Pioneer Direct Drives - Now and then?

I've got a Pioneer PLX-1000 on my #2 system (with a Parasound P5, Primare a30.2, and Tekton Double Impacts, customized with ribbon tweeters in place of the standard tweeter array). I bought that turntable because I always wanted to try a direct drive (my other turntables -- a Rega P3 and a vintage Micro Seiki MB14 -- are both belt drives), but I didn't want to pay a steep "nostalgia premium" for the Technics brand on what is a nearly identical turntable. Of course, the word "nearly" can hide a lot of significant differences, and there are some between the Pioneer PLX-1000 and the Technics 1200MK7. Some of those differences actually would appear to favor the Pioneer. It's 7 pounds heavier, has more initial torque, and less Wow and Flutter. On the other hand, its tracking error is 1% higher than the Technics. I don't how much, if at all, these specification differentials reflect audible differences in performance. But one difference that I certainly did notice was that the Pioneer retails for about half the price of the Technics.

Erik,I have an older Rega Planar 3 that I will donate to you if you'll pay the shipping. It may not be as good as some metioned but is respected as an entry level turntable. Let me know if your interested. I also have those 5 albums your looking for.

great post @markmay 
LOL