Direct Drive vs. Idler Drive vs. Belt drive

looscannon,It is a proofed hypothesis AND simple mathematics.
just imagine you have a vector from only one side and then you need to compare it with two vectors from two sides, ideally - if you check properly. The distinctions of the two vectors should make a difference. Do ´nt you think so?

best
E.

The greatest turntable of all time was belt drive with one motor. Everyone who owns a turntable needs to see this brilliant video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rgK0YMsJXM

"The greatest turntable of all time" ? Is it a joke or what ? 

Dear @thuchan  : In the world of audio nothing is perfect always exist trade-offs.

In belt drive TTs as in other TT kind of designs always exist trade-offs where the designer has to make his choices.

A single motor per sé has its intrisecal " problems " that can't be avoided and that like it or not affects the whole TT quality performance levels.
A second or third aditional motors only puts more " problems " for the quality level performance of that TT that any true advantage.

One of my belt drive TT's came with one motor it's the stock way on sale but you can add other two motors so I bougth a second motor and made my in deep evaluation overall process about.
At the begining my thoughts were that the second motor was an improvement ( maybe because I bougth it and spend additional money and I was waiting to appeared that " improvement ". ) after the evaluations over 3-4 weeks I took in count that was not a true improvement but only a diferent performance that in some ways degraded a little what I was listenong through it.

Yes, those vectors exist in theory but you can't really listen an improvement if you listening to it with no self biasing about. Our brain/attitude on any specific subject has a lot of influence and makes that we go a head with some " mistakes " or alternatives that really does not helps to improve quality performance only a different performance.

R.

One solution to the issue of the side force applied by the belt, when you use a single motor, is to add a capstan or passive pulley 180 degrees opposite from the motor pulley.  This will equalize the side forces on the bearing at the expense of reducing the size of the contact patch between belt and platter.  I think the Kuzma Reference is designed in this fashion.  It also avoids the complications of synchronizing two or more motors, two or more belts, etc.

chakster, no joke at all. You should review your audio history. The AR XA was a ground breaking turntable. Not only was it less expensive than everything else. It was also better performing and not by a little. It's only over site was the lack of anti skate. It is in the Museum of Fine Art and one of the 10 best turntables of all time according to Absolute Sound. Watch the video and you will never look at an unsuspended turntable again. Room Rumble. Oracle , Basis , SME, SOTA, Techdas and others followed ARs advice. Edgar Villchar  was one of the true geniuses of audio, right up there with Edison. At one point he had 33% of the speaker market! Henry Kloss was his partner who later on started KLH.