Is Direct Drive Really Better?

I own a Denon DP59-L direct drive.. and a Dual SC7000 belt drive.
Both are nice tables that sound good enough to my fussy ears. And both have 'lift at end of play' devices, and start cueing too. So my drunken ham-fisted mitts do not destroy the LP or the stylus.
But then I am only a common audionut.. and not a full blown Audiophile wacko.
(only because I am relatively poor.. If I was a billionaire it would be a different story)

I think the best course of action is to buy a turntable on the basis of the quality of sound it produces versus its cost to purchase, and to forget belt versus direct versus idler.

If you want to buy a sports car do you buy on the basis of the engine configuration (V8 versus turbo versus supercharged, versus rotary) or do you take the cars for a drive ?

In that case, Seandtaylor, there's only one winner - my Lenco GL75 idler wheel tt from the 60's cost me $200 after making a heavy CLD plinth for it. I sold my well set up Garrard 401, and Thorens TD160 belt drive as they were substantially worse in every way (though I wonder if the gap may have been closer with the Garrard if it had a heavy plinth also). Then I read an article in Hi Fi World magazine in which David Price (editor) trumpetted the 401 over his favorite belt drive Michell Orbe (at $5000). Heavyweight knockout or WHAT????!!! i am still amazed by my tt and endorse everything that johnantais says in his last post on the Building high end tt's at home despot thread.

"...home despot thread" pretty funny, what kind of table does Baby Doc Duvalier use at home?

Macro

I think it would be unwise to make such a conclusion based simply on a number of responses on this thread. The almost universal employment of belt drive in high end tables is more than just a mere coincidence.

A poster indicated that the use of belt drive is mostly due to cost, rather than outright sonic performance. That may very well be true, but I then would have expected to see a few more direct drives available considering the tens of thousands of dollars some tables retail for.

Regards Paul