Tales From a Vinyl Record Hoarder: Direct Drive Turntables: Better than Belt Drive?

Which is most reliable, the direct drive or belt drive turntables?

DJ's swear by the direct drive turntable, both for reliability, and the ability to stand up to heavy use... but, do YOU really need that type of heavy-use durability? Maybe a Shouldn't your primary concern be sound quality?

I think at the lower price points you wouldn't sacrifice too much in the way of audio fidelity with a direct drive as opposed to a belt driven table, if you decided to go in that direction. I have always thought, and heard from audiophiles for years, that the belt driven turntable sounded best.

My own experience with direct drive is very limited, but I didn't think the sound was all that different. If you are doing any scratching/sound manipulation, with sudden starts and stops, going in reverse, you really can't do that with a belt drive turntable, you would need a durable direct drive turntable.

Of course with a direct drive record player you would not need to worry about replacing a belt, but maybe that's where you should pay a little more when shopping for that direct drive option? Make sure you get a direct drive that is going to last a while?

Options for direct drive turntables

The Audio-Technica AT-LP 120 USB Direct-Drive Professional Turntable has to be the best deal right now, in the $250.00 or less price range, its hard to beat a turntable with a high torque motor and adjustable pitch control.

This turntable has a built-in pre-amp, and can be by passed if you want, the AT LP-120 Direct Drive can also be plug into an aux jack on just about any other source. You can also record your LP's to CD and or mp3 if you want, and actually enjoy your vinyl on the go, understand though, you will hear any imperfections on those mp3 files that might be present in the vinyl grooves.

Almost all receivers today have the aux jack on the back or front, as long as it's the red and white RCA jacks you should be OK, don't forget this unit has a built-in phono pre- amp. As mentioned above, the main complaint with these direct drive turntables is the noise level of the machine it's self.

If you were out in a club or playing some bass thumping jammin' music at home, this would not be a concern. If you want to sit and listen to acoustic jazz or something at low volume, and this table was humming like an idling car, you wouldn't be happy with that.

What do you really want?

It's important to know exactly what you are wanting here: Do you want quiet or very low noise, then get a belt driven turntable.

If you want sturdy, takes a beating, but could not be ideal for quiet intimate listening, go direct drive then. Now I will try to explain why most audiophiles prefer the belt driven turntable without making your eyes roll back into your head...

What do audiophiles think about direct vs belt drive?

Understand this fact: There is a breed of listener, the super-duper audiophile, who spends every waking hour worrying about things like low-level hum, and noise floors. They run A/B tests on everything under the sun sonically.

For me it's a simple proposition with my music listening: I like crisp highs, natural deep bass, and as little distortion as possible.

Obviously if you can hear a direct drive motor underneath the music you're listening to, that's a noise no one could live with, unless you were playing in a club setting under high volume conditions. That underlying noise is a major complaint of many audiophiles who swear by the belt driven turntable to avoid those complications.

The quieter the motor the better the sound. I believe if you are new to the world of vinyl, you probably wouldn't notice the type of sound issue that many of the audiophiles claim with direct drive units, are you going to run A/B tests, I doubt it?

So what do I recommend for a beginner?

Just get a decent name brand whether it's a direct or belt drive turntable and start spinning some vinyl you can upgrade down the road., here are three reviewed belt models that cost a little more than most entry-level turntables, but at least you know you'll get a quality table at the start.

If you have a little more cash, you might want to check out what type of bargains that are out there for audiophile quality turntables. You may be shocked at the reasonable prices out there on good name brands.

Climate and Turntables?

Some people have even sought out the direct drive players because of unusual weather conditions where they now live.

In drier climates, the South Western United States for instance, their belts were drying out quickly and causing distortion. In the eastern U.S. this seems to not be as big of an issue. Here is some more light reading on the subject.