2. analog
  3. 179351-74445

Direct Drive

I am firmly in the digital camp, but I’ve dabbled in vinyl.  Back in the day I was fascinated by Technics Direct Drive tt, but couldn’t afford them.  I was stuck with my entry level Gerrard.  I have been sans turntable for about 5 years now but the new gear bug is biting.  I am interested in the Technics 1500 which comes with an Ortofon Red and included pre amp.  I have owned Rega P5 which I hated for its speed instability and a Clearaudio Concept which was boring as hell.

  Direct Drive was an anathema to audiophiles in the nineties but every time I heard  one it knocked my socks off.  What do the analogers here think of Direct Drive?  I listen to Classical Music exclusively 

mahler123

Showing 6 responses by pedroeb

pedroeb
493 posts
 

Where do I get 3 phase when my house is only single phase? Surely AC motors are asking for trouble.

pedroeb
493 posts
 

WHO CARES DD or Belt it's about the music. 

Of course it's about the music, but naturally the sound quality is critical.

pedroeb
493 posts
 
asvjerry

...and the master is cut with a tangential arm, but that will only trigger another fusillsade from the trenches that surround you... ;)

Do tangential playback arms sound any better?

A search found Clearaudio CAU-TP062 but the Clearaudio site doesn't even mention it. In fact it doesn't seem to be anywhere else. Is it a custom hybrid or something?

pedroeb
493 posts
 
terry9

Yes, tangential tonearms sound better. But they are a higher end thing, and you probably won't hear the benefits until you're spending a fair bit.

How handy are you? It's not hard to make a DIY belt drive table that will be far better than anything you can buy for the same price. I had a pretty hefty budget for a TT and used the money to DIY - and the result is quite phenomenal. And the journey was a treat not to be missed.

DIY forever!

Terry,

I couldn't agree more. I modded just about everything in one way or another and I'm mighty impressed with the final results.
 

One piece of equipment I haven't considered is the turntable.  Details of your components would be a terrific starting point to get me started.

 

pedroeb
493 posts
 

A local dealer dealer just mentioned the Fender x MoFi PrecisionDeck Limited Edition Turntable is in stock.

For looks alone Fender's iconic Sunburst is truly amazing.

Differences between turntables often comes down to the cartridge.

In this case it is the Mofi MasterTracker Cartridge, which is almost 25% of the total cost.

 

pedroeb
493 posts
 

@terry9

Thanks for your thoughts.

I've been thinking about tone arms with azimuth adjustment as I believe the stylus' axis needs to be perpendicular to the record even if it means the head shell is not at all parallel to the record.

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