Can you ever go back to belt drive?

[struth]

had a project with a speed box and fibre arm. it was actually a very decent deck, certainly for the money.

[The Black Adder]

had a project with a speed box and fibre arm. it was actually a very decent deck, certainly for the money.

+1

Yep, I had the quartz speed box too, well worth it.

Nice little TT

[walpurgis]

I'm dumbing down the vinyl side of my system. I'll only be keeping the TD150 with arm of choice and the PL-12D. Seems daft to have much invested in turntables etc., as I hardly play records these days. I'll keep the Thorens and Pioneer for now as they are dead reliable, do the job and are a doddle to maintain.

[struth]

just have the one tt. so if it goes tits up then it'll likely be the last. mostly stream now due to concerns over damage anyway. ive still got a nice record collection tho. could realise a lot selling that....400 aprox, almost all in nmint condition.

[The Black Adder]

I don't play records very often either. I've been thinking of selling my TD-124 for a while now.

It's a beautiful thing and I've spent lots on it.... Just don't know what to get if I did. Belt or DD? Vintage or modern? Price bracket?

Sheesh, lots to think about.

[Marco]

Hi Andrew,

Okay, long story short

I had an SL1200G and an own an LP12, very decent spek.

I sold the SL1200G for financial reasons and kept the Linn. Trouble is, even though I have a Lingo 3 on the Linn, I'm missing the rock steady pitch of direct drive. Other people reckon I'm imagining but I still think I hear w&f from the Linn. It's only 3 years old and I've tried another new (£50) belt but no difference. The strobe says it's fine and am sure it is but the SL IMO was better.

I also think that with off centre pressing the SL1200G coped better??

I'm now trying to sell my LP12 and buy another Technics but the only thing that worries me is the few reports of warped platters?

A valuable lesson learned. eh? The good thing, and positive way of looking at it, is that you now know, the hard way, that despite considering that the LP12 was better (based on the badge and 'audiophile heritage'), which no doubt is why you kept it and sold the Technics, there's still something intrinsically more accurate about the musical presentation of the Technics - and for good reason.

You are definitely *not* imagining the pitch instability, which is what I think you're hearing, as it's present, to some degree, in pretty much all belt-driven turntables, in comparison with good direct-drives, which are inherently more stable.

So now armed with that knowledge, and secure in how you like your music presented, you can concentrate on the direct-drive approach to vinyl replay, and get the most from it.

Since you liked what you heard with the SL1200G, my advice would be to sell the Linn and buy another Technics, but this time upgrade the arm for something better, such as a Jelco SA-750. Trust me, despited the high price tag of the Technics, the stock arm is nothing special whatsoever!

Upgrading the arm will make the Technics sound much more 'musical' and give you a little of what the Linn does well (that addictive musicality), which combined with the rock-sold stability and speed accuracy of the Technics will make for some grin-inducing listening sessions, especially if you fit a really nice MC cartridge... Anyway, I wish you well on your journey

Marco.

[Marco]

I don't play records very often either. I've been thinking of selling my TD-124 for a while now.

It's a beautiful thing and I've spent lots on it.... Just don't know what to get if I did. Belt or DD? Vintage or modern? Price bracket?

Sheesh, lots to think about.

Unless you need the money, Jo (from selling the Thorens), do nowt, as pretty much anything else you buy will be a downgrade. For me, what you should do, in order to hear your gorgeous TD124 at its best, is fit a better arm and cartridge - especially the latter. You really need to hear that T/T with a nice SPU!

And for that, you'll need a quality SUT or step-up transformer, to partner the MM phono stage in your Croft. If you're still using an MM cartridge with it (as you were when we last spoke about T/Ts), then you're only hearing a fraction of your T/T's potential, and that's why playing records isn't blowing you away at the moment, which it should be!

Marco.

[Alex_UK]

I've got a Pro-Ject RPM4 - it's actually very good - not as good as my Garrard 401, but it is certainly very acceptable for the very rare occasions it gets used. I put it up for sale once but knew I'd regret it and kept it. Looks nice too, and a small "footprint" compared to most decks. I also had a Technics SL-150 for several years, doctored by DSJR, and that was very good too. I don't think you can say one drive method is better than another - it will always depend on the implementation and so many other variables.

[Marco]

I don't think you can say one drive method is better than another - it will always depend on the implementation and so many other variables.

Not better in every way, but definitely better in *some* ways, as both belt-drive and D/D have their inherent weaknesses. In the areas in which either excel, however, the difference is easily heard

Marco.

[Haselsh1]

Back in 2009 I used a Technics SL1210 with Croft amplification. A year or so later I was back with a belt drive for no reason other than boredom. I also love the rock steady timing of a DD.