Why do turntables sound different?

"I think most manufacturers have no idea what they are doing and why? They buy some parts, think they are good enough because they get praise from people who also have no idea from anything"...

@syntax 

Sorry, no offence, but.... IMHO.....
That's the most "over" generalized statement I have read in some time....
It also implies, no one else knows what you do, to be able to criticize "most".
Below is a good part of most, and none, IMO, fall into your shade...
Sure some have other current makes to add as well..........let alone the brands of the past .....
Some not mentioned may well fall into your generalization but the word "most" is a gross over reach.............and price has nothing to do with a statement that uses "most" when it comes to turntables .

Acoustic Signature
AMG
Basis
Brinkman
Continuum
Davinci
Dr. Freickert
Forsell
Grand Prix
JA Michell
JC Verdier
Kuzmo
Kronos
Linn
Oracle
Rocksan
Simon Yorke
SME
Sota
Schick
Tech Das
Transrotor
Technics
TW Acoustics
Walker
Well Tempered
Vyger

Dear @has2be : Everything has an explanation. Please let me know what you see ( at once. ) or understand when you make click in the syntax audio system?

My very first reaction is not the normal roockie expression: wow! but that syntax is a whealthy gentleman before any other conclusion but looking at his system items shows that that roockie wow! has no foundation from the point of view of room/system quality top level performance:

As him I owned MS RX5000 and before the 1500. Are very good looking TT's but not so good performers between other things: the platter rings like a bell, all metal design that is based in weigth and mass to stay away from vibrations with out success, all metal arm boards that are located at the TT footers where everything pass through afeccting the cartridge/tonearm quality performance levels, very bad ( for today standards. ) motor board controler and other issues that can't be fixed with that second platter avobe the metal one  and add-ons that are only band-aids to a not very good TT design.

He likes all metal undamped tonearms as the FR where we need 2 things: damping and isolation, terrible tonearm. All metal undamped headshells and headshell integrated cartridges that was the fashion in the vintage times where between other things are connected internally with not today best transmition wires.

That system uses today tubes electronics that per sé can't honor MUSIC in any way but additional he use a tube phono stage ( a copy of an old french design. ) with a passive/transformer gain stage that only this phono stage item preclude in that system to have top quality performance levels and it does not matters what the owner can says .

Btw, in his system there is no today top ( very expensive because is his rule about. ) digital alternative that's a today must to have/own ! ! and I can go on and on in all what conforms that system but I think that is enough.

I can say for sure that the one that has no idea of nothing/anything is he. Money means almost nothing and his room/system confirm it. Money is always welcomed but MUSIC/SOUND knowledge levels and skills is the name of the game in any room/audio system.

 Of course that roockies or stupid person can be a followers. Such is life.

I don't think that reviewers, manufacturers or customer/audiophiles that analyzed his system for quality level performance can think his post is an insult because it's not. 

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

Dear @rauliruegas ,
No offence, given or taken, but......

I firmly stand by my statement and the reason for it. Wealth and ownership of anything in life , has nothing to do with gross, over generalized statements on/ about anything or anyone, period.
I don't see it as insult , it is just a very narrow and short sighted
path to dismiss the few, with the wide brush of  "most"....

Regards to you as well, and again....
no offence given or taken. Cheers............... 

dear @inna you said:
"higher-end tables that all sound excellent. Same arm/cartridge and the rest of the chain. Turntable is a seemingly simple device but apparently not quite or not at all."

Can I just ask you about your question/proposition?

1. Are you saying all high end tables are excellent?
2. If not which ones are you saying are excellent?

I have heard various expensive decks that have a great reputation - or high price tag LUMLEY REFERENCE; KUZMA REFERENCE AND THE XL - I wasn't impressed with them at all. 

By the same token there are some very good decks that do not cost the earth - Funk Firm Saffire; Artemis SA1; DPS; Amazon turntables.

I understand the Syntax point. There are a lot of new decks out there that are little more than a collection of off-the-shlef parts where little or no thought has been given to the overall result - hobbyists like me can be forgiven for 'fiddling for fun' but manufacturers can't.

Can I just say that there are few decks that are designed from the ground up with an integrated approach to the decks arm and cartridge. Consider an EMT Broadcast deck, or say a Beogram 4000?

Dear @has2be : I agree with you and I don’t took that post as an insult after analizing that system.

For some gentlemans as that one is very easy to post what ever you want with out gave any explanation/specific examples/facts supporting their statements as happened in that post.

Any one has the privilege to post anything we want, it’s not doubt about.

My post was only to understand whom in audio is the one that posted. Several roocky mistakes in that system, additional to the ones I mentioned: bad trackers cartridges ( a colored Olympos that I heard it 3 times: 2 in other systems and one in my system. It’s not only that I said is colored that Lyra one but in this forum J.Carr mentioned that characteristic of coloration against his other designs. This was before the Atlas. ), no subwoofers where the dedicated amps were designed in specific to fulfill the drivers needs, even the TT/tonearms can’t fulfill the cartridge needs because down there just does not understand which are those needs and many other kinder mistakes.

This kind of persons have its followers, obviously more ignorants than they.
R.