SME 20/3 or Oracle Delphi VI or Garrard 301

Mauidj, hope you have your armor on because you just mentioned the word TW, here we go.

.."way better"... No. Not even "any better".
Try then a well developed and tweaked Lenco idler-drive, also for much less money. I know you won't do that; I am just trying to help you think outside the box.

Lewn, what makes you think that you think outside the box, just a different box?

Manidj Good luck with your quest for a new turntable thirty year's with a single component certainly stood the test of time.
Whatever you choose I'm sure you will be delighted.

Asking a question which way you should spend your money most respondent's would like to to do just that, help spend your money.

You welcome other's thoughts well here's mine.
Take your time ,you already proved your patience with your Oracle.
Be wary of evangelistic type people in this hobby.

Keep an open mind to new improved solution's for thought to be antiquated turntable drives.

I wholeheartedly agree with Lewm here and others elsewhere like Steve Dobbin's, Win Tinnon, Mike Lavigne, Albert Porter, Jonathan Carr, Thuchan, Jean Nantais and Arthur Salvatore just to name a few.

Dear Inna, I am beginning to think you don't think I think outside the box. Somehow, this does not trouble me. Obviously, we all live in our own boxes and escape to novel thinking is different for each of us. I hate the phrase "think outside the box" anyway; it was clever once but now it has become just as much of a cliche' as thinking inside the box. (Name is "LewM", by the way.)

The fact is that I have been a devoted audiophile since the early 70s. I lived through all the fads in turntable design and construction. I was totally sold on belt-drive up until a few years ago. In fact, I never owned anything but belt-drives, starting with an AR turntable in the 70s. Then I heard a Lenco at a friend's house. That experience stimulated me to buy a nice condition Lenco L75 and to start to modify it per Lenco Heaven, etc. The Lenco completely blew away my then Nottingham Analog Hyperspace, which I still consider to be a great belt drive turntable. After that, I got interested in vintage direct-drive turntables, slate as plinth material, etc, etc. I have no beef with belt-drive turntables per se, but I get performance out of my tweaked Lenco, my SP10 Mk3, and my L07D that continues to please me and is far more cost-effective than buying a belt-drive turntable at the price point that might even dream of competing with what I own.

Yep, just a different box. Very sorry for the OT rant. The L07D needs an RFI/EMI shield between the platter and the platter mat, in order to really shine, by the way, which is why the OP might not have appreciated it back in the late 80s. I made one out of TI Shield, for $40.