Direct drive is great, but really there's nothing wrong with belt drive, unless you're doing more than just ordinary playback.
I have several used Quadraflex's that are just great. I have had some Dual's too. The only thing about buying a used one is that you should buy a new cartridge straight away.
Get yourself a means to measure stylus pressure. If any DJ or anyone using a turntable to convert to CD uses a turntable, the stylus pressure is cranked up to the point where it will destroy your records. And, too little pressure is just as bad as too much.
I had thought about reading LPs with a laser a long long time ago. I actually tried it once when I built a Laser Listening Device. I couldn't figure out how to do proper tracking though without having a stylus in the groove! How the heck do they do it with CD's?
