Vintage Turntables compared to modern?

After having owned nice, mid range tables like the LP-12, SOTA and VPI, I am now totally vintage and will not go back. Two belt drives, an idler and a direct-drive. Then again, unless you have deep pockets for the flagship models, most of the mainstream Japanese manufacturers older offerings will probably not satisfy.

Have you listened to the vintage tables that you mentioned? The only way is to decide for yourself. I myself have gone vintage and have no regrets. Proper isolation is the key.

The vintage idler drive Lenco is fabulous. Vintage is the way to go.
Interesting that some high priced belt drive table manufacturers of today, are flirting with idler drive designs.
See my system photos and check out lencolovers.com.

I have been happy with my Micro Seiki MR611 for over 20 years. I am thinking of upgrading but not in any real hurry. The main problem is that to get a decent improvement I will need to spend thousands.

DS

No question in my mind about the superior return on investment found in vintage turntables. While modern belt-drive tables may compete in the area of ultimate performance, they do not compete at all in "bang for the buck" comparisons.
In the days when my Technics SL-1000 MK II was developed, Technics had a huge volume of mass market turntable sales to fund the R&D needed for such a design and perhaps a million radio stations to sell it to worldwide. Nowadays, no manufacturer in his right mind would invest that level of funding in a project that might, if lucky, sell a couple of hundred units. It just doesn't make any business sense.