What makes for a "great" turntable?

That's a passionate response Dolph and in a way, I know what you mean.
However on this issue, we'll have to agree to 'disagree'?
I believe the last 10-15 years have seen some significant advances in the thought and design of turntables, arms and cartridges (particularly LOMCs).
Whilst invoking the analogy of suspended decks and tube amps will put a lot of people on your side, it is rather suspect?
While I'm happy to accept an electrical signal preferring the linearity of tubes to the on/off nature of transistors, I do not believe a turntable prefers to 'move'.....which it certainly will do if it is suspended?
The 'softness', 'warmth' and 'magic' you perceive in your suspended turntables are really a 'colouration', 'distortion' and 'loss of information'.
Many people prefer this romanticism to 'fidelity' and good luck to them.....whatever 'rocks your boat'?
But to bemoan the loss of 'magic'?............you really need to hear the Raven AC-3, Rockport Sirius, Walker Proscenium or Clearaudio Statement in a fine home system to re-discover the magic......the magic of 'fidelity'.

We disagree to agree.

However, we seem to disagree to disagree that arms and cartridges have moved on in development.

Don't think I find romance in the ultimate sound welcome.
My preference is mastertapes played on 1/2-track 15ips Lyrec machines.
Doesn't get better no matter how much money you throw after TT's, arms and cartridges.

I will agree to disagree that my describtion can be explained with colouration, distortion and loss of information.

The trick is not that the hanging suspended TT moves.
The trick is that what's carrying the LP and doing the grooving is NOT moving.

The TT's you mention can each buy several cars from new.
I did audition two of them.
I chose different.

"dolph"

Right combination of TT, tonearm and cartridge. Regardless of price. I have a TT set up of $4000, $20000 and $50000 ( retail), The smaller one is extremely satisfactory. In fact I love the sound of the smaller set up. Comparison done using same phono and rest of the system. Speed probably is the least accurate (in comparison) but most musical.

Nil, I'm a big advocate of system synergy as the primary key to good sound, be it the phono rig or the whole setup.