Best vintage DD turntables from the 70's and 80's?

As good as belt drivel.

There is often discussion of the relationships among the various Victor TT series turntables, the 101, 81, and 71.  The page in Vintage Knob cited by Chakster if you click on the blue Victor in his post, clarifies the differences nicely.
"The TT-81 is a 101 sans Double Bi-Directional Servo and with a simplified pitch control system/display ; the functions and features are nevertheless the same : +/- servo, ±6Hz of 440Hz without switching off quartz-lock switch, soft-touch transport keys and electronic braking with reverse-current circuit.
The strobe is included in the servo loop to avoid AC fluctuations from affecting the actual reading.

The TT-71 is an 81 without +/- servo, no pitch control, an even simplified stroboscope circuit and a solenoid-activated braking pad.

Many integrated players were based on these two drives : QL-10 (TT-81), QL-7 (TT-81) or QL-F6 (TT-81 but with Double Bi-Directional Servo added) among others."
However, I can attest that at least one small point in the VK passage is not correct.  The QL10 incorporates a TT101, not a TT81, along with a plinth and a UA 7XXX series tonearm.  That's how I bought my TT101, as part of a QL10 ensemble.

best-groove, To further complicate the history, if you want to nail down the inter-relationships, the coreless motors used in the Kenwood L07D and the Victor TT101, to name only two, owe a great deal to the original Dual coreless motor used in Dual DD turntables that were among their first efforts.  In fact, the story I read is that Dual sued Kenwood over copyright infringement, and Kenwood had to very slightly re-design their coreless motor so as to appease Dual.  Since Dual is German, it is likely they also influenced the EMT DD motors, if those were coreless.  You can still see the same basic design in the Brinkmann coreless DD motors of today.

Biker, did you mean “a tinkerers nightmare “, in reference to LP12?

From a 1200GR I’d consider an SP10R.
Bur also you’re quite wrong to think the vintage examples are all the same. They vary quite a bit in terms of motors, servo mechanism, platter mass, bearings, plinths, and suspension.

Typo. Sorry 

best-groove, I did include Denon DP100M.  I left off the Nakamichi turntables, because many say that apart from the brilliant LP centering device, they are not such great performers, but I would put ONE on the list of the very best, if you like.  As for EMT, they are not Japanese, and again, please pick ONE for this exclusive list.  Was the 950 the best of that lot?

What is the evidence that Micro-Seiki built the Onkyo, Yamaha, Kyocera, and "some" Luxman DD turntables? I don’t doubt it, but I am wondering about the source of the information. Does Vintage Knob, for example, endorse the idea? While we are at it, does the Kyocera DD, with which I am totally unfamiliar, play in this highest end league?

Based on my reading, personal experience, and many visits to Japan, my list of the best would include, in no particular order: Sony PSX9, Yamaha GT2000X, Technics SP10 Mk3, Kenwood L07D, Luxman PD441, Pioneer Exclusive P3, Denon DP100M and DN308, and I’d be willing to add the Onkyo PX100M on faith. What have I missed? Victor TT101/801, I guess. Honorable mention to Denon DP80/75 and a few Pioneer models below the P3. Anyone want to add to this "ultimate" list, without compromising too much?

Just checked Vintage Knob.  According to that authority, M-S did indeed build two turntables for Kyocera, and those are the only two Kyocera turntables deemed worthy of mention on VK.  However, they are both belt-driven and sport ceramic platters which some of us don't like.  Anyway, because they are belt-driven, Kyocera cannot make the list.

That Onkyo has a coreless motor with no “cocking”, according to the brochure. That’s a comfort. Beautiful machine. Resembles the Brinkmann DDs in appearance. Brinkmann also use a coreless motor.

JP, Perhaps you don't recall, but my own TT101 that you diagnosed and repaired does have selectable power transformer primary taps, and one of the choices is 120V.  I think the other choice is 100V.  It was someone else's opinion that units with switchable AC voltage choice were made to be sold to US servicemen serving in Japan back in the 80s.  That makes sense to me.

“Flying saucer”?
Did autocorrect do that?
If what you are getting is a 100 V model, as most of them were, just be sure you use a step down transformer, before you apply AC.

bimasta, Biggest difference between M-S DDX1000 and DQX1000, in addition to all the other differences you point out, is that the latter has a quartz-referenced speed control, whereas the DDX does not.  A very important difference.

I'm happy to see someone here recognized the excellence of the Denon DP80 as against the Technics backbone of this thread.  Enjoy!  I think it's a Best Buy, if you can find a nice one.
I agree with Downunder on the relationship between the Pioneer Exclusive P3 and P10.  The P3 is thought to be superior by a wide margin.  JP alluded to the difference between the P3 and P3a.  Yes, the P3a is said to have a better S/N ratio, but there was a change in the method for measuring S/N associated with the introduction of the P3a (1979, I think) that might account for the better number associated with the P3a.  There may be other small physical differences between the two, but I never found any testimony to support the notion that P3a was superior to P3, and market values are the same for both models. High. Sadly, I have no personal experience with either.

edgeware made a good point, and so did Chakster:  The PL70 has an edge on its competition at its price point, by virtue of its included tonearm, which seems to be the same as the one on the P3.  I've seen that tonearm for sale separately at prices in excess of $4,000.

