Is Direct Drive Really Better?

Tom, my arguments address the conversation that deals with why one technology is better than the other, which has been the dominant conversation in this thread. That's not the question you asked, but it's where the discussion has gone.

I don't count myself among the audiophiles who do not care to ask why but just accept what they hear as true. It's a fine line, of course, but to abandon reason and critical thinking is unacceptable to me. If belt drive superiority proves to have been a distortion that the market adopted wholesale 25 years ago, it is partly because we accepted the erroneous arguments for why it was superior. Same will be true here if we buy into statements such as "pushes the platter instead of pulls it" without critically examining their merits.

Paul: I agree that the remarkable longevity and popularity of the SL-1200 says exactly nothing about either the worth of that machine to audiophiles, or the worth of DD in general to audiophiles. Now, that fact may say more about audiophiles than about DD (or the SL-1200), but the argument's a false sylogism nonetheless. Granted, perhaps not a lot of products without some sort of fundamental merit do as well over decades as the 1200, but a few do -- witness the Bose 901. But the 1200's endurance springs mostly from people who must depend on it in a professional context, so that the machine has its virtues is uncontested; the question is whether one of those virtues is actually sound quality. I have my inexpert opinion on that, but no "bubble" to burst, trust me, and I do not "bash" BD. If you count my response among those you classify as not being sensible or coherent, then that's your privilege.

So what we mostly have are reports from guys who've owned both. It seems noteworthy to me that among the A-goners who've given good DD a chance and also have experience with good BD, I don't think there are any who dismiss DD out of hand, and a few who specifically extoll the potential of the 1200. (If you want to take Psychicanimal off the table from the start, be my guest; we all know where [and how] Francisco stands, and still life goes on.) In the final analysis, online anecdotes mean less to me than what I hear in my living room, and that I find almost entirely satisfactory and beautiful, especially since the KAB mods. Which shouldn't necessarily say anything to you. Anyway, regardless of the motor/drive system, the 1200 still can't sound better than the basic competence of its plinth, platter, bearing, and tonearm, which *ought* to mean it can't bat in the same league as the big boys (but not because any of those things, save perhaps the platter, is notably deficient IMO). But please feel free to take a stab at any of the theoretical points in favor of DD I raised above.

Macrojack: Your last post, it seems to me, actually bears little relation to the question you appeared to ask at the top (reread it), or the debate you seem to have been encouraging since. I think a discussion of theoretical potential and pitfalls is totally appropriate, and in many ways a good chew over theory is the best thing you can read on a forum like this. It can teach you new ways of thinking about what you hear. If you expect to settle anything by people recounting their personal experiences and opinions, you're probably going to be disappointed. Online forums are about discussion of audio and batting around of ideas in addition to experience and opinions, and the whole activity is an entirely different animal from actually listening to music or gear. In any case, there are too many people here lacking both the carts and the horses to put one before the other... ;^)

Hi Zaikesman.

No my comments had nothing to do with your posts. I had a look at http://de.geocities.com/bc1a69/index_eng.html after reading one of your posts.

My post is indicative of the frustration I have with folks who believe that a consensus (or should I say chorus) of opinions constitute a fact.

I have spent some time with an idler wheel (Thorens TD124) and the sound was really not up to scratch. Compared to a TD125 I had at the same time it was downright bad.

However, the after reading up on DD tables I think there may be something to them. The points laid out in the web pages and your posts do sound plausible. Personally my only preference is for sound I enjoy, not BD over DD. I need a project for summer so I want to see if I can lay my hands on something like a Denon DP6000 and see what they are about.

My only concern is that due to the fact that these tables have not been in production for a while, repairs may be an issue if the need arises.

Regards
Paul