I've done a few head-to-head-to-head comparisons between various turntables over the years. I could probably dig up some of the audio files (recorded directly from my preamp into my PC), if anyone's interested. In one blind test, I picked out a high-end vintage exotic from the golden years (Pioneer PL-L1000), an often-dismissed entry-level direct drive (Audio Technica AT-LP120USB), and a random $8 thrift-shop record changer (Garrard SL65B), and asked a group of audiophiles to pick out which one sounded best. All ran the same cartridge (a nice ADC) into a nice phono preamp, with a variety of music. Some pop, some jazz, some rap, some classical, etc. to cover all the bases since everyone has their own music tastes, and trying to make people discern the differences in a song they've never heard before would just be pointless. Some were pristine pressings, others were well-loved inner-groove tracks.
In the end, the Audio Technica was tied with the fancy Pioneer, and the little old Garrard wasn't far behind! Most of them could "hardly tell a difference". How on earth could that be?! Well, the differences between any properly designed turntable are just that subtle. Sure yeah, you can look at a spectral analysis and see some differences, but the fact of the matter is that the actual sonic playing field is a bit more level than you would think. Now of course, I would absolutely expect the Pioneer to take a much fancier cartridge and sound utterly fantastic, just based on the amount of technology that went into it's linear tonearm, but who really knows how much worse the Audio Technica or the Garrard would sound? And what if I threw a $40,000 turntable into the mix? Or even a digital file? Would it reign supreme over those humble little record players? Guess we'll never truly know.
In general, I think that the real differences between *properly* designed turntables are primarily aesthetic or material. The sonic differences mostly seem to come down to differences in cable capacitance (making one sound more "open" or "closed off" than another), speed accuracy (faster="punchy", slower="relaxed"), pitch stability, and of course, proper setup. S-arms vs. J-arms vs. linear arms, direct vs. belt vs. idler drive, all likely pale in comparison to good looks and good ergonomics for 99% of people. After all, what good is the greatest sounding turntable you've ever heard if the cue lever sends the arm flying in the air or dropping it like a rock, looks like a 90s food processor, and skips everytime the cat uses the litter box?
Back on topic, I think I like the Technics just a little bit better, but again, the differences are so minute. They both sound great!
