Cartridge-- M/M or M/C

A stock Technics 1200 will smoke the Rega 25. No need to stay in Hi-Fi hell...

Psychicanimal may have a point: I'm an idler-wheel man myself. Both direct-drive and idler-wheel 'tables are theoretically superior to belt-drives in speed accuracy - the trick is in the execution. But I still keep a few belt-drives around for entertainment: as long as they have rhythm, I can dig'em. And my Decca absolutely needs a damped unipivot and loves the AR. Too bad the Technics doesn't come with one.

It's a no brainer to me--but here's actual testimony of someone who went through these troubles:

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1069168134&read&3&4&

I know he dumped a 1200 for a Rega 25 and then had to come back to the 1200. This time fully modified.

Idler wheels can be killer TTs, like the EMTs. It akes a lot of money to come with an adequate ( "rhythmic" ) belt drive, that's for sure...

Sorry, it was a Rega P9, not a 25. Oh, well, more power to the Creature!

Psychicanimal,
I guess I'll have to buy one eventually: after I had discovered how superior idler-wheel drives were to belt drives, my mind was opened to the possibility of the Technics, and I collect record players (rhythmic ones), but my idler-wheel drives are so good (I build the bodies myself for recreation, changing the design and materials each time) I know their abilities are far beyond the abilities of any preamp I will ever be able to afford! Nevertheless, the Technics has been on my shortlist for a long time.

But even a truly good belt-drive can draw an astonishing amount of information from the groove (as I discovered one day when I stuck a Classe DR-8 in my system). And while a lot of high-end belt-drives suck in the rhythm (musicality) area, it's not really a question of money: any of the ARs rock incredibly well, through simple application of an intelligent design philosophy: a low-mass subchassis, cast from thick aluminum and ribbed for resonance control, extremely well-designed springs which give it about the best isolation out there (truly), a light but well-machined platter and bearing assembly, and a low-torque motor to go with all that low mass. The result is incredible lightness of foot, good detail, excellent rhythm. It's just that people do not go to the trouble to match them up with quality tonearms. Of course, well-designed idler-wheels and direct-drives (though I have yet to actually test DDs) are superior overall (IMHO), but the AR - usually available used from $30 to $300, is right up there with the best when it comes to making music.

Anyone ever try a fluid-damped Technics tonearm with a zero-compliance Decca? Also, the Decca, like the Grados, has a tendency to pick up hum: do Grados do well on the Technics? Are we confusing Scott?