Pheonix Engineering Road Runner

pbnaudio

I don’t hear the "servo hunting" your describing rather I hear ...

The "servo hunting" common to many DD turntables isn’t detectable as speed variations, ime, but as a veil to the sound.

Before I went to belt drive, I had a Denon DP-6000 and then a DP-80. I can’t imagine ever returning to DD.

Cleeds,  

Different strokes for different folks - I could not imagine to return to belt drive :-)

Good Listening

Peter

@pbnaudio

You wrote: "The motors on these are substantially larger than any of the motors typically used on any belt drive http://www.hurst-motors.com/aabdirectdrive.html this link takes you to the first choice of belt drive manufactures."  

I'm surprised to read that you said that.  The physics of belt drives, with the motor revolving much faster than the platter, permits very small (and very quiet) motors to turn a 30+ pound platter.  In fact, the Hurst motors are among the larger motors used for belt drives.  Excellent sounding belt-drive TTs have been built with clock motors.  The original Sondek motor, for ex., was a tiny one.

As long as you're dragging this out, you wrote earlier: "The reason to put the Tachometers in the turntables to display their accuracy. If you got it flaunt it. :-)"  Are you for real?  You're selling a tach to DD TT owners that does exactly what their TT already does.  So you want them to invite their friends in to watch the tach?  Really??

Nor can I (imagine a return to BD).
Nor do I hear any “veil” coloration or “hunting”, once the plinth is made proper for the device. This is with serviced and calibrated DD tables at quality level DP80 and up. (SP10 Mk3, Kenwood L07D, Victor TT101.)

If you pick up a DD at a garage sale or from your uncle’s closet in unknown condition don’t assume that because it “works” you are getting its best performance. And then don’t think you know how they “all” sound, please.

 I apologize to anyone if I sound vitriolic. But one more thing about belt drive aficionados does irk me. That is, they have no problem claiming they can hear the servomechanism of a direct drive turntable hunting, yet most are eager to acquire a speed controller for their a belt drive turntables, a device that  itself relies upon a feedback mechanism to maintain constant speed. It seems to me you can’t have it both ways. And indeed I have found that such add on devices almost invariably make belt and idler drive turntables sound a lot better.