Your thoughts or experiences with two specific turntables: Thorens 124 DD vs SME Model 12

I'm biased towards direct drives because of their better WOW and Flutter rejection. Efficiency of spin too.

A friend uses the 124 and is very happy with them. Direct drives when done well are hard to beat @letitbe1306 

The OP is referring to the NEW TD124, which I didn’t know existed until now. Apparently it’s direct drive and therefore very different from the classic TD124, which is probably a good thing so far as I’m concerned.

It's been some years since I listened to my father-in-law's Thorens (which he replaced with an LP12), but I do have two SME 10 tables (which are pretty similar to the Model 12). I don't think the word "idler" belongs in the description of the SME. To my ear, the SME is the better table.