Direct Drive vs. Idler Drive vs. Belt drive

It took me three decades as a resolute pro analog guy to find a cdp that totally satisfies me, the Eera Tentation I bought in 2014.
In the time I've owned my Eera that was likely beating my analog when it was first installed, I've taken that analog rig (Trans Fi Salvation rim drive tt w Terminator LT air tonearm and Soundsmith Straingauge cart), and abs maxxed it out (bespoke LPSs to tt motor and Straingauge energiser, SOTA Stacore Adv 93kg passive isolation platform under tt, upgraded Terminator arm, mag lev tt bearing and tt footers etc). My Eera cdp is still abs compelling as one of the few digital pieces that nails analog-like flow and tone density, but my analog rig has leapfrogged it...in terms of presence, timbral accuracy, tonal differentiation, and a heavenly combination of heft and speed...the rim drive Salvation tt is the iron fist, the Terminator air arm/Straingauge cart is the velvet glove.
I'm currently listening to the John Coltrane "Selflessness" live lp on original Impulse label, and there is so much going on in terms of transients, polyrythmns, cascading twin horns, and crashing percussion, yet despite this organised chaos, the vinyl sounds totally vital. The cd I've heard here on my Eera is more organised, but more polite and decluttered, losing energy and spirit.
I'm in the happy place of total zen calm w my cd replay after three decades cursing digital Lol...but my really well blended and executed analog front end just reveals more magic, and the bottom line is, it's more compelling in a way digital cannot match let alone exceed.

E, when you get to the best analog and digital, the differences/preferences go w masterings not formats.

My Miles Davis "Nefertiti" on Jap vinyl is so superior to cd, it's laughable.
Go to Miles "On The Corner" and my collectors box set cd is just more immersive than the vinyl.

I have a chance of going for a bespoke high quality replacement for the tt speed controller on my Salvation direct rim drive tt. It'll be a total punt in that I'll be buying a custom order device w no chance of hearing it. The designer is long term user of my tt/arm, and uses a Clearaudio Goldfinger (that should appeal to Mike), and so if he feels it passes muster, I'll buy w some confidence.
Part of the Salvation's magic is that it doesn't use any servo feedback/loop at all. Indeed, whenever designer Vic tried to incorporate it, either an optical encoder or a voltage fluctuation gauge, the sound became colder, grainier and less compelling.
Vic's existing stock tt speed controller is pure analog, set by reference to speed strobe, but is not particularly bulletproof. The bespoke replacement will have way better component count and a couple of features that make it pretty unique. And I believe, no servo feedback while lps playing.

Mike, hi. I thought it was a little instructive that on WBF you didn't mention much in yr comparison to existing NVS of yr new CSPort and Saskia. Now I'm reading you have some strong opinions on potential negatives of servo and use of such on NVS.
So, you're getting greater satisfaction, immersion, from yr non-servo thread- and idler-drives?
That's not to say the NVS isn't first rate. Just that it's not as fully fleshed out as the Saskia, and not quite as ethereal as the CSPort?
Or am I as usual reading too much into yr words?

As a massive fan of analog, the best recording I've ever heard is a digital version of Sarah Vaughan, and the worst, Metallica's Death Magnetic lp. 
All in the mastering.
But across the range of Golden Age recordings, I'll bet on vinyl more times than cd or streaming.

Who exactly is trialling tts w the same carts? I can't think of anyone trying out tts in a retail store and moving the same cart from one tt to the next.
That's just so...70s-90s Lol.
In the UK, I can count the dealers on one hand who can even fit a cart probably, let alone move it btwn rigs.
Nope...today you just pick a tt and cart and hope for the best I think.

Aha Raul, I neglected to consider owners of multiple tts.