My research also indicates that the lesser Yamaha's, below the GT2000, are not to be taken as seriously as the GT2000.  (We are talking about ultimate products here.  Surely the GT1000 and 750 will "work" and play LPs ok.) Moreover, keep in mind that the GT2000X is really the one to die for.

The only problem is LewM doesn’t own a p3. He used to lust after one, but he is now very happy with what he has. However, if some day Lew’s audiophile angel were to descend from heaven and present Lew with a p3, Lew would be ecstatic. Unfortunately, Lew does not believe in angels.

Unless your LP is in terrible condition, I don't see how letting the stylus ride in the run-out grooves for a half a minute or so, while you overcome your intertia and get up to change the LP, is going to hurt it.  So, I agree with Chakster.  I do like having a remote volume control, so I can turn down the gain whilst I prepare to rise from my listening seat for that chore.  That way, the speakers are protected from any transients.

Raul, thanks for that quote from Vintage Knob. Perhaps I failed to read that whole sentence when I consulted VK but as I recall their blurb on the PD444 stated the model number of the M-S motor used by Luxman in that table. I didnt note that it was sourced from Victor/JVC, if that’s the case..

Shane (Downunder), Good on you! Great array of turntables and I’m jealous of your P 3. I recently had a copper mat custom made for my L07D and the improvement in SQ was beyond my expectation.

amg, You may be correct, that the DDX1500 is quartz-referenced.  I was extrapolating from what I have read, probably on Vintage Knob, about the DDX1000 and DQX1000, namely that the "Q" indicates quartz-referencing.  Also, I googled "DQX1500" before posting and it came up as a listing; what would be the diff between a DDX1500 and a DQX1500, and did they or do they really exist as separate entities?  I confess that I only recently became aware of these 1500 series DD turntables from M-S.  Always willing to learn.  I do hold the opinion that the DDX1000 and DQX1000, while probably very good, are not competition for the top line turntables from others. However, my opinion is not worth the bytes taken up to write it, since I have heard neither.
Raul has challenged not only Chakster, who states that M-S made the motor for the PD444, but also Vintage Knob, which is where Chakster gets his info.  However VK is written by humans and is subject to error, and Chakster is human, too.  (I'm sure of it.) So, Raul, can you say where you get your information regarding the M-S DD turntables?  My question would be whether the M-S motor described by Vintage Knob and Chakster is coreless; it is said to be a "brushless DC motor", but that doesn't mean coreless.
Honestly guys, the old original Technics SL1200 and all its revisions that came after, are just not in the league with either the new SL1200G, GAE, GR, etc, or any of the vintage top line DD turntables.  No shame in owning and using them, however.

Forgot to say, I am not a collector.  All of my turntables are in use except for the Denon DP80, which I would sell if the market value was not so ridiculously low.  If anyone wants to get into this game, the DP80 is the one to look for; it can generally be found for less than $1000 (but not at my house).  TT101s are relatively cheap, too, but a bit more rare and very problematic to fix if broken.

This is a subject about which I know something.  Only two turntables or maybe one and a half turntables mentioned so far would play in the same league with the PD444, if we restrict ourselves to vintage direct drive.  These include a Micro Seiki and the Yamaha, but not the DDX1000 model and not the GT2000 model. The M-S DQX1500 (the "Q" indicates Quartz reference, which you want; whereas the DDX models do not have quartz referencing) and the GT2000X are the ones to look for.  (The L model is just a fancy plinth with a plain GT2000 chassis.) Unfortunately, Japanese people know this too, and those tables are very hard to find.  There was kind of a horsepower race among the top manufacturers, to make cost no object DD products, at the end of the 70s and up to the mid or late 80s.  The truly creme de la creme are the Pioneer Exclusive P3, the SP10 MK3 (of course), the Kenwood L07D, the Sony XS9 (really hard to find), the Denon DP100 (very very expensive), the aforementioned GT2000X, The Victor TT101 or the 801, which has vacuum hold down but is otherwise identical to the TT101.  The big Nakamichi with LP centering function is kind of in a class by itself.  I've not heard it but from what I can gather, the centering feature is genius but the rest of the turntable is not any better if as good as the top dogs. I own a Mk3 and a Kenwood L07D and a TT101.  I have a subliminated hankering for a Pioneer P3, but I think I can live without it.  I also have a Denon DP80 which in my system and in my opinion outperformed an SP10 Mk2 but does not outperform the Mk3 or the Kenwood.