Turntables currently considered top of the range. Do you know what they are ?

Any thoughts on the Holbo deck from Slovenia? It combines an air bearing turntable with a linear tracking tonearm, which also runs on air. 

@richardbrand Generally speaking, you want zero slop (play, endfloat, whatever you want to call it) between the surface of the platter and the mount of the cartridge. The engineering problem is very much like that of the steering of car or motorbike, where a little bit of slop can make the vehicle dangerous and unsettling to drive.

Air bearings can work but they have to be done properly to get around this issue of zero slop. Its not a trivial problem!

BTW this is the same reason the plinth of the turntable (which is the thing to which the platter and its bearing are bolted) should be exactly the same thing to which the tonearm is mounted. For example if the arm is mounted to something that is damped better than the mount of the platter bearing, any vibration that the platter bearing might be subjected to can by picked up by the tonearm. To prevent this (to lower noise) the mount of the platter bearing and the mount of the tonearm are the same part. 

@atmasphere

That was pretty much Ivor Tiefenbrun's thesis at Linn and it makes perfect sense!

Recently acquired a VPI classic reference and Fatboy 10” tonearm. Coupled with a VR power supply it Put my TD124 to shame

jwei, I purchased a VPI Prime Signature 21 and am very happy with it. It’s about $9K with Fatboy Arm, decent isolation feet. Heavy platter and powerful motor. Standard VPI stuff. I don’t think I could justify spending more on a turntable. IMHO VPI is solid and pretty much true. I probably would be impressed with a turntable that costs five or ten times as much, but don't think it would be worth the extra $. I don't ever have turntable envy, although I do have cartridge envy. I think a few thousand dollars would be much more noticed in a better cartridge. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

jwei, I purchased a VPI Prime Signature 21 for about 20% of $50K. I like it. I never have turntable envy. I just play records and feel that I am getting a true sound. I do have cartridge envy, however.