Top ten DD turntables of all time?

Hi Peter,
Your designs are interesting. In the world of direct drives there are few of these usual suspects which include the SP10, DP80, Yamaha GT-2000x, Kenwood L-07d and JVC TT101 to name a few. Since you have been working on DD models, whats your take ? Are any of these models equally good ? Should I be looking for any particular model, e.g SP-10 MK3 if I want top shelf performance ?

Finally do you work on restoring any good DDs or are you dedicated to the Denon camp? :-)

Pani

I chose the Denon's, firstly because they are excellent machines and secondly because they are plentiful, theres literarily thousands of them available, and since I do this for a living (making audio equipment) I have to have a supply. Most I get from Japan, I have a scout there helping me secure them.

Once they get here they are completely disassembled, all the capacitors replaced and most of the semi conductors as well. Then installed int the wooden plinths, which we make in house, with a completely new power supply etc. Readjusted and calibrated ready for another 40 years of service :-), I only have experience with Denons, and I only do the 3000, 2000, 6000 and 80 as they have "real" motors. I have a few DP75's also, which is a lot like the 80 but with a smaller motor

As mention above I just redid a Technics SP10MK2, still need to figure out how to do a good looking plinth for it, which is a lot harder to do because of the plugged together circuit cards that take up almost all the space in the square metal chassis they are built on, also the mechanical brake is an obstacle to "loosing " the metal chassis (The Denon's, 2000, 6000 and 80 have electrical brakes BTW). This is probably the reason that most of the reissue Technics plinths are rectangular, which in my mind is way too "ordinary" I do think the Technics SP10MK2 is a wonderful machine, I'm certain that the MK3 is even better.

I redid a Micro Seiki DDX1500 a while back as well that turned out nicely as well, however the drive system, in my opinion, is not on par with the above Denon's or the Technics SP10 MK2, 3

I would state that all the ones you mention are probably equally good at maintaining correct speed if updated and adjusted properly, but there's a lot more to than that to making the "sound" of a turntable, plinth material, platter, record mat etc.

Choose just one, thats difficult, my own super biased opinion : a GrooveMaster Vintage Direct DP6 or DP8 :-) with a Graham Phantom, SME 4 or 5, or a Kuzma 4Point (Currently building DP6, with a 4Point for the Ralston Listening Library at the University of the South in Seawanee TN), the choices are endless.

Good Listening

Peter

First, I want to update the link I posted in my 12-14-05 entry (scroll up) for the famous Direct Drive site. That (old) link is dead, but all is not lost! (it is now archived.) I think I'm going to save the whole site to my hard drive, just in case ;~)

The current link is Welcome to Direct Drive

I'm not going to repeat my enthusiasm for the sorbothane-modified Goldmund Studietto. I have two of them now (the second one brand new). I was going to fit the second one with a linear tracking arm (not a Goldmund) but I'm too old now, and the only acceptable arm (AirTangent) is now way out of my price range, so I'll probably list it soon.

If anyone has questions about my passion for the Goldmund DD tables, I'll be more than happy to offer my reasons/opinions ;~) Yes, there are other DD tables I respect (the Nakamichi self-centering Dragon, for instance, or that multi-million dollar TT that Michael Fremer has) but for sheer overall performance combined with decades of consistent and trouble-free ease of use, nothing has given me the satisfaction of my Studietto (which I bought new with an SME V arm in 1990!)

People have asked me why I never coveted the (very expensive) Goldmund Reference turntable? Well, because it's a belt drive! ;~))

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1. LUXMAN PD444
2. GOLDMUND STUDIO

in my experience.

twi....you didn't list VPI's direct drive???  shame on you