Direct Drive vs. Idler Drive vs. Belt drive

@richardkrebs 

 What, to me, is important is the speed accuracy at a micro level.

Can you comment on your statement above, if the drive is capable of micro speed stability would it not be able to maintain its 
speed or for that matter a stationary dot on a wall over a 1.8 sec
period? 

@totem395 
Yes it goes without saying that the drive can manage an apparently stationary dot over 1.8 seconds. I was referring to a longer time frame, say a complete side of an LP. To me it doesn't really matter if the dot has drifted a little after 20 or so minutes. 
We are referring to speed drift. Quite a different metric than W@F and short term speed stability. 

In a DD, this drift is related to temperature and the accuracy of the speed reference.  A quartz crystal or another form of precision oscillator.
Speed drift on my design is < +- 0.0025%


  

Can you comment on your statement above, if the drive is capable of micro speed stability would it not be able to maintain its
speed or for that matter a stationary dot on a wall over a 1.8 sec
period?

the speed almost does not matter within a range. our ears and brains are dramatically more sensitive to steadyness of pitch than the actual pitch. and our reality check with our senses is any sort of grain or warbling in a decay or sustain is immediately sensed as a non-linearity......not real.

so the idea of accuracy is going down the wrong path. we want steady.......and we want continuous.

are there people with perfect pitch. maybe, but not many. and different pitches typically don't sound 'wrong'. OTOH everyone can hear when a piano or horn sounds sour and it's a bummer.

there is more to music than these concepts;; but when done right this is very big.

NVS costs $45K brand new.
EMT 948 costs $10K NOS or $5K used in perfect conditons with tonearm.

when you get into vintage turntables compared to new, there are no rules. and you have to view value with time adjusted dollar values. the EMT 948 with arm was similar value in the mid-80's to a new NVS. we could name a number of 70's and 80's direct drive tt's which are fully competitive to new models. and some would claim the vintage choices are better.

and then you have the idea of what would one spend for a used NVS now? so the $45k number is......just a number.

which does not make the EMT 948 a bad tt. it's a very good one, but not at the very top rank even for vintage direct drives.....to my ears.

personally i do view the NVS as being in the top rank of current direct drive tt's. particularly sitting on my Takio Tana active shelf. it's the best direct drive i have heard.



 

Hi @mikelavigne ,

Which vintage DD turntables are your favorites?

My musicant-audiophile fried had both EMT950 and 948. In the end, he decided sell 948 and left for himself 950. But he told the difference was't too big.
In my case, I had Nottingham Analogue Spacedeck/Spacearm, Lenco L78 on heavy plinth and SME 3009mk2 tonearm and EMT 948 with 929 tonearm.
I liked Lenco more than Nottingham. EMT 948 is much better then both Lenco and Nottingham. 

Regards,
Alex