introduce colorations into your system (and that will save you flushing dollars down the loo).

A lot of the rock recordings from the 1960s are really well recorded! The more resolution the better.

 Point was that a particular record player can be made to sound better playing back one musical genre over another.

This is complete nonsense. Its like saying a turntable might be better at 80's down tempo rock but can't do Jimi Hendricks. Equipment does not exercise taste.

It is possible to tune MM cartridges to change their tonality. However the proper tuning which will then serve all genres is called 'critical damping'. This does not apply to LOMC cartridges.

If a turntable responds excessively to stylus drag its a problem for all genres of music, not just certain forms of rock.

Again, the idea that a turntable or cartridge (or other component) serves a certain genre of music better than some other is one of the biggest myths in audio.

It is entirely possible to optimize the TT for one genre over another. Much of that is merely cartridge /tonearm selection. Though the selected cartridge/tonearm may be entirely fine in all other genre's, it has been voiced by its owner for one particular genre.

With regard to the motor unit, all genre's will benefit from a platter spin that doesn't change its pace, however minutely, in response to modulated stylus drag. But it will be more apparent when reproducing rock.

I'd like to know how you can optimize a TT for 80's rock as opposed to 70s' rock.

Modulated stylus drag is likely more audible solo piano FWIW.

Some phono cartridges will describe the texture and tones of an acoustic instrument better than others. But will the same cartridge that so deliciously described the wood inside the soundbox of that Martin guitar also lend itself toward getting that over-cooked Jimmy Page electric guitar solo rendered so that the listener perceives its reality?

Yes.

Some turntables will deliver this compulsion better than others. All you have to do is hear this to know it.

This is 100% correct. And audible with all genres of music.

Atma-Sphere is wrong, once again. But if he wants to convince some of us he should try and prove what he says.
Next thing he might say is that amp is an amp, and if it's good it's equally good for everything. Then he will move to speakers. And after that to guitars. Martin guitar would not be best for flamenco or the kind of music that John McLaughlin used to play. John himself said it, I am just repeating it.
There is a lot of art in designing good equipment, not only "stupid" science. But a lot of science too.
 

Actually Inna, you are once again wrong. Here's how:

Amps and speakers are for music reproduction. Guitars are not. They are a source of music. You are engaging in a Strawman argument, which is a logical fallacy. The use of a logical fallacy in any argument renders the conclusion to be false. That's why they call it a 'fallacy'.

Amps and speakers do behave differently BTW, which is why I make tube amps. But the goal is to reproduce the signal applied to them as accurately as possible and any good speaker design has that at heart as well.

FWIW I play in a band, one of the louder ones in the Twin Cities area. Its not like I'm any stranger to rock, and I've also played in orchestras here in town including appearances with the Minnesota Orchestra.