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How good is the Micro Seiki DDX-1000 Direct Drive turntable ?

Here is the MICRO DDX-1000 direct drive. Never tried myself, but it is the most compact DD designed for 3 tonearms.

*The question is how good this turntable really is, compared to some other vintage Direct Drives ?


Some information from VintageKnob website:  

The DDX-1000 is the original design, with two sculpted strobe markings around the 2kg / 31cm die-cast aluminium platter. The resulting moment of inertia is at 330kg / cm2 and the top mat in fact covers a thick cork sub-mat set inside the platter itself.

The DDX-1000, in real late 70s modernism is a direct-drive. The motor is a DC-Servo with FG frequency generator reference set through the strobe neon lamp which "checks" how many stripe it sees and rectifies if necessary ; the resulting speed accuracy is of 0,03%.

The starting torque is of 1,2kg / cm and load characteristics allow the DDX-1000 to remain below 0,04% deviation up to a 3g load set at the outer limit of the platter - specs-wise, we're here under the contemporary Sony TTS-8000 for instance...

The heigh-adjustable feet are typical Micro Seiki (or Luxman, of course :) and contain a mix of inert damping (neoprene stuffing) and mechanical damping (spring).

The is no Quartz Lock on the DDX-1000 ; the MD-1000 power-supply box holds the power on/off, start 33rpm, start 45rpm and stop buttons plus two ± 6% speed controls.

The AX-1G to AX-6G tonearm bases fit everything from the ubiquitous SMEs to the Technics EPA-100 or PUA-1600L.

Of course, the motor of the DDX was used as basis for the Marantz Tt 1000 (1979), and that of the DQX-1500 (an updated DQX-1000) for the Tt 1000 mkII (1992). And, as often, Micro's direct-drive motors came from... Victor.


DDX-1000/G :

April 1976 limited edition (really limited : 30 units) custom made in... bronze. Howerever, it is black-looking for the most part, with the bronze only kept visible for the top of the three feet ; the platter was kept in AL and the command box was anodized in all-black style ; even the AX-1/G was in-bronze-but-painted-black...
Names of the people they were made for (and offered to - these were gifts !) were silkscreened on the (bronze...) motor's cache (...but painted black) - a rarity to say the least.


The DDX-1000 naturally spawned a myriad of lookalikes and still does today - perhaps better than the original, perhaps not. Or not that much :) 

128x128chakster
bimasta's avatar
bimasta
227 posts
 
@Chakster  You answered your own question with your 12-20/4:07 pm post. The Denon DP80 is a much better move.

I have both the DP80 and the Micro DQX-1000. The Denon is clearly better — and the same can be said of the DQX-1000 vs its older, bigger, uglier, more famous and worse brother, the DDX-1000, which you were briefly interested in.

A friend had one, and it was his pride and joy. When I got my DQX I took it over for a comparison. I regretted it — neither of us knew it would be so much better than his DDX, and I left him very depressed.

The DQX is wonderful, a joy to listen to, and it puts a smile on my face just looking at it while putting a record on. And I use its multiple arms feature. It’s far less known than the DDX because it was introduced just as the world changed to CD. A shipment of DQX-1000s arrived in the Port of Los Angeles, and the distributor didn’t even bother to pick them up. They sat in a warehouse for years; a dealer I know bought a few for his regular customers who’d stayed with Vinyl, and and I was one of them.

But though I love it, and the Denon isn’t as sexy, the DP80 is simply in a higher realm.
chakster's avatar
chakster OP
6,144 posts
 
Yeah, thanks

I guess in this situation i will stick to my Luxman PD-444, Denon DP-80, Victor TT-101 turntables. 

The impulse for Micro was strange. 
amg56's avatar
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amg56
887 posts
 
Chakster
The Luxman PD-444 (and 555) are some of the best “vintage” tables available. I am moving on acquiring both at the moment. My two current tables are a MS-91L and a Luxman PD-350. I have a PD-310 and my first born JVC QL-Y5F.
I had to move my Nakamichi Dragon CT and importantly for this post was a MS DDX-1500 with 2 arms. It was one of my best performers. Maybe I happened to get a good one from Germany.
The best acquisition I am on to is a MS SX-111FV or a 777. It’s hand wringing time with my beautiful wife looking at the price figures. One or two of my current tables will need to move. But with the current exchange rates poorly, I may just sit and wait. 😟
chakster's avatar
chakster OP
6,144 posts
 
Yeah, Luxman 444 is like a Cutting Lathe for me, the engineering is so nice that in terms of usability this is definitely the best turntable, because i use so many different tonearms and cartridges and only this turntable allow me to swap whatever tonearm quickly. Here is a pair of mine.  

I could sell all turntable, but not Luxman, it is a keeper. 
It became my favorite so quickly, so i even sold my Technics SP-10 mkII after i bought my second PD-444. 

Designed my custom rack especially for PD-444 and now nothing can compete with it in my system. 

When i will make racks for Victor TT-101 and Denon DP-80 i wish i could use them all together, but it's crazy idea. I love vintage DDs, but PD-444 is what i like the most.  


amg56's avatar
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amg56
887 posts
 
Chakster, nice setup.
I note a CU-180 on the far 444? What tone arms do you have in use?

I will be forgoing all my tables for either the Luxman PD-444 I have my eye on, or the Micro Seiki SX111FV, which ever comes first.
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