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

My first decent playback rig was a KLH Model 20 compact system (the one without the tuner). Built-in Gerrard table with a Pickering cart festooned with a little record brush sticking over the end…cool…really good sounding speakers for that time.

Wolf, I almost got that system, went for a Benjamin all-in-one unit instead that I could bring with me to college.  I think if you want to hear these sorts of albums the way you remember them from the 60s you really ought to get one of the Sony/Technics/Girard tables from back then with a Shure or Stanton cartridge and AR or inexpensive JBL speakers.  I do agree, though, that any good turntable will play these albums fine, my Basis does.  Just might not sound the same as they did in the 60s, for a variety of reasons, some not necessarily audio-related.

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.

I agree, Ralph. 

At the end of the day, if you optimize (to the extent possible) for a particular genre of music, you will ultimately lose, and shut down your musical choices.  Today, you're into Led Zepplen, tomorrow, it might be Liszt. It's all about expanding your musical choice.

Having said that, and knowing that no audio product is perfect, the strengths and weaknesses of a particular design can either be masked or hyperbolized by different musical genres. 

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier Design

Well, of course good table should be able to play anything reasonably well but still one could try to choose based on music preferences and preferred presentation. For example, I know that I will not be into opera, rap or even Zeppelin, though the latter is closer to my taste.
As for the Nottingham, it is very popular in Britain, I have no idea why it is, yes, somewhat obscure here. It is also very unintimidating table, a little on the warm dark and deep side.

There are surely components that "do" bass better than others, noise floor, or any other parameter you can dream of and you can certainly "optimize" around those parameters if you choose (note the quotes around optimize). 

Let's use the Zeppelin example.  Might there be two or more different attributes that two different individuals consider to be the essence of Zep - say for example one person considers John Paul Jones' bass playing to be the key while another might argue for Robert Plant's vocals or Jimmy Page's guitar?  They might prefer two different turntables based on this strategy.  How would I recommend a Zep optimized system to someone?

I think the safest path (even if you're limiting your musical genres) is to still audition a wide variety of music, including music you don't (think) you like.  Linn had a lot of propaganda back in the 80's that was just that, but one of their recommendations that I subscribe to is the above auditioning strategy.

Let's put it this way.  Have you ever been to a live performance where you heard a group, and only then did you consider buying recordings of their music?  What's that about, and why can't this be the case with your home system (that it introduces you to new music and new genres)?

I have a thought exercise I'd like you to run in the background as you select music to play.  How many times have you selected a recording (we're talking physical media), pulled it out of the shelf, and then pushed it back in?

What's that about? 

Surely there are times when you're plainly not in the mood, and you pulled the recording out only because it caught your attention when you were browsing. 

I would argue that for many systems, in a large percentage of the time, pushing the recording back in the shelf is because you triggered a memory of the recording not sounding that good. 

What percentage of your recordings don't "sound that good"?

Clearly, we all have clunkers in our collection, but I contend that we're unintentionally shutting down our musical appreciation by many of our equipment choices.

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier