Coming from an audiophile point of view, the direct drive tables, no matter what anyone says, are noisy and introduce a noticeable rumble into the sound from the record. I was once (a long, long time ago) a Technics owner and they are solid performers and built well BUT they do not compare to a good turntable like the MMF5 or the SOTA Moonbeam. Now those table s are a bit more expensive than the Goldring but they are really well built and sound very good for the money. The Goldring is a lightweight beginners table that performs well for what it was made to do. I can recommend it though I highly recommend waiting it out and getting the MMF5 or Moonbeam. You will not regret the extra money spent and they will last you a long time without the need for an upgrade or replacement due to it wearing out or breaking.
Record cleaning is second only to having a turntable in the first place. You can make vinyl that pops and ticks and clean it and it will sound like new. Most other noises are caused by wear from a bad or misaligned carrtridge. There are also plenty of bad pressings with sonic flaws. But dirt, dust and mold/mildew can be dealt with effectively with a good solution (I like the Buggtussel solution) and a good vacuum record cleaner ( I like VPI) . It can make all the difference in your total satisfaction with the vinyl experience.
One last note, the Technics and other DJ turntables are not made for critical listening but for play in a loud environment where the sonic flaws go unnoticed. Through a good speaker or headphone system, those flaws stick out like a sore thumb. You do not need to use a VPI HRX with a Lyra Titan (OK, that is what I use) to achieve a high quality experience. But you can serve your purposes best by getting a Turntable that will get out of the way and let the vinyl have its say. Direct drive and automatic turntables are not ideal...
Todd
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