Is Direct Drive Really Better?

I feel the need to correct here something I have said in my post above concerning the Lenco speed stability, and at the same time give some useful information to Lenco modifiers. In my post I complained about the wow and flutter of the Lenco turntable but I have lately learned the problem was elsewhere. When I modified my Lenco I built for it a very massive plinth (about 30 kg) and mounted the tonearm on this plinth. What I heard was very noticeable wow and flutter. I tried every remedy possible, cleaned and oiled the turntable everywhere, tried to install heavier tonearms (SME 3012), different cartridges, different Lenco motors, spindle, new idler wheel, nothing helped. Then out of despair, before dumping the thing on the street, I decided to mount the tonearm in the original hole of the turntable: this is supposed to have two drawbacks: wrong distance from arm center to spindle and incorrect vertical angle. However, the wow and flutter problem has simply disappeared and the turntable now sings! I know this might sound puzzling but it indeed shows, I believe, that tonearm mounting is very important to overall turntable accuracy. As for the sound, this modified Lenco does have a very full and neutral sound (I use now a moded Rega rb-250 with a Grace cartridge) and I certainly can live with it for many years. By the way, to check for the wow and flutter problem, I suggest using a piano piece like a Chopin waltz. If you have a wow and flutter problem you will hear the piano’s sound sour-like. For people who listen mainly to Jazz this might not be much of a problem, but I can assure you that once the problem is gone, your setup will sound completely different. So my apologies for the Lenco aficionados out there, although I still stand by my remark that most audiophiles cannot hear pitch problems even when it hits them in their face. Cheers.

"I still stand by my remark that most audiophiles cannot hear pitch problems even when it hits them in their face"

Then I guess it wouldn't shock you how many times there've been when I've gone to a seller's house to audition something or other for sale, and wind up informing the poor guy about which driver(s) ain't making any sound in which channel ;^)

Zaikesman, what post does this respond to? I kind of agree with both of you. I sit in performance cringing to singers or violins being off key while most sit unmoved by this, including my wife. Having perfect pitch is a two edged sword. I imagine that three way speakers with an out of phase midrange bothers you also.

I now use a highly modified rim drive and it causes me few problems when listening.

Was that you, Alex? I felt so stupid, and it wasn't even the first time.

Tbg: Which post was I repsonding to? The last sentence of the last post prior to mine. (Read before I respond is always my motto!) I don't have perfect pitch; like most people I'm sensitive to relative pitch, but elasticity of pitch is one of the qualities which can give music a lot of its emotional power. Either way, speakers that rotate phase don't affect pitch, but yeah, it so happens my speakers don't rotate phase.

Dan: Was that you? Each time? Hey, I wouldn't have told anybody...