Direct Drive turntables

....could define that timing then why three different TT: SP-10, Monaco and Walker ( I can't find the spec on the Rockport. ) with the same spec on speed: 0.001%, sounds so different?

add two zeros (accurate to within 10 parts per million) next to the decimal point for the Rockport. but more than speed it is truely steady and continuous because of the isolation and inertia combined with the speed and a perfectly flat record. it's the execution of design along with the design approach.

the Rockport technology is now 14-15 years old. it could be bettered and maybe already has been. bring lots of dollars though.

Dear Mike: 0.00001%? WOW!!! this is nearest to " perfection " on speed accuracy and that the design had 14-15 years speaks a lot of Rockport designer.

Congratulations to be a happy owner.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.

We have been here before. It is hard to say exactly why the best DD and the best idler-drive turntables seem to have more drive/pace/rhythm, because any differences in "speed accuracy" among all good turntables, including good belt-drive tables, are miniscule at most. One can invoke the factor of "stylus drag" and the ability of DD and idler-drives to maintain absolute stability in the face of this force. Yet one has to be skeptical that stylus drag could be of such magnitude as to play into this equation, especially as regards the massive platters of some BD tables that would seem to be able to overcome stylus drag by virtue of inertia. In any case, the measurements of speed accuracy that we read about are likely to have been derived by averaging the speed over a relatively long-ish time interval (even seconds constitute a long time in terms of musical transients). What I think we are hearing in DD and idler-drive tables that may distinguish them is speed stability over micro- or millisecond time intervals. Yet intuitively one wonders whether the servo mechanisms of dd tables can operate effectively in such a small time window. So, I don't know what's going on, but I like it.

Dear Lewm: +++++ " So, I don't know what's going on, but I like it. " +++++

this is all about.

I like to have very precise answers on the why's of what I'm hearing in some kind of quality performance but many times I can't have those precise answers ( IMHO no one have it. ) and what I have to do is just enjoying it.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.

I too have fallen for the "sound" of DD turntables.

I have for the past 10 years had VPI and now TW Raven AC-3 and before that the LP12 since 1985.

My recently bought vintage Exclusive P10 & P3 DD tables have a vitality and control in the bass and lower mids that I can't seem to get out of my Raven AC-3 as effectively. the Raven is spot on as far as speed goes, so it is not just speed control.
It seems more the ability to start and stop musical notes like a F1 car and at the same time be sound continous.

My route to DD heaven is a little different to some of the others as I was looking for am integrated table and the Exclusive tables fit the criteria perfectly. Both have very nice wood plinths, have effective suspension (P3 has better plinth isolation), have tonearms that offfer a great degree of resonance tuning, have fixed headshell & removable hdeadshell tonearms and sound fantastic as well.

early days for me, however the P3 is monopolizing the playing time at the moment :-)