Why According to some Turntable extremists Pitch Control and Direct Drive is Sacrilege?

@lewm wrote:

" I would point out that the modern trend in the most advanced belt-drive designs is to have an outboard motor controller. A subset of those devices incorporate a feedback mechanism that transmits platter speed errors back to the controller which then sends a message to the motor to correct the error. In addition, we have the recent outboard devices, like the Phoenix Engineering pieces, that set up a feedback mechanism for platter speed control and can be added to even older belt-driven or idler-drive turntables to improve speed stability. So, it hardly seems logical to disparage direct-drive turntables for incorporating a quartz-locked feedback mechanism that makes speed corrections. (Does Fremer realize this?)"

I’m afraid you don’t really know what your’e writing about. The Eagle-Roadrunner combo, which I use, takes a measure of speed, and therefore corrections to a 20 pound platter, about once every three revolutions. It takes several more revolutions for the correction(s) to have full effect.  A very smooth process.  This is very different than the continuous and instantaneous micro corrections made to a relatively light DD platter. As I wrote above, it is possible to design even a direct drive with corrections to avoid the the discernible micro corrections and sound good; it has been done for generations. And yes, Fremer realizes this!

And it is also very possible that some people cannot hear the differences. It happens all the time in audio.

Fremer is a salesmen, he is not an engineer.

For most of audiophiles "DD sound" associated with Technics 1200.
One friend of mine who had tens of vintage DD, ID and BD turntables in his home called Technics 1200 the worst DD turntable ever made.
"Digital" sound of some DD turntables came from "cogging effect" of multi-pole core electrical engines but not from speed adjustment. Coreless motor DD with descent speed controller and light platter sounds very "analog".
Belt drive lover have to knew that vinyl lacquer cutting for vinyl is done on DD turntable.
So guys, in any case you listen hated DD.

Melm,  so, where is it that I don’t know what I’m talking about? I own an eagle and road runner. Together they run my Lenco very well and accurately. The servo device in the Kenwood L07D also has a loose operating point in that it only makes corrections when speed has slipped a certain amount and that’s part of the reason for the large heavy platter, So that rotational inertia as well as the servo feedback serve to maintain a constant speed.. My point was that since modern turntables of all types are more and more adopting speed correction devices, it hardly behooves one to criticize vintage direct drive turntables  for employing a servo feedback mechanism. I said more than once in my previous posts that some of them work better than others. So what do you want from me? Maybe it’s best not to preface one’s remarks with an insult.

 Also, I am not certain of this, but I might take issue with your description of the function of the eagle and Road Runner. The manual says that there is a blinking light in the road runner read out that indicates when a correction is being made. During run up one sees that light blinking with at least every revolution. Once approximate correct speed has been attained, the light blinks much less frequently but still irregularly.This indicates that there is more going on with the eagle and roadRunner than simply making a correction every three rotations of the platter. 

The torque of the motor,  has NOTHING  to do with the perceived   dynamics of a turntable.  Also , belt drives when properly  designed  can match the dynamics of idlers and dd's, so let's not kid ourselves about inherent superiority. if there is a "magic bullet" it is
BEARING DESIGN

13blm,  just to continue this conversation, I would point out that the bearing of a belt drive turntable is under a unique stress that does not pertain to direct drive and most idler drive turntables, in that there is a sideways force pulling on the spindle shaft. In theory this could cause uneven wear, and eventually result in a minute amount of wobble. Not to mention that this force in the horizontal plane can also add noise. I am bringing this up for fun debate purposes only, not to get your goat.