2. analog
  3. 128631-117

My personal experience with Direct Drive versus Belt Drive

This is my personal , yet limited experience, with a DD versus Belt Drive. This A/B took place in the same system. with literally the same tonearm. I am choosing not to mention brands at this point. I feel by keeping the brand out of the discussion, anyone who contributes to the the thread (myself included), can be a bit more forthcoming. I am not big on audiophile jargon, so I will keep this short and sweet. I started with DD, in a system which I was very familiar with. The room of course, was different. The DD struck me as near perfect. I could hear the starting and stopping on a dime, and the near perfect timing that many have associated with the DD.  It didn't take long at all for me to conclude this was not my cup of tea. It satisfied my brain, but didn't move my heart. Maybe I was used to the imperfect sound of belt drives, and it was indeed that imperfection, that made for an emotional experience. Who knows? (-: Fast forward to the belt drive.... Again, same actual arm. It sounded more analog to me. Decay was much more easy to hear, along with subtle spatial cues. Was it the less than perfect timing, that was allowing me to now hear these things I could not with the DD?  I have no clue! What I was sure about was the emotion of the music had returned.
fjn04
13blm's avatar
13blm
63 posts
 
All of the above drive systems can yield excellent results, although I have found in my products, string drive has offered the least compromises. I will be unveiling a pretty interesting new design at Axpona this year. 
Anvil Turntables


rwwear
2,847 posts
 
I own quite a few turntables and although I prefer Direct Drive, they can all sound great if set up correctly. It is much easier to build a belt drive table and that’s one reason there’s so many around. A direct drive table is much rarer and harder to make. Perhaps one of the main reasons I prefer them. Another is with belt drive, the belt is always pulling the spindle against one side of the bearing well. Maybe not a big deal but it certainly doesn't inspire confidence.
13blm's avatar
13blm
63 posts
 
Belt tension not an issue with properly designed bearing. All designs have compromises.  Good tables of any design are hard to manufacture!

enginedr1960
173 posts
 

Dear Raulirugas I get your point . I feel that the technology for vinyl playback was at its pinnacle in the past just before the format took a down turn to the rise of CD sales . I have a very good computer based audio system and feel that's where the advancement in SQ has escalated . I use this system to compare with my analog rig .the most accurate phono cartridges sound more like good digital . This makes me think some people do like pleasant distortion  . Remember ignorance is bliss until you have heard the difference .

 

danvignau's avatar
danvignau
935 posts
 
Arguing whethet belt drive or direct drive is better, without multiple double blind comparisons on several systems, is akin to arguing whether one prefers blonds or brunettes, but only while feeling their hair in a dark forest.
More to discover