Gooey warmth and lushness from 1200? WTF? That's literally the opposite of what mine sounds like. I more expected you to call it too lean, especially with AT440.

Yeah. It's fast and pretty precise.

Might be the Doctor's fuzzy matt on his SL1200. I'm serious.

Fuzzy mat? Oh god, it didn't come with the thick rubber one?? Doh.

From article linked below.

"I took the thicker Technics platter mat and put it on the Pioneer's platter, and the thinner Pioneer mat on the Technics. You won't believe what happened. That champagne midrange moved over from the Technics to the Pioneer, and a tighter, more damped sound emerged from the Technics."

There's more mat comments in the article as well.

While I'm no Technics DJ fanboy or DD nazi, I find the hate for direct drive equally ignorant and misinformed by audiophile belt snobs. Simply haven't heard any issues with cogging or motor noise with OJ's TT. Again, it's his TT, not mine so I have no skin in the game. My Dual uses an idler which I CAN actually hear. Go figure.

By the way, Stereophile raved about the "Pioneer" PLX-1000, a crappy, shoddily built SL-1200 clone, ranking it "borderline Class B" in their recommended components section. So.... yeah.

I don't know what version of the article you read, but here's what I took away from that one. A lot of it has matched many of my impressions.

http://www.stereophile.com/content/gramophone-dreams-4#o19TkSdmOFP982bJ.97

"With the PLX-1000's platter removed, I could see that its motor mounts and interior construction were completely different from (but possibly sturdier and more serviceable than) those of the venerable Technics machine. Musically and mechanically, the new PLX-1000 seems more heavy-duty and sure-footed than the vintage, near-mint SL-1200MK2 I borrowed for comparisons."

"Just for fun, we played Steve Guttenberg's original pressing, bought in 1965, of Beatles for Sale (LP, Parlophone PCS 3062) on the belt-drive VPI Traveler ($1199) with an Ortofon 2M Black cartridge ($799), and on the Pioneer PLX-1000 with the Zu DL-103 ($519). Normally, the Ortofon, with its sensitive nude Shibata stylus, is a very refined, uncolored, low-distortion cartridge; and normally, the Zu DL-103, with its conical stylus, is a looser, more colorful, but more generalized-sounding cartridge. Today, those roles were reversed. Bass through the Traveler was slightly woolly and puffy, while bass through the Pioneer felt controlled, tuneful, and detailed. (I'm certain much of this difference can be attributed to the Pioneer's superior vibration isolation on my extremely rigid equipment rack.) The VPI's midrange sounded more recessed and dark than the brighter, more focused sound of the PLX-1000. During this comparison, the VPI had the most refined and enjoyable top octaves while the Pioneer the most realistic bottom octaves. Overall, the Pioneer's eager, smiling handshake made the VPI seem a little shy and dutiful."

"Next, we replaced the VPI with Mike Trei's like-new Technics SL-1200MK2 and played a bunch of records using only the Zu Denon cartridge and the excellent Schiit Audio Mani phono stage ($129), designed by Mike Moffat. Out of curiosity, we used Dr. Feickert Analogue's Adjust+ test record and iPhone app to measure the speed accuracy of the SL-1200M2 and PLX-1000. Both 'tables performed better than their published specifications."

"I tried to forget about the PLX-1000 and just enjoy playing records—until I got restless and began wondering how the brand-new Pioneer would compare with my ancient (idler drive) Thorens TD 124.

Right now, I wish I could say something like, "The Pioneer was good, but not quite as good as my reference TD 124." But I can't. Both 'tables actively disarmed my critical facilities and let me focus on the music—which is the main reason I like them. My expertly restored Thorens was obviously noisier than the Pioneer, but even so, it seemed less noticeable in the reproduction chain than the PLX-1000. Meanwhile, the Pioneer added an extra clear octave each of bass and treble that made every record sound richer, more open, and alive. The Pioneer's added frequency extension let me look deeper into musical soundscapes."

"Compared to the best belt-drive turntables, the Pioneer PLX-1000 emitted a barely perceptible forced weightiness. I had to listen very carefully to hear this. The effect was like a nervous unsuppleness that pushed ever so lightly against my consciousness while music was playing. I've noticed this forced weightiness with almost every direct-drive turntable—except maybe old Mitchell A. Cotter's B-1, the Victor (JVC) TT-101, and the new VPI. Could this be what those belt-drive fanatics are complaining about?

But wait! Before all you überperceptive rubber-band practitioners get too cocky, I should point out that belt-driven 'tables have their own variant of this subtle phenomenon. To my ears, all but the most elite belt-drives surround the musical flow with an unmistakable, vacuous, hollow, unnaturally relaxed, false emptiness that reminds me of an uncomfortable silence in a romantic conversation. This false emptiness can also feel slightly off the beat."

"Yes, people, the Pioneer PLX-1000 plays music like a high-torque direct-drive record-playing machine. That is why I enjoyed it so much. It gave tangible force and soulful energy to pop, R&B, jazz, and electronica. Belts can't touch the PLX-1000's excitement, naturally formed detail, and clearly expressed forward momentum. And who could have imagined? This new Pioneer also showcases the complex tonal character and elegant structures of classical music better than any affordable belt-drive I've experienced. So . . ."

Based on this, my own admittedly limited experience and other readings, it seems I would need to spend more than $7000 to get better than borderline class B and outperform a $600 Direct Drive TT on a consistent basis.

I don't think you can make generalizations about it when you've only owned one budget DD TT and listened to one budget belt drive TT for a collective total of 12 minutes. Motor or other extraneous noise become more obvious with MC or more resolving carts. Then again, the way you're headed, you are probably going to say that MM carts are all that he necessary.

I don't think he'd say that considering he's building his own MC phono pre. I'm also pretty sure there isn't one budget belt drive TT within 20 square miles of Shaizada's house.