"Torque should come where it is supposed to come from and thats from the motor. "
imo - the torque should come from the part the record interfaces with - the platter. 8^0
@mjperry (OP) I own a direct drive, idler drive, and previously a number of belt converted to thread drives. My reference is a string drive.
You can see the idler drive I own on my virtual system. I think they are alot of fun (especially with rock music) and remind me of big American iron cars from the 70's.
Great in a straight line, but noisy. and hit that first curve and you realize the part that is weak ... the brakes.
From an audiophile perspective most noticeable on Classical music with big dynamic swings meaning big groove modulations followed by small. The wheel can't slow down, and gives you a little blip in the sound - an upbeat so to speak - that I personally feel imo that some like to call PRAT :^)
The above is a memory taken from a serious audiophile nervosa phase.
Again really fun tables, but you can't just buy a stock table and build a plinth for it. There will be a big learning curve.
The best designs I have seen - imo - focus very heavily on decoupling the plinth from the noisy motor. Mine is multiple layers of different wood and has large voids in the 100 lb plinth where the armboards bolt to.