There’s something so comforting about remembering how things used to be.

The best upgrade I did was replacing all cables with Monster Cables as short and  fat as possible and all plugs and connectors with gold covered ones. The improvement was huge.

In 1984 I bought new a Yamaha PF-1000 Turntable. I still have it and it's listed specs exceed many fine turntables today. Downside: it's gorgeous "twin- pipe" tonearm demands a high compliance cartridge... long out of favor among manufacturers.

Technics SL-1200GR the best turntable in my life.

I like my ReVox B790 from 1978.😊

In or around 1974 a friend of mine and myself went to a private electronics store in Greenville, NC. On display they had a JVC turntable connected to a JVC stereo system. Sitting on that turntable there was a record, (I believe it was Jimi Hendrix?)  Anyway that album had deep scratches in that we assumed would be unplayable.  The salesman came up, turned on the turntable, and dropped the needle.  No hearing the scratches, nothing put pure sound.  He cranked it up, way up.  Still no scratch noise etc...   My friend said it must be an album that just looked scratched, could not have that much damage to it were you could not hear the scratches.  When he said that, the salesman took the record off the turntable, threw it on the tile floor, put his foot on it, and pulled the album back and forth rubbing it hard on that floor.  He then picked up the album, wiped it off on the leg of his pants, and put it back on the turntable with what he rubbed against the floor on the playing side.  Put the needle back on the vinyl, and still no sound of a scratch on that album. We were 17 and that turntable cost $299.00. We both had better things to spend on then a turntable.  I cannot remember, that has been more than 50 years ago, but I think it had a Shure Cartridge on the tone arm?   Now I am someone that has been through it all, as far is stereo systems go, but I have never found a turntable that could do that.  I have thought about it many times in my life.  Do you know of a turntable or cartridge capable of that?  Thank you,

Dual 701.

where's the ventilation for the marantz ai yi yi?

Any Technics with S TONEARM is a good buy. Be it DD or BD.

Yamaha GT 750!

A lot of the tonal qualities that you ascribe to the turntables featured are really more the provenance of the cartridges used.

MICRO

TRIO KP8800とKENWOOD KP7700の2台を 現在も常用しています。ナイフエッジのトーンアームで軽快な動きです。
オートリフトアップなので 眠ってしまっても安心です。7700にはMM、8800にはMCカートリッジを付けて Jazzを楽しんでいます。

Where is VPI ? Or more importantly Sota. Either one of those brands are better than anything listed in your list.

I teally get pished off with AI Kacky

Bought first Linn Sondek in the eighties—now got fully spec Linn Klimax —good life😊

Have you spair styles and cartridge of turn tables  ? Magnetic

Thorens TD 160/165 and the Dual 704. You'd need to spend at least $1000 nowadays to get close. A Thorens TD 125 with a SME 3009 tone arm? Make that $3500.

well best sound gives Yamaha YP-D6, on various amps..

Se eu posso ter um bom toca discos com tração direta, porque vou gastar dinheiro com correias e polias? O meu technics SL 1200 MK 2 que uso desde os anos 80 nunca me deu problema. É uma obra prima da engenharia do Japão. Robusto e  com todos os recursos necessários para uma ótima audição de meus discos de vinil. Não sou DJ, sou apenas um audiófilo normal. :body-blue-raised-arms: