Belt Drive Turntables vs Direct Drive Turntables: What’s the Difference, and Which is Better?
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- čas přidán 18. 05. 2024
- If you have been doing research on turntables or maybe looking to purchase your first turntable, you may have noticed that some models are classified as belt-drive turntables while others are referred to as direct-drive turntables. So, what’s the difference, and which is Better?
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In our opinion, the best bang for your dollar is a well designed belt drive turntable, but if you desire the quick start up, ability to play like a DJ, or fine tune the speed, look at some of the higher end direct drives.
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0:00 Belt Drive vs Direct Drive Turntables
0:23 So What’s the Difference, and Which is Better?
1:28 What is a Belt-Drive Turntable?
2:15 What is a Direct-Drive Turntable?
3:40 What if I’m Not a DJ?
5:15 Speed Stability is Key
7:03 Turntable Suggestions
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Check out our detailed written article 📚 audioadvice.io/BeltDrivevsDirectDriveTT
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Being a direct person, I am all about my direct drive!
Love to hear it! Cheers!
Very good breakdown. I'm a belt-drive lover for the pure sonics, but I do love how easy Technics SL tables are to live with.
Very true! Thanks for sharing 😁
Direct drive removed the intermediaries between motor and platter, offering the
benefit of low maintenance, but a rubber belt between the motor and the platter had a smoothing effect, which made belt
drive more popular. Motor-derived hum, vibration and noise are major challenges in turntable design, so a drive belt
between motor and platter helps reduce any remaining motor vibrations, while also moving the source of hum away from
the cartridge. Increasing the distance between the motor and the playing surface and using a rubber drive belt can lessen
some unwanted motor effects, and transfer less of them to the playing surface.
So why not increase the distance between the motor and the platter even more, moving the hum field far away from the cartridge, and only requiring a long
drive belt - As with most aspects of turntable design, the answer is a careful balance between the motor drive
and the platters rotational friction. The platter is trying to slow down while the motor is pushing it, but if the drive belt is
too long its servo reaction time can be delayed. A belt needs to be relatively small, as long as its consistent.
Long belts and threads tend to lower the consistency of drive, but a low quality motor is better kept away
from the platter. However, as the motors rotational consistency gets better, theres some benefit in linking its motion
more closely to the platter. Making the rubber drive-belt longer might well lessen some more unwanted motor effects, but
may also cause energy transfer variations from the rubber drive-belt itself, since the flexible nature of the material can
cause speed variations. It's important to choose an optimal distance between motor and platter one that allows the
energy transfer to be consistent, while still lessening as much motor imperfection as possible.
Thanks for sharing!
Great comparison between the two styles of turntables. They each have their advantages.
They certainly do, thanks for watching
All direct drive turntables have lower rumble figures than their belt drive peers. Outliers excepted.
Nothing other than the spindle touches the platter in a direct drive turntable. They are all Hall effect generator designs. No gears, no nothing drives them.
Rumble that may make it into direct drive will be ( first harmonic) at 33.3 hz or 45hz. as the Platter spins at the speed of the motor 1:1
Belt drive designs do not isolate the motor from the platter. The belt dampens the rumble but does not eliminate it. Rumble figures of all belt drives are typically worse than a direct drive.
Since belt drive motors spin either at 300 rpm or 600 rpm. Any (1st. Harmonic) rumble will be at 300hz. Or 600 hz. Both more audible to hearing than rumble of direct drives .
Next, this is tiring of micro speed variations in direct drives. For Gawd Sake those issues of cogging were solved by Made in Japan inc. near 50 years ago.
There is no truly measurable let alone audible cogging, or micro speed variations in a properly working direct drive turntables.
The very vinyl records you buy were mastered on direct drive cutting lathes. If micro speed variations were an issue you would hear it in every vinyl record ever pressed.
The reason why especially the boutique turntable manufacturers use belt drive is cost. Off the shelf and they almost always use off the shelf a.c. synchronous or d.c. servo motors to run belt drives from, cost a mear few dollars to mass produce.
Direct drive motors were much more costly to engineer and make and when Made in Japan inc. mostly walked away from turntables by the late 90's the supply of proper, cost effective direct drive motors dried up, except for mostly Technics.
The revival of vinyl playback has seen investments in modern direct drive motors at cost effective prices to see more and more turntables employ direct drive.🤔
Thanks for sharing your views.
Thanks for that information. I'm about to purchase a Technics DD Fully Automatic SL 1650. I'm new to the vinyl game just 5 months
Speed variations so micro, you can’t even hear them. But trust us, it’s there.
Pretty clever marketing, I’ll give them that.
Belt drive is just much easier to manufacture, hence the easy availability of essentially interchangeable product.
DD all day long.
Great comparison! I personally have a belt-driven Pro-ject, but that Technics is a very nice DD table.
Right on!
Very insightful!
Glad you think so!
Great breakdown!
Appreciate it!
I'm definitely a belt-drive guy myself, but there are some great direct drive models out there. Excellent comparison!
Thanks 👍
Nicely done
Thanks for the visit
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it
I personally prefer belt drive after listening to both but I've heard some amazing direct drive tables and would definitely reconsider when it's time to upgrade. It seems they keep getting better and better!
Fair enough!
I have a Pro-ject. After having to go on-line for a replacement belt, I give mine a little spin when starting up.
Thanks for sharing!
How often are you supposed to replace the belt? I haven't used mine in nearly 2 years.
It might be time. Check with the manufacturer of your turntable. It may be listed on their site. Otherwise, chat with our team at audioadvice.com for more help!
I tried belt drive but ultimately settled on my near mint sl1200mk2. It's a 35 year old deck that runs like a top and is quite easy to maintain
Wow awesome! Thanks for sharing!
The belt itself adds wow and flutter. Direct drive does not suffer from this.
Direct drive for me. Easy and fuss free. Sounds good, quiet and minimal distortion. I think it’s high time to remove the notion that direct drive turn tables are only good for DJs because it’s not. Modern direct drive turntables from Technics and Audio Technica can be a great audiophile tool for records.
Fair enough! Thanks for sharing!
Direct Drive is the best. Technics is the GOAT TT
Thanks for sharing!
Belt drives can adjust the speed.....in Old School days.
Yes, in the old school days. Some of the current external power supplies have potentiometers to fine tune the speed on belt drive but nothing like the sliders currently found on a lot of direct drive.
If you were referring to direct drive of years past, you might have a point / but with brushless, quartz locked direct drive motors, heavy dampened platters the consistency of top level direct drive far supersedes belt drive, and no worries about replacing a belt. I disagree completely.
Fair enough. Thanks for sharing
So, you're totally trashing the Technics tables you sell......
It was directed at the entry level dd tables out there.