As a Spacedeck owner, I personally love the spin-by-hand starting.. it's convenient and makes me feel like a club dj. My tonearm is a Nottingham (Pre-Anna) "The Foot" (yes, it's 12") and it does hum like crazy with a low output Zyx. But it was re-wired so who knows.. as for a finger lift, let's just say that Mr. Clumso doesn't need that temptation.
Comments about Nottingham quirks
In this month's 2009 analog issue of "The Absolute Sound" there is a review of the Nottingham interspace Jr. that seems pretty bad. I was considering a 294 until I read how annoying most operations of the Nottingham are. The weird thing is they list the 249 as one the best recommendations even though it has the same quirks as the interspace Jr. Any thoughts?