Direct drive vs Idler drive vs. belt drive: Which is the "right" path?
Lots of ink has been devoted defending or attacking the three major turntable design principles, namely belt drive, idler drive and direct drive. Many of us may have already taken sides, having a clear preference. For the rest of us, who are still trying to make up our mind, what do you think are the pros and cons of each design?
Please, correct me if I am wrong, but the prominent choices IMHO are as follows:
Belt drive: countless; I am not getting in trouble to mention any.
Idler drive: Garrard, Lenco, Thorens, (other?)
Direct drive: Technics SP10, Denon DP80, 70, Kenwood, Sony, etc.
Which is the design principle that can provide the best sound quality, theoretically and in practice?
Cheers,
Panos
Last edited by pankon; 17-04-2017 at 16:02.
Reason: I mentioned "Technics" in the idler drive TTs. I meant to say "Thorens".
System1: Lenco L75 with custom plinth, SLAT, sph bearing, SG4 external power supply + Alfred Bokrand AB-309 tonearm + Denon DL103R (aluminum body) + Well Tempered 12" tonearm clone + Denon DL103R (wooden body), ASR Mini Basis Exclusive HV, Marantz CD6005, LAB12 DAC1 SE+, Hattor BIG passive + active pre, Lab12 Suono power amp, Falcon LS3/5a Gold Badge, LAB12 Gordian, Belden 8428, Black Cat Red Level Triode, LAB12 Knack MkII
System 2: Roksan Xerxes original (HiFi Inspire plinth) with Maxon ReMax motor + Audiomods Series6 + Ortofon Cadenza Black microridge retipped, ASR Mini Basis Exclusive, Marantz CD6003, Croft Micro25R + Series7R monoblocks (110W/ea), Harbeth SHL5 Plus 40th Anniv.
System 3: Marantz CD6003, Croft SuperMicroII ('R' spec by Croft, Tesla E83CC in phono)+ Series7, Snell Type EII (with bypass caps, new internal wiring, WBT nextgen 0703Cu), Mark Grant HDX1, Atlas Hyper 3.0