Is Direct Drive Really Better?

John, I have not personally argued that belt drive is superior. I would truly love to hear a 3 way shootout between a Lenco, an SP-10, and a Teres, Galibier or similar belt drive. I haven't the time, the will or the money to do so.

I have read posts from many who say the Lenco is the best. I have also read posts from people who have heard Lorricraft Garrards and like the bass, but find them lacking in subtlety and detail in comparison to a Nottingham Hyperspace.

I fully agree that your ears are what matters. You should buy what sounds best to you. What I DO NOT agree with is that you are able to declare the Lenco the best turntable, because you and some others like the sound the best. Does this prove that it has the best speed stability ? Not at all, it proves that you like the sound best.

My experience is that the torture test for speed stability is solo piano, preferably a slow movement, like a Beethoven sonata. Yet whenever people describe the strengths of the Lenco or Garrard the first word is always BASS. That does not correlate with my personal experience where a turntable can produce articulate and deep bass, but have terrible speed stability when it is introduced to solo piano.

So, in summary, there may not be a one-size-fits all best in terms of what sounds the best, because we all have different interpretations. There may be a best in terms of measured performance, but using your ears might not be a good way to come to a conclusion.

I don't purport to know anything about idler wheel drive systems and I would be very open to trying one. My principle hesitations are first that I wouldn't know how to acquire a Lenco and I don't have any mechanical skills whatsoever. Mounting a cartridge is on the outer reaches of my adroitness so the prospect of keeping a mechanically complex drive system operational appears discouraging.
What do you say to people like me?

Jack .. there's a Technics SL-1000 (consumer version) and a couple of SP10 Mk2s on ebay right now, for between $400 (no plinth) to $800 (plinth and arm).

I vote you buy one and report back to us in a month or so :-)

Dear friends: The Macrojack start thread question: " Is Direct Drive Really Better? ", it is an open question that has several different stages. Because of that I think there is no single answer of the question.
If we read all the ones posted here in some ways all of them are right answers.

In my opinion we have, at least, two big stages about: one an objective aproach and the other a subjective one and from here we could have another stages like a: objective/subjective one.

From the objective approach what will be tell us which drive TT design is better are: MEASUREMENTS that could be corroborated in a scientific way. What should be measured?, at least: speed accuracy, speed stability ( refered to time ), signal to noise, rumble and woow&flutter.
From the information that I have the DD designs are the ones where we can find almost all those measurements. In the BD designs we can find little info about and in the IW less info.
So with out those measurements info we can't say for sure which drive TT design is better. I posted that the speed accuracy of the SP 10 ( 0.001% ) beats any BD design because searching info about I find that the Walker is 0.002% and the Commtinum 0.006%, but I can't find any info on: Basis, VPI, Teres, Galibier, Simon Yorke, Clearaudio, Transrotor, Brinckman, etc, etc..
Now, for IW the very little info about is really poor.

I have a lot of respect for Johnnantais and when he told us that the IW drive system has a better speed accuracy/stability he don't have a scientific measurement where all of us can corroborate that. So from an objective approach the Johnnantais opinion ( like mine or other people ) has no value at all and can't tell us which drive system is better.
The same is for the " tonearm/cartridge drag " subject: till today nobody can confirm which drive system ( high mass platter or not ) is really better on this subject. All we have are opinions, that's all.

Btw, from the objective approach I think that it is time that the BD and IW defender take their time and money for to have those objective measurements. Johnnantais this is part of your challenge where you can prove you point of view.

Now, if we take the subjective approach then things could be extremely complicated because any one of us could have a different opinion about. Here there is not only our opinion but in which stage are our opinion corroborated, that is, against what: what we like it or against live music?, in which room, with which tonearm/cartridge, which cables, which phonopreamp, wood/acrylic/metal design, air bearing or not, vacuum hold down record?, which mat, which clamp type, which load impedance, VTF/SRA, which records, which speakers, full range system or not, which, which, which and which?, no ended.

With the info that I have ( objective approach ) I confirm that the DD design is the best one. If any of you want to prove that other drive TT designs are better you have to prove it with those measurements not with an opinion, this opinion belongs to the subjective approach and here any of us could be " right ".

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Back in the day,Audio magazine regularly performed Speed stability specifications for their reviews-

Belt drives-

Linn LP12 : ±0,385
Maplenoll Ariadne : ± 0,20%
Michell Gyrodec : ±0,12 %
Oracle : ± 0,213%
SOTA Sapphire : ±0,18%
Thorens TD115 : ±0,27%

Direct drives-

Nakamichi Dragon : ±0,13%
Goldmund ST4 : ±0,317%
Technics SP-10 : ±0,19%