Is idler drive better than belt drive or direct drive?


I’m sure this subject has been hashed out many times.
I am the proud owner of a Woodsong Garrard 301. Have owned belt drives and, long ago, a direct drive.
Just judging from the physicality of the idler drive and the result, I feel the idler drive gives more impact and drive to the music. This is very appealing. Believe belt drives significantly came into fashion since they are cheaper to make. I know there are several measurements which are less desirable, but the overall sound is most important and desired.
mglik

Showing 2 responses by mijostyn

Oldhvymec, There is LOADS of low frequency "noise" on vinyl that has nothing to do with the music. I have several recently pressed records that were obviously done on a poorly maintained lathe as the records have some of the worse rumble I have ever heard. The first time this happened I though my bearing went bad. 
Many subwoofer systems start rolling off at 30-35 hz by 18 Hz they are perhaps 6 dB down and that is only one octave. My system also doubles for theater work and there is loads of bass down there. Just watch Ford vs Ferrari. 
Rumble can be very low down as are surface irregularities on the vinyl. I use a digital high pass filter that rolls off at 100 dB/oct starting at 18 Hz.
If I defeat it the woofers will start flapping from just vinyl irregularities wasting power and taking the subwoofer drivers out of the linear part of their excursion causing distortion. Remember you have a resonance frequency between 8 and 12 Hz if you set up your tonearm correctly so these frequencies are amplified. Unfortunately, Records are not perfectly flat. You will see woofer movement in any system plating vinyl usually fairly mild as most system do not do much below 30 Hz although there are plenty of threads about flapping woofers. With modern subwoofers, amplifiers that go right down to DC and room control this can become a huge problem. Most Room control units, at least the ones I am familiar with allow you to design filters which if you play vinyl is for all intents and purposes mandatory. 

Here we go again. I do not know where this illusion that an idler wheel turntable has more "impact" and "drive." Music has impact and drive. Turntables do not. They just spin, hopefully at a constant and noiseless 331/3 RPM. Idler wheel drives are relatively a mechanical nightmare. They were necessary 1/2 a century ago to shift speeds and give a turntable enough torque so that a record could be slip Q -ed. Direct drive tables replaced them and radio stations never looked back. All these idler wheel tables out there were dirt cheap and great for cottage companies to mess around with the resurgence of vinyl. 
Even if an idler wheel table was quiet to begin with, with just a little wear  it won't be. Anybody with an excellent sub woofer system that operates flat to 18 Hz can not use one without turning on a rumble filter. As an idler wheel drive wears you get rumble, wow and flutter. As a belt drive wears you get just wow and flutter. Direct drive tables do not wear and they are the most accurate speed wise with just a few exceptions.
The only reason I would ever buy a vintage table is for a conversation piece. Impact and drive? Only by the power of suggestion.