Direct Drive vs. Idler Drive vs. Belt drive

@lewm

Mike, It is interesting to hear from you on this subject. About 7-10 years ago, you had 3 turntables set up. One was a tweaked Garrard 301, another was a Rockport Sirius, and the third was a Technics, as I recall, eventually replaced by a Dobbins Technics and then by Dobbins’ The Beat. Have I got that about right? You were my guru on this subject.

thanks Lew. and right you are. but back then my collection of turntables (other than the Rockport and NVS) was at more modest price points. i enjoyed my NVS these last 9 years, but decided to invest in a top level belt and top level idler as i found that the music was not ideally served by one drive approach. and it’s been great fun and musically satisfying getting back to having choices when playing vinyl.

the belt drive and idler i have now are as low noise and speed steady as my direct drive; and both are even heavier. all three have high mass platters and plinths.

Thank you all for your links, explanations, and experiences. 
It seems that some of you have already traveled the journey I'm starting on. I've owned belt driven turntables for many years, and over a year ago I added a Garrard 401 idler drive. Last month I added another idler drive, a Garrard 301.
In my system, my belt-drive turntable is more balanced and at this time if I were to own just one turntable it would probably be a belt drive. My idlers are excellent and I really don't have any issues with noises and rumble that are commonly attributed to idlers. I do feel that my Garrards are better geared towards jazz, blues, vocals, and small ensembles, with this type of music it really shines. With classical and fast music that benefits from an analytical presentation, it doesn't sound quite as good as my belt drive. Perhaps my opinion will change after more work is put into the Garrards, only time will tell.
My curiosity now is how a direct-drive sound, will it sound more like my belt drive or more like my idlers?

your first reaction to a good direct drive is that it will sound somewhat digital, in that it won’t have any character of it’s own. of course, it can sound perfectly natural yet the lack of coloration will require an adjustment. it will have more slam, but not quite the drive, of your idlers. lower noise, blacker backgrounds, wider stage, a bigger, spacious type sound, not quite as focused. it might be more speed steady than your belt drive.

Rock music will soar with direct drive. large scale will hold together. maybe slightly less sexy than the belt drives, maybe a touch less liquid. the contrast will depend on the quality of your three choices for drive types and their level of condition and set-up and ancillary gear.

as you go up the food chain for each of these drive types they all get very quiet and there are fewer downsides of their drive types, just attributes to enjoy. better bearings, heavier platters, higher mass plinths, better motors....matter in each drive type. no replacement for displacement. music loves to be grounded solidly.

Apologies for going somewhat OT.

@ atmasphere:

A good platter pad will simultaneously damp the platter and silence the vibration in the LP; this has to be done with a platter pad that has the same hardness (durometer) as the vinyl. In that way energy from the LP is absorbed and not reflected back the the LP.

I must confess that I don’t really get this, as I don’t see how a mat can simultaneously be an effective and non-reflective absorber of energy and have the same hardness as the vinyl record.

Is there some science available on this subject that I can read? If so, links would be much appreciated.

Mike, you brought up an interesting point...better bearings. IME, this is actually what matters more than the drive type. I think this attribute is one of the most overlooked aspects of turntable design, and yet I think it is one of the most important factors to great SQ!