Top turntables?

There are some excellent turntables out there? One of the things that I have learned is that the difference between the great ones and the not so grate ones is how much of the complete package they are. I remember the Simon Yorke. A truly great table provided you add the Walker Motor Drive and the Vibraplane. One for speed the other for isolation. If any is not working the whole thing collapses. In that point the Kuzma thread above is 100% on target and easily predictable. I believe someo of the mega $ turntables benefit from extensive isolations systems that are built into racks / platters etc to add the extra level of refinement. In that regard, I would suggest that many great turntables can be upgraded quite significantly with a speed controller / wall shelf / isolation stand to come close to many other turntables if the fundamentals are right.

The Simon Yorke turntable is so over rated it isn't funny. I had one.

Ira2000,

???. If we talk about value I can understand. OTOH, I have heard "magic" from it. What phono preamp and cartridge was being used. The tonearm is a different story and does well with certain cartridges.

I can't argue with what you heard. I can say I used it with a Music Reference pre and and later a Supratek Syrah pre. A Nottingham cartridge and a Myabi Standard. Good enough? I think so. Even a cartridge as superb as the Myabi couldn't help that thing. The music eminates froma gray back ground, not much detail, and a consticted soundatage. And don't even talk to me about the tonearm. What a joke! I picked up an Alphason HR 100mcs for $400.00 after I sold the Yorke. It kills the Yorke arm. The price of the Yorke combo? What's it over $15,000 now?
When I had it a local guy here called me to hear it, said he wanted to but one. He brought over his Rega P9 to see how much better the Yorke was. Now his 'table's cartridge at the time was a Benz wood body, better than my Nottingham MM. Still, the P9 destroyed the Yorke. he just left and said nothing. That's all that needed to be said. I lost respect for Fremmers' reviews after owning the Yorke. Also made me very skeptical of the whole industry. Team the 'table with a pair of Thiel speakers and some awful solid state equipment and you got a good torture device.

Ira2000 I've owned several tables, including the P9 you mentioned above. Now own the Yorke S7 which has destroyed all previous tables, including an SME20.2 and even a Basis Debut, admittingly the Basis threw a blacker background BUT the Yorke had PACE that no other table has come close. I'd never sell the Yorke for any other table. BTW I use it with a 47 Labs cartridge.
Pat