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What's the deal with idler turntables and do they have a place in modern HiFi?

After going through a complete overhaul of an AR XA I've been tempted to take a step further back in history and restore an old Rek-O-Kut idler turntable. Can't remember the particular model number from Craigslist, but it seems like it may be an interesting project and far more customizable than the XA, especially when it come to the tonearm. The one I'm looking at comes with the original tonearm, but my guess is that it's even more garbage than the stock XA 'arm and I'd certainly replace it!

However, I don't generally become invested in something if it doesn't pay off. So if the sound is going to be dreadful because it's an idler, then I'll steer clear. But if the sound is bitchin' then I'll jump on the opportunity!
128x128mjperry96
pani
1,219 posts
 
There is also a price to pay when the platter is massive. Light weight platters have been preferred by any "well-designed" TT designers for the same reason.

I am yet to hear any belt drive turntable sound like a direct or Idler drive in resolving the pitch and rhythm of music. For some it is not very important.
lewm
13,010 posts
 
Pani, I think your generalization about light weight vs heavy weight platters is very much open to debate.  One could just debate your point that light weight platters are a given in a "well designed" product, but is it really worth the trouble?  Seems to me that there are many great turntables, especially of the belt-drive variety, that take advantage of massive platters.  But yes, I agree, there's a price to pay, just as there is a price to pay to optimize any design choice.  I also share your predilection for idler- and direct-drive vs belt-drive, but because I have held on to that bias for 4-5 years now, I feel I need to keep an open mind; I've lost touch with the belt-drive sound and no longer feel qualified to reject it out of hand.  
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 

Dear Lew, Even this quasi scientific approach is to prefer above

the Almighty as cause and reason for everything. However I do enjoy

those mythical properties of new products till I have read comments

in our forum.

richardkrebs
422 posts
 
Dear All.
I suspect that the heavy/light platter debate will always have its disparate points of view.
 What we are  really talking about is low or high inertia platters and the matching of these to drives of sufficient torque, intimately coupled to the platter, to tightly control their speed. (Putting aside, for now, the high inertia, low torque design espoused by some. A completely different design path)
I agree that we don't have the tools, other than our ears, to measure the efficacy of these two design choices, but in my experience a high torque, high inertia drive trumps its opposite. 

tomwh
150 posts
 
You are no fun Richard!!!  You stated the facts we can not measure it so now what are we going to debate about.  The ones who want to bring in numbers all the time are the ones who gave us CD's, transistor amps and of course tilted up mc carts.
We don't need no stinken tone/body/drive and emotion in our music.

Just having some fun here!!!  For the record , At this point in time, high mass high torque best so far.  Don't get me started on wooden tonearms.

Enjoy the ride
Tom
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