Turnable database with TimeLine

Dear Dover, From my perch, I view the dynamic as follows: Halcro is perhaps guilty of trying to "prove" empirically the superiority of his TT101 (and maybe now the TT81), while you seem to be trying to prove the superiority of belt-drive, at least as represented by your Final Audio Parthenon (which may be one of the best of that breed). (Your puncture wound of Halcro's logic re the Raven is perhaps valid, by the way.) Your both entitled to your opinions, and both opinions are equally valid, IMO. I guess I side with you, however, on the subjectivist side; I will check the speed stability of any tt with the KAB strobe device. If speed is stable with LP in play, that's good enough speed stability for me. Then comes listening, and listening trumps other considerations.

As to your preference for the FAP vs the L07D and MK3, have you heard both of the latter in your current system with same tonearms and cartridges, so as to validate your opinion? If not (and I think not, given that the L07D has its own tonearm, for one example), then your opinion of the relative merits is just your opinion. Which is fine.

Direct drive is not the only drive system that uses speed correction. Micro Seiki belt drive turntables and some others use speed correction on their motor if not the platter. Either way, it's still servo. Is that always a bad thing?

I don't think one drive system is superior over the others. I just happen to prefer DD for its mechanical (if not electronic) simplicity. The stylus does NOT know nor care what is making the platter spinning smoothly, precisely, and/or consistently. It's just picking up groove informations between rotations. Either way, let you ear decide.

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But when the Micro is auto-correcting, it is doing so via a mechanical system that has lots more compliance built into it (the belt) compared to any direct-drive system. Thus there is more danger that the corrective action will lag behind the moment of the occurrence of the speed inaccuracy, leading to over-correction, and thus actually contributing to the problem, rather than to ameliorate it. I don't know that this is connected to the fact that others who revere MS tt's have remarked that they do not use the OEM MS motor, preferring other motors instead.

Syntax, I agree with your last post and do see the seeming contradiction in Halcro's comments. Having a large BD turntable which has a slight speed error which I can not hear, but which is evident with the TimeLine, I guess puts me in the subjectivist camp also. That's fine and I'm happy to be here.

The KAB does show accurate speed for my turntable, but I actually found the TimeLine to be easier and quicker to use. Not a big deal, but I do check speed about once a month, as the belts do stretch.

I am interested in Halcro's response to my my latter point about some turntable functions being of near-equal importance to speed accuracy.

Like so many threads, this one has evolved into a discussion rather than just a database of videos which for which I had hoped.

Lewm,
I dont have any preference as to direct drive, thread drive or rim drive. I prefer to make my decisions based on listening. I have owned all 3 drive types at various stages. Turntables owned and/or used in my own system include - Garrard 301/401, Townsend, Well Tempered, Sota, Oracle, Pink Triangle, Logic, Kenwood DD, Oracle, Goldmund & Final Audio to name a few.
TT's with the ET2/Carnegie Model One I have heard include Townsend, Sota's ( many ), Oracle ( several ), Final Audio, Goldmund Studio ( 2 of ).
I also own a Dynavector DV501 & Dynavector Nova 13D cartridge ( along with many other cartridges and arms. Incredulous as it may seem a customer here in New Zealand had up until recently a Dynavector 501/Nova 13D combination mounted on an L07D. I have run the Dynavector 501/Nova 13D many times on the Final. The same Nova 13D has since been removed from the L07D/Dynavector 501 and remounted on to an SME20 with SME V arm.
With regard to the SP10mk3 I have heard Richarkrebs system many times over the past 30 years which evolved from a Goldmund Studio/ET2 to the SP10mk3/ET2 - I sold him a Madrigal Carnegie Model One for his ET2 years ago.
I also have to hand an SP10mk3/Technics EPA100 for extended listening.
So the answer to your question is yes and no. I have heard these TT's with the same arm/cartridge combinations many times, but not so in my current system as it is always evolving.
If I did not own the Final Audio, I do not know what I would buy as the nearest equivalent is the Kondo Ginga which is a derivative of the Final Audio, although the Kondo has less sophisticated speed control and a much smaller motor than my Final Audio.
http://app.audiogon.com/listings/turntables-turntable-ginga-kondo-ginga-2014-02-05-analog-italy-irwin-oh