[sharpsuxx]

I haven't heard either of these but a buddy of mine is getting into vinyl.  Has anyone heard these table and have any experience?  Which one has more features?  Which has better SQ?  Which one has a lower noise floor?  All the usual stuff.

Also are there any other turnkey tables for under $200 that would compete?

[orthobiz]

In general, I would recommend choosing a VINTAGE table that is

1. available
2. in excellent condition
3. is easy to maintain.

I do not know the Q5, but it appears to be a linear tracker so it might be more finicky and harder to find parts for.

I would recommend choosing a NEW (or "non-vintage") table that is

1. in excellent condition
2. has only one agenda: to play records (simply put, no USB input, no preamp built in)

I would tend to avoid the ION and Gemini tables, I think a well-serviced vintage table will give you more spinning time.

I have no experience with either table you mention, but threads that pit one particular model vs. another particular model are hard to answer. On vinylengine dot com they must list at least 100 different Technics models!

Paul