First let’s be clear about some basic turntable language. There are two types of record players in the world; belt-drive and direct-drive. Belt-drives use a rubber belt (or a series of belts) attached to a motor and the turntable platter. The main idea here is to isolate motor noise from the turntable itself. Direct-drive sits the motor underneath the platter and turns the platter directly.

Now two of the most important specs when evaluating a turntable: Wow and Flutter, and Rumble.

Wow and Flutter: This is basically how well the turntable maintains a consistent speed as it turns. Speed fluctuations are my most hated of all fluctuations.

Rumble: This is the signal to noise ratio or how much noise the motor makes in relation to the sound being produced by the record being played.

What about sound quality? Absolutely essential, but a big part of that equation is the cartridge and stylus choice. What I can say here regarding the Technics direct-drive turntables is that when paired with a nice cartridge they can sound stunning. When paired with a janky cartridge they’ll sound, well, not so great, but it will not be the fault of the turntable.