New direct drive turntables?


At the risk of beginning a DD vs. belt drive debate -- which is not at all my desire, as those so frequently turn into rants -- I'm wondering the following: Are there any new, reasonably affordable, decent-quality direct drive turntables? (I'm thinking about something that might compete with the lower-end Regas and Pro-jects, something in the $1k range, give or take.

I'm asking because it seems so odd that the Technics tables stopped being produced at about the moment that vinyl really took off again. Isn't there some company -- Denon? Onkyo? Technics? -- that has already done the R&d, that knows how to manufacture the motor, etc., that might be able to bring a reasonably priced direct drive turntable back onto the market now to compete with the belt drive units of similar price?

Just wondering.

Thanks.

-- Howard
hodu
Mofi,

Depending on options ie. Arm, number of arms, length of arms, matte or gloss finish and the "donor" table pricing starts at $5000 to ?

For an example a DP3 with a Jelco SA750D is $5500

Good listening

Peter
Cmon Peter @ PBN

You have inserted your free advertising here on this thread.

Do the right thing and make good at giving Hodu one of your DD tables for 1K :-)

After all that was his criteria.
Downunder,

Just spreading product awareness :-)

$ 1K will buy a very nice original Denon DD table, which Hondo now is aware of :-)

Good Listening

Peter
The Denons use an AC Servo direct drive system. All the rest are DC direct drive. The new VPI Direct is an AC servo DD and supposedly is an updated clone of the Denon DP-100. The Denons are widely considered to be the best of the vintage direct drives, especially the DP-100, 80 and 75.