So many great golden era DD tables out there, what do you recommend for $1000?

@hagtech  

Is there a reason golden age DD turntables became golden age? Or conversely, why did the high-end move to belt-drive?

Thoughts?

Could you please recall Japanese turntable manufacturer who has moved to Belt Drive from Direct Drive ? I can't remember anyone. 

Do you own a Direct Drive turntable to compare it to a belt Drive at least to confirm your statement for yourself ? Do you actually hear any problem when you're playing records on high-end Direct Drive turntable ?  

Personally i have never ever experienced any single problem with high-end Direct Drive turntables such as Technics SP-10mkII, SP-20, Luxman PD-444, Denon DP-80 ... even my Victor TT-101 is working. I have no idea what Mr.Fremer is talking about. Probably a $3k vintage Direct Drive owner should buy a $6k modern belt drive instead pretending for upgrade? In Fremer's wold it will be a $60k belt drive, right ? I will never do that and i can't imagine anyone, who own a High-End DD, trading it for a belt drive. 

Belt Drive, say it again. OMG   

What i see in Analog Planet videos from various High-End shows is the ugliest belt drive turntables ever, for insane prices!  

P.S. I want to remind you that his review for new Technics DD was very positive. 

As far as I know Micro never moved from direct drive to belt drive. They simultaniously offered a range of direct drives (DD-series) and belt drives (BL-series). That being said, they went much higher end with belt drives (RX- and SX-series) than they ever did with direct drives. This might suggest that they had stronger faith in the capabilities of belt drive.

There's one point in their 80's catalogue where direct drive and belt drive sort of converged. This is the 1500-series platform, which offered the DDX-1500 direct drive (their top direct drive model) as well as the RX-1500 belt drive, which was the entry level of the big Micro's. It could be upgraded to include all the features also found in the highest end models, including gunmetal plateaus, air bearing and vacuum disc stabilizer. It would be interesting to compare the DDX-1500 with the basic RX-1500 (with aluminum plateau and the motor drive attached to the unit), using the same armboard, tonearm and cartridge. This would be a fair 'shoot out' between direct drive and belt drive, all else being equal. Has anyone ever done this?

The designer of the top belt (or string) drive Micro's founded a new company called TechDas, modernising his old designs with current technology. This would suggest that belt drive is - and perhaps always was - his preferred technology. He's now on a 'world tour' with the ultimate AirForce Zero. This monstrosity makes the old top Micro SX-8000 II look like an entry level table......

I can only think of one Japanese manufacturer still making DD tables.  Who else is left?

I've never owned a DD table, so cannot confirm via personal listening tests what the sonic differences might be.  But that doesn't make the servo circuit go away.  It is still there!  It does operate with lag and it does perform corrections within the audio band.  I just can't say how noticeable it may be.  Some tables will be better than others, obviously.

Belt drives have issues too, with elasticity, pulley tolerances, etc.  The key difference will be if there is a negative feedback servo or not.

The problem is similar with linear regulators.  They also operate with a servo within the audio band, reacting to changes in audio signal (unless circuit is balanced or class A).  In this case I have heard the differences.  It is even more pronounced when the audio circuit uses feedback.  Now you have two servos working against each other, each with a different step response!  If the filtering is not done well, the effect is a bit of "technicolor" brightness, sort of like the "sharpness" control on an old TV.  A little bit may be good, a lot is bad.  The sound can get shrill or smeared.

Of course, if you are a DJ doing scratching, then DD is the only way to go.  You need that torque.  :)

Of course, if you are a DJ doing scratching, then DD is the only way to go. You need that torque. :)

@hagtech

First of all we’re not talking about $300 Direct Drive turntables here to serve "wanna be a dj" persons in their bedroom. These turntables may have some problems you have mentioned. But please do not mix together professional niche and high-end.

The finest new Direct Drive turntable SL1000R from Technics cost $18k in USA today, and it is made in Japan. Here is a thread about it. This is reference class Direct Drive for modern High-End market and i doubt anyone in Europe and USA can compete with it nowadays, especially at this price! Matsushita is a giant company! The reason why Japan is the leader in Direct Drive technology is probably because they have been doing it for such a long time.

You will not find any single problem you’re talking about in earlier Technics SP-10mkII and mkIII from the 70s/80s. Even 30 years later those vintage Technics SP-10mkIII is one of the best DD ever made and still cost a lot.

Not every top class Direct Drive have a high torque like Technics motor, for example the Victor TT-101, Luxman PD-444, Denon DP-80 does not have such a high torque and immediate start, but they are also amazing turntables for audiophiles.

Direct Drive is indeed a japanese tradition and they are doing it better than anybody else.