Is Direct Drive Really Better?

Zaikesman, what post does this respond to? I kind of agree with both of you. I sit in performance cringing to singers or violins being off key while most sit unmoved by this, including my wife. Having perfect pitch is a two edged sword. I imagine that three way speakers with an out of phase midrange bothers you also.

I now use a highly modified rim drive and it causes me few problems when listening.

Was that you, Alex? I felt so stupid, and it wasn't even the first time.

Tbg: Which post was I repsonding to? The last sentence of the last post prior to mine. (Read before I respond is always my motto!) I don't have perfect pitch; like most people I'm sensitive to relative pitch, but elasticity of pitch is one of the qualities which can give music a lot of its emotional power. Either way, speakers that rotate phase don't affect pitch, but yeah, it so happens my speakers don't rotate phase.

Dan: Was that you? Each time? Hey, I wouldn't have told anybody...

+++ do you think that in this moment your non-metal DD design is a better one? or do you make it in that way because looks better than an all metal one? +++

Good question Raul. The short answer is that we use hardwoods primarily because of the sound, looks are secondary.

The first turntable to come out of the Teres project was my design that used a well damped all aluminum base (http://www.teresaudio.com/fame/1.html). The very first base that Teres offered was 3" thick acrylic. It looked good and was both inexpensive and simple. The sound was OK but was not nearly as good as aluminum version. On a hunch we decided to try making a base out of rosewood loaded with lead shot. To our great surprise the sonic result not only exceeded the acrylic base but also far exceeded my all aluminum base.

I have experimented with many materials and have yet to find anything that delivers subtle midrange detail and texture like dense hardwoods. Carbon fiber comes close but lacks some of the warmth. I find that aluminum is detailed and pristine sounding. However, compared to hardwoods it sounds whitewashed in the midrange and there is a lack of "life". I think that there are a couple reasons for this. The first is rigidity. Most people are surprised to learn that hardwoods like cocobolo are much more rigid than aluminum. A 1/8 inch thick ½ inch wide strip of cocobolo cannot be bent with bare hands. However strip of aluminum of the same size is easily folded in half. Also hardwoods have a chaotic grain structure that varies greatly in density. This varied density is good at both dissipating and breaking up resonance.

I have also experimented with other metals and prefer both mild steel and stainless steel to aluminum. The steels offer a more clarity and detail but also sound a bit too harsh and analytical. Of the metals I find that brass is far superior to steel or aluminum. It is detailed and rich without ever sounding harsh like steel or smeared like aluminum. We found that replacing all of the aluminum parts on the Teres 340 with brass was a major upgrade. Brass is very expensive so it is not often found in turntables. However, I believe it's properties easily justify the cost. The new direct drive Teres will continue to use hardwoods but more brass will be used.

Teres: Although my TT is made entirely of cast aluminum, I can relate to what you say, since I have guitars with bridges made of all these options: rosewood or ebony; brass; or cast aluminum; and in this application the first two definitely work better than the latter, which thins out tonality and reduces sustain. My only question would be, is what we're looking for in a guitar bridge necessarily the same thing we want in a turntable base (or platter)? Your listening tests would seem to answer that, although the number of well-regarded TT's using acrylic or aluminum would seem to reach a different conclusion (can you imagine a guitar bridge made of acrylic?). And it intrigues me that Nottingham uses cast iron and VPI uses stainless steel, both of which unlike brass seem vibrationally more inert. Then of course there's Rega's ceramic platter...