I had Nottingham Spacedeck and moved to a heavy plinth Lenco 78 with SME 3009mk2 tonearm.
Lenco won in terms of PRaT, piano and organ tone, better bass, better instrument separation, more musical. No rumble, very quiet idler drive.
Most belt drive turntables are not accurate in rhythm nuances and play separate divided not connected sounds. The general meaning of music, the essence of interpretation itself disappears. They are also sensitive to the belt condition and bearing maintenance. Rubber belt should be changed each couple of years.
Garrard 301 motor and rumble
I had my 301 restored but I still complain about rumble at high volume. Iv'e been bitching about the plinth I made, but I just lifted the platter to see if perhaps the motor was the issue. when you engage the idler and apply a little pressure to engage fully, I feel the vibration. Either the brass speed selection post is not true or its the motor transmitting the vibration, but the motor seems very smooth.
What steps should I employ to figure this out?