Is Direct Drive Really Better?

A `feature' yet unmentioned(unless I missed it?) A DD TT unit that provides good enough torque to sustain resistance to stylus drag, unfortunately exhibits magnetic noise induced into the cartridge as it tracks the inner part of a record. I came against this on Micro Seiki TT's in the early seventies while working at Howland West Audio (Eden Grove Holloway, remember it?) and even after several visits from Micro's design engineers it was not completely cured, unless you reverted to using a Decca Deram ceramic crystal pickup!!! This was otherwise a very fine turntable and if you only listened to highly modulated recordings, wasn't a problem, very quiet classical recordings however......! So, I never bought one, However in '74 I bought a GL75 which I still use and enjoy. Yes the arm is a pig to set up*, yes the `v' blocks wear out, but that takes forty years, yes it IS a jocky wheel drive (completely out of fasion when I purchased it) so what? There is NO rumble (not even today on the original wheel!)Heavy percusive bass (remember early Reggae?) doesn't faze it and there isn't the faintest wobble in a drawn out violine note. The decoupled counter weight on a decoupled arm (rubber `V' blocks) really does give the music a chance to be heard.
* For those that want to try to set up a L75 arm, I've found that for best results the deck must be level, the arms height shoud be so that with the stylus on a record, the arm tube should be horizontal to the deck, there should be equal `clearance' bellow and each side of the arm tube and its shroud (undamaged `V' blocks).

In my last post I had the Shindo Labs turntable, arm, and cartridge. This, of course, was the remodeled Garrard 301 and a rim drive. I now have a Bergman SIndre turntable and arm with the Ortofon A-90 cartridge. It is a belt drive. They sound different.

I must say that I have had enough experience with isolation devices, most recently with the StillPoints Ultra Stainless Steel feet, to realize we are mainly just moving around the vibrations that are coloring our music reproduction. With the StillPoints, I finally know what real isolation means. I have them under my Bergman.

I once heard a good experiment with the same turntable with identical platters except that one was mpingo or ebony and the other acrylic. When the acrylic was put on, everyone said go back to the wood. I would love to hear a similar comparison or other materials for the platter and of rim versus belt and direct drives. Until that time, I love my Bergman.

Very interesting thread. Perhaps the best analogy with regards to using a high torque motor with a relatively light platter was espoused by the EMT manufacturers - namely that it's like driving up a hill on a windy road - if you have a heavy truck it would go up still using torque etc, but a light sports car will be better able to cope with those speed shifts than the truck.

I currently use a belt drive, but have an EMT 950 restoration brewing, and have a lenco to collect. I am fascinated at the forthcoming shootout that I will carry out at the end of the year.

Personally there appears to be elements of 'emporers new clothes' on this thread. I've done some DIY in my time and my ethusiasm for my diy often blights my listening skills - ie I often think that what I have cobbled together in my workshop is better than the combined might/research/manpower of the R&D team at Proac/Yamaha/Quad combined.

Whilst I think that Mr Salvatore has some strong opinions, it does not mean they are always right - if that at all. His perception that Zyx are the best cartridges in the business is dubious IMHO, likewise the Shelter 501 is nothing like a transfiguration temper. I have read his Lenco reference review, and I will carry out some listening tests of my own.

I will say something that was quite interesting though. I once spoke to Martin Colloms, and he said that people are sensitive to different things - having heard what I have in my sytem, he said that I am probably particularly sensitive to timing. Some people retain their high frequency sensitivity for far longer than other people.

Balancing this against what Ken Kessler once said at a show - he's listened to hi-fi for 30 years, yet no system can ever reproduce kettle drums hit by a muscular man - they either get the speed of the impact and strike, or they get the weight, but never in the full and equal measure of the real thing.

Applying some biological detrioration - peoples hearing deteriorates over the years - especially 30 years.

What does this rambling mean? Well it's a bit like the angels dancing on the head of a pin - we will all ultimately look for different things in our systems. I am certain that there will be pros and cons of each design ultimately.

Martinhall wrote, "A `feature' yet unmentioned(unless I missed it?) A DD TT unit that provides good enough torque to sustain resistance to stylus drag, unfortunately exhibits magnetic noise induced into the cartridge as it tracks the inner part of a record."

If Martin is still alive and still cares, let me say that the fact that he observed this phenomenon with one DD turntable (Micro Seiki) and presumably one unnamed cartridge does not mean that this is a general issue with all DD turntables. And if it were an issue with a particular combo of tt and cartridge, it is a relatively simple matter to devise a shield that prevents motor EMI from affecting the cartridge. Also, the M-S DD turntables (DDX and DQX) are not highly regarded in relation to the large number of high quality belt drive tt's made by M-S or indeed in relation to other vintage Japanese DD turntables, so it is a bit unfair and misleading to form an opinion of all DD turntables based on the M-S ones.