Direct Drive

I enjoyed the Rega P5, which I owned for about 5 years, on discs when the speed instability issues weren’t so prominent. Although the Moonlight Sonata sounded terrible, as noted, some other works such as the Second Bartok Piano Concerto really snapped into focus for me. There was real energy in the music that even the excellent digital transfer just didn’t quite capture and it increased my appreciation of the piece. However I listen to a lot of Piano Music, such as Chopin, Debussy, Satite, Beethoven, Mozart, and as someone noted upthread Piano Music is a severe test for turntables. Ultimately I didn’t want a tt that excelled on some records, was terrible on others and somewhere in between on most. The Clearaudio didn’t suffer speed instability but it also never made me say "Wow, I have to hear that piece again right now!" either, which the Rega did frequently

The only direct drive I would have any interest in would be the STST Motus II. It is the only DD turntable I know of that is properly suspended. Otherwise stick to belt drive. It is a much safer bet. 

The Thorens TD 1600 is an amazing turntable for the price. It has a great tonearm to boot. For $4000 you get a turntable that you can not surpass until you spend over twice as much.

at least do a search before asking such a broad question, many forum threads are devoted to the recent Technics 1200 series.  

in short they are audiophile no brainers.