Direct Drive vs. Idler Drive vs. Belt drive

As you know me I am a lover of Vinyl, at least owning 8 turntables..
I just have compared the 1971 Whisbone Ash -Argus UK pressing with the SMH Japanese Platinum CD pressing. On my dCS chain, including an atomic time module, the CD is winning the comparison. 
Best
E.

E, when you get to the best analog and digital, the differences/preferences go w masterings not formats.

My Miles Davis "Nefertiti" on Jap vinyl is so superior to cd, it's laughable.
Go to Miles "On The Corner" and my collectors box set cd is just more immersive than the vinyl.

I’ve got a couple of LP box sets of iconic recordings, by the Beatles or by Miles Davis, or by etc. Just because there is only so much time in the day, several individual LPs in these various sets have never been played. In recent weeks, because we have so little else to do, I have played some of these LPs, particularly the Miles Davis recordings on Prestige that were re-issued by Classic Records maybe 10 years ago. To my dismay some of those Classic sides are abominable. I compared the bad sounding LPs to originals on Prestige, where I own duplicates, for example “Workin’”. Old and worn though my original Prestige copy may be it kills the Classic reissue. In cases like this I far prefer digital. Too late to return that Classic box set but beware.

Dear @mikelavigne  and friends: you say that in your 3 today TTs MUSIC flows and spin with speed stability that at least you can't detect.

I want to think that your TTs comparisons were made it using the same cartridge and at least in the NVS and Saskia with the same tonearm model.

The DD servo motor control always comes in any drive TT discusions and for the same characteristics that @richardkrebs  posted here but even he can't really detect that characteristic because he use DD TT.
I have first hand experiences with several DD TTs and BD TTs but not a first rate idlerdrive one. As Richard and you I can't detect any non-stable speed changes because the servo control.

So I think that even that in your post you make the observation that 2 of your TTs has no servos we can't say that the differences in quality listening levels are not because the servos.

So, from where came or comes those differences ( paramount. ) ?, you pointed out the excellence in all those 3 TTs quality excecution to its designs.

It's obvious that your room/system is fine tunned at any level of excellence we could imagine or even if we can't imagine it. No doubt about.

The MUSIC sound is developed by an extremely movement sensitive sensor anamed cartridge that pick up tiny/micro movements/resonances/vibrations/feedback and the like coming by inside the TT/tonearm/tonearm board/LP/cartridge body ( at least. ).

So it does not matters if air bearing or DD or idlerdrive all of them are " resonating " somewhere in different way ( using the same cartridge/tonearm. ) and the cartridge is taking that overall non damped resonances/vibrations/feedback or whatever you want and for me it's here from where comes all differences in between, at least the detectable ones.

Additional to that we have to take in count two critical subjects due that the Csport TT comes with a LT tonearm way different to the pivoted ones in the other two TTs under comparison and the Csport tonearm is seated outside the TT main plynth and this is a difference when we listen through a room/system with so very high resolution as yours ( @atmasphere can explain this in better way than me. He is against separate tonearm towers and in theory is rigth. ) and the tonearm internal wiring is different too.

So for me differences in between has a name ( at least between the NVS/Saskia. ) : overal damping levels and I mean it at each single link inside the TT/tonearm/cartridge chain. With the Csport exist more variables and we can't really say what is " happening " in reality: the " weigth " of those variables for the differences.


All in all the NVS and Saskia seems to me as a little better overall designs than the Csport even that this one has its own " merits ". Btw, something that disturbing me a little is its average/low specs but specs means " something " but certainly not all at all.

Well, I wish to own any one of your TTs.  ! !


Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.