Which vintage direct drive?

Wolfie, I didn’t pay too much attention after I mounted the air bearing tonearm and listened for a minute - it was one of the second tier Technics, maybe an SL1500 mk2. Anyway, compared to the Nottingham Mentor (Dais bearing, modern motor controller), the DD was unlistenably coarse. To me. In my system.

I bought the Technics because it was real cheap and I wanted a second TT - but the Technics was not the answer, so I gave it away. Kept the Trans-Fi arm.

And agreed about the NA tonearm. About as adjustable as a concrete block.

Sorry for the long delay, injury kept me away. 

I've decided to mod a Dual 721. It's a brushless DD that is more reliable than most and very simple design with excellent measurements. I will make a plinth and pair this with the Terminator tonearm. Making the motor parallel with tonearm is the most important part. Next, would be making a quiet box for the air pump  (harder than it seems). 

Great suggestions though and I do appreciate the help. 

Terry, You compared your top of the line Nottingham to an old technology, and chronologically old Technics DD.  That is really not a fair comparison of belt-drive vs direct-drive types.  The Dias would be far superior to the Technics, in so many ways other than the drive system.


Eno, So far as I recall, the Dual 721 is one of the earliest coreless motor DD turntables.  (I guess it came out after the Dual 701, which was the first.) Nearly all the coreless turntable motors that have followed on to the Dual borrow heavily, if not completely, from its design.  (Even the Brinkmann Bardo motor in the present tense.) In fact, I read that Kenwood got sued by Dual, because the Kenwood coreless motor so closely resembled the Dual design.  "Brushless" is neither here nor there, but is it quartz-referenced for speed control?  I ask because I think that idea came along later, late 1970s.  It's what distinguishes the Technics SP10 from the SP10 Mk2, for example.

Maybe you have a look at the Denon DP 100 M.

Thuchan is in a funny mood. The DP 100 was the biggest and most expensive of the Japanese super DD’s of the late 20th century. The OP says he cannot afford Sony PS-X 9 or Pioneer Exclusive, so this would be entirely out of reach.

I was in the same spot several years ago, when I wanted a high quality Japanese DD for my second system and not prepared to go to these extremes. I eventually settled on a (Japan only) Pioneer PL-70L II, which was ’inspired’ by the Exclusive P-3 and P-10. The motor and chassis are much less substantial, but the included 12" tonearm is very similar to the Exclusive arm (although not dynamically balanced). This was the main reason I chose this table, also because the prices are still quite reasonable in Japan. I don’t think its DD motor is in any way superior to the rivals mentioned above, but in my opinion the arm gives it an edge.