Garrard 301 motor and rumble

fsonic, I too am in disagreement with Mijostyn's  bald pronouncements, on some occasions, first because he is sometimes (but not all the time) wrong, and second because he fails to include three little words, after delivering a broadside, "in my opinion".  That in itself is a bit provocative. However, it is his intention to drop bombs, which is what just happened with respect to idler drive.  Just take it with a grain of salt; you are one of many audiophiles who prefer idler drive turntables, which in itself is testimony to their virtues.  He dislikes direct drive, as well. This does not deter me one iota from my chosen preference for same. In fact, he ONLY likes suspended belt drives.  I wouldn't have one in my system, if the suspension consists of springs. I would also take issue with the notion that no one ever contradicts Mijostyn. That is simply not the case. He usually takes it well.  He is actually quite knowledgeable and experienced, so it is folly to criticize him on that basis alone.

As regards idler drive motors, and particularly the Garrard motor, Mark Kelly, a definite 301 aficionado, used to point out regularly that although the motor does consume Watts, compared to other TT motors, it is in fact not that high in torque output.  Audiophiles confuse power consumption with power output. What accounts for the immediacy and dynamics of the 301 sound is I think the directness of the idler drive, the very low compliance of the drive system, rather than the essential power of the motor.

Mijo, I don’t argue with what you say, but it could be that certain drive systems are more capable than others in making incremental corrections in speed to maintain a more constant 33.333 rpm. Because of less compliance in the drive system compared to a BD or even a DD. That capacity for rapid short term acceleration might be heard as forceful performance. After all, there has to be something beneficial about ID. Which might be why putting a 20 or 40 lb platter on a 301 is heard to be counter productive by listeners who key on that sense of drive.

FWIW, a high quality PS like the LDA made by Fidelity Research (see the other thread) will almost certainly reduce motor noise, and also make it run smoother thereby reducing idler noise as well.  How much benefit is for an end user to say.  The Walker Audio Precision Motor Controller made a huge difference to the sonics of my Nottingham Analog Hyper, even though the Notts is of course a BD, not an ID, and even though the Walker is a crude device compared to the LDA.

There are any number of gurus who claim to have mastered the art of perfecting the workings of a Garrard 301.  Artisan Fidelity are one of those, but there are others.  It's not cheap.  If you want to try to do it yourself, you've come to the wrong place for detailed instructions, but some of the other 301 aficionados here may be able to direct you to a source of the information you need. For example, if I wanted analogous information about my Lenco, I would go to the Lenco Heaven website.