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New direct drive turntables?

At the risk of beginning a DD vs. belt drive debate -- which is not at all my desire, as those so frequently turn into rants -- I'm wondering the following: Are there any new, reasonably affordable, decent-quality direct drive turntables? (I'm thinking about something that might compete with the lower-end Regas and Pro-jects, something in the $1k range, give or take.

I'm asking because it seems so odd that the Technics tables stopped being produced at about the moment that vinyl really took off again. Isn't there some company -- Denon? Onkyo? Technics? -- that has already done the R&d, that knows how to manufacture the motor, etc., that might be able to bring a reasonably priced direct drive turntable back onto the market now to compete with the belt drive units of similar price?

Just wondering.

Thanks.

-- Howard
hodu

Showing 1 response by halcro

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halcro
2,664 posts
 
The Denons use an AC Servo direct drive system. All the rest are DC direct drive. The new VPI Direct is an AC servo DD and supposedly is an updated clone of the Denon DP-100. The Denons are widely considered to be the best of the vintage direct drives, especially the DP-100, 80 and 75.
Harry Weisfeld has written himself on AA that the Victor TT-101 DD turntable made in the late 70s-early 80s is the best turntable he's ever heard and together with the Kenwood L-07D inspired him to create his VPI Direct.
Both of these use DC servo motors as far as I am aware...?
The motor Harry uses for the VPI Direct is the Thingap (made by an independent manufacturer) which is also used in the belt drive Continuum turntables.
It is the performance and availability of the motor that promps the usage in the VPI Direct....and not the choice of power delivery.
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