Technics Direct Drive Turntable System

I'm so glad that I invested in one of these turntables! One of my best investments. No regrets!

It's a real shame that Technics puts such quality into the motor and base of this turntable, but cut corners on the tonearm curing device (arm lifter). The arm lifter does not have the quality of Technics of old. The lifter is flimsy and can drop on its own, if you're not careful and keep a watchful eye on it while elevated. Plus, when at its highest position, it drops like a rock for a few mm until the damping kicks in when you lower the arm. I sent videos to Technics technical team, who in turn said they forwarded the videos to the engineers in Japan. The conclusion was that this is normal operation.