Belt or Direct Drive tables....

abacus

Well-known member
A belt drive can be made cheaper as the belt isolates the motor from the platter thus they can cheap out on the isolation, apart from that (Which disappears as you go up the price scale) it all come downs the engineering of the complete turntable/arm/cartridge combination. (This is way more important whether it is driven by belt or direct)

Bill
 
Brinkmann know a bit about making turntables and in their short study of turntable drives they decided that a well constructed direct drive was the best way to go, however they tend to be expensive to produce so the best drives are in expensive decks. That said mine wasn't exactly cheap and it's belt drive.
 
The new entry level Technics looks very enticing indeed. And a big draw for me is its semi-automatic convenience and ease of use. But why no strobe light??? Like BMW selling a car without the roundel.
I thought it was because there’s nothing to adjust. Unlike a belt drive, a decent DD will always be bang on, a bit like a quartz watch.

I 100% get that it’s a Technics ‘trade mark’ almost, but widely copied by cheap lookalikes.
 
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iMark

Well-known member
I remember the discussions in the 1970s about DD and belt drive turntables. It seems that it has never settled. However. the more esoteric designs are all belt drive turntables.

Over the years there was always the argument that a belt drive meant better acoustic uncoupling and therefore potentially better than DD. On the other hand DD turntables potentially have better speed control. In the end it boils down to what sound you like in a turntable. They all colour the sound in their own specific way.
 
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I know this thread is 9 months old, but curiosity is starting to get the better of me. Love the retro looks of the Pro-ject Classic & the sound is still impressive.

That said, I would still like to compare a modern DD with a belt drive table. Last one I heard was my mates Pioneer back in the 80s.
What you guys & gals suggest?
 

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