why is belt drive better than direct drive?

Yeah Psychicanimal, I would love to have kept my Denon DP-80 direct drive motor installed in my Mitchell Cotter B-1 Isolation base; the speed accuracy and looks alone were spectacular. The mass of the setup enabled me to drop the stylus in the groove without the record spinning and turn the gain up to 3 oclock with NO howling. I really loved all that precision,stability and immunity to feedback. Then in 1980, I brought home an Oracle and heard my records for the first time.............Frank

Play means play, Sean...go borrow a high torque DD with electric brake like my 1200 and you'll find out. That's why I chose it over a Sota Comet (after finding out it could be modified for high end performance). I realized I still wanted to PLAY records. Maybe I haven't grown up and am still a HiFi bum. Oh, well...

"Yo le digo caballero que los niños quieren jugar--ellos tienen que jugar." Carlos Santana

To summarize-

If you are going to play with your records, do as the DJs do and go for a direct drive TT. It's easy to "cue-up" a cut and a high torque motor will get a record spinning very quickly. That, and you can "scratch" to you heart's content without fear of the belt slipping off the pulley.

If you are going to listen to music, get a good belt drive TT. Speed is more constant, less noise, "blacker" background, more musical and involving. (Remember all the receivers that had rumble filters when DD tables were popular in the 70's? Ever wonder why?) Don't skimp on a cartridge!

I've used Technics tables before. Since i'm not "drag racing" turntable motors, "clocking" the start up time or "scratch mixing", i'm not real worried about those aspects.

I am more worried about the subtle details, better resolution, improved isolation and lower background noise that a good table ( of ANY design or brand ) delivers. I never got that out of ANY of the Technics tables that i tried. While they were more than "Technic'ally" competent, they just weren't "musical" or "revealing". However, I did get pretty good results with another brand of DD table, but it is far from a "normal" design. I will say that it is not as quiet as my belt drives and lacks the isolation from external vibration, but it was a BIG step up from some of the other DD's that i used to own. Sean
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As I wrote earlier, gentlemen, this matter is dependent on a case by case basis. In my case ($1000 budget), I did not see any belt drive outperforming (on several parameters, not just sound) a modified 1200. As conscious, skilled and 'lucky' of a buyer as I am, my system will get close to $4000-4500. That's it. Period. (Well, maybe a sub...)

I listen to all types types of music, except racist (both black and neonazi). If a system is way too perfect, it will be ruthlessly revealling, and I won't be able to enjoy listening my music. Fact of life learned while selling audio in college (those B&W 801s were very nasty--could only play two rock groups on them: Alan Parsons and Pink Floyd). If you pursue absolute perfection and like more than just classical music and "Blue Note" quality jazz your listening room will become.....The Voodoo Lounge.