Unoear, I'm afraid my experience is limited to some of the older Denon's, the Nakamichi centering turntable, the $400 Technics that you can still buy new, and some needle-drops of the Technics sp10 mk11. I cannot afford $12.5k. Since I'm speaking my mind, the way that Salvador speaks of Linn turntables, comes to mind with the direct-drives that I've heard. In the relentless quest of absolute drive(equivalent to Linn's simplification of music, i.e.playing the tune), it comes to mind that music might be simplified. My example is a needle drop that I heard comparing(I think it was)"Let if Be", by the Beatles. One version was, I think, a direct-drive, the other was a well-sorted Linn(maybe a Radikal?). I believe I heard this on Pink Fish media.