Anyone moved from a high-end vintage DD to new entry level belt-drive?

[Brett A]

Short version:
I would love to your reports of swithing from a vintage direct drive turntable to an entry level modern belt-drive.

Long version:
For the last year or-so, I've been running a Pioneer PL-550 direct drive turntable mounted with an Audio Technica AT440MLa cartridge, running through a Cambridge Azur 640p phono stage. It's my first 'real' analog set-up. And if I can quantify its performance, I'd say it provides 80% of the detail retrieval, image focus, and soundstaging of my Rotel RCD 1070 CD player. (Both are hooked up with Siltech IC's) I'm impressed with the TT's performance, as i have less than 1/2 the money in it compared to the Rotel.

Now I have the opportunity to pick up a Music Hall MMF 2.1 for a little over $200. It would not match the build quality of the Pioneer (which was TOTL in '77), but would offer basic modern (whatever that means ) belt-drive operation without sacrificing the adjustability of the Pioneer (such as VTA). And for $200~, it's a pretty low-risk endeavor. I would run the Music Hall with the AT 440 MLa cart which is a much better performer than the Goldring that comes with it.

Any thoughts on what I might expect? Would this be a waste of time and money?

Attached, you'll see a photo of my current set-up. That's a DIY sandbox it's sitting in. And racquetball halves it's sitting on.