I’m curious to know if anyone is using a Direct Drive Turntable with a Naim system?
For various reasons which I won’t bore you with I’ve fallen out of love with the usual Belt Drive offerings and I’m looking for a “Last Turntable” which offers consistent performance with ease of use and no endless upgrade path..
I’d rather hear opinions from actual users rather than “we all know they’re rubbish” bias as I have enough if that already..
@PhilT isn’t Technics direct drive?Their turntables are well regarded here. Years ago I had a Pioneer. Very heavy. The opposite of Linn and Regs but I really liked it. I feel the key is how the brand executes the concept. Wasn’t Goldmund direct drive ? I think that was state of the art in its day.
Phil
I’ve been using a Denon DP3000NE for 12 months, and very pleased with it. It looks great 
, it sounds great and it’s just very enjoyable to use.
I used to use a suspended sub-chassis turntable, but know I’ve no spring bounce to worry about, no belt to worry about and no bearing oil to worry about.
Before I knew it existed, I was seriously considering buying a Technics 1200GR, However, even before I’d bought one, I was researching ways to modify it, which is crazy, not what I wanted, so I bought the Denon.
There doesn’t seem to be any upgrades or mods available for the Denon, although some people have kindly suggested the headshell and the mat could be upgraded.
There is a good review on Youtube by Steve Guttenberg.
Watch Out TECHNICS, DENON’s DP-3000NE is a KNOCKOUT!
Although there are a couple of points that are factually incorrect.
Technics here, several options from them depending on budget.
if you don’t accept DJ looks,? then there’s 1300G and 100C also their new colored entry levels.
Calling @gthack !
There are simply loads of direct drive users on the forum. So if the OP wants a simple answer it’s “yes. Many of us.”
Whether a deck is serious or not isn’t related to whether it is belt driven or direct drive. It’s a matter of preference.
If confirmation is desired, check out the Show Us Your Turntable thread.
Thorens TD 124 DD looks interesting!
I recently bought a Technics SL-1200G for my second system and, on occasion, to play 78s. It is a winner, and versatile!
When I downsize one day, it will be a hard choice between it and my RP10.
Nick
A friend and I compared my old LP12 to other decks that he was considering.
LP12 with Kore, Ekos, Lingo 4 versus Vertere (with their trick wiring and arm) versus Brinkmann Bardo. The Bardo is direct drive and about as good as the other two - maybe best for bass slam and for pitch accuracy (listening opinions differed). It also looks great.
At slightly less exalted prices, I have yet to see anyone who hated the sound-per-£ offered by the Technics range.
I’ve recently changed from an LP12 to Technics and couldn’t be more pleased.
If you really want that “last turntable” then I can recommend the SL-1000R. It is a spectacular piece of engineering, very musical and for me it was an easy decision over upgrading my Akurate LP12 to Klimax. Besides the sound being so much more engaging for me, you lose the upgradeitis, bouncy behaviours and constant setup worries.
Yup, have two Technics SL1210GR2’s, one into Naim Supernait 3 and the other into Nait 50.
Very happy with them.
I’ve also got Rega P3 and Rp6 turntables that I use on other systems.
If looking at sweeping generalisations then the Technics are more propulsive sound with greater emphasis on spatial elements. Rega’s more earthy in their presentation.
All capable of making lovely contributions.
Build quality of the Technics is superb and the benefits of having headshells to swap out or use Concorde style carts is a real bonus. I have Ortofon headshells and Concorde on the decks.
Yup, running a Technics SL-1210GAE here:
Any of the Technics decks should last you a lifetime and will be a great deck for the budget. And there is one for most budgets.
As @Adam1 commented the ability to have different carts pre-mounted on a headshell for easy swapping is a nice bonus.
If it helps the OP, the above is a thread on my audition of the Technics 1200G, that I ended up buying, against the Michell Gyro SE with Techno arm and the Origin Live Aurora with Encounter arm. DD vs 2 belt drive TTs. All auditions with same DV10x2 b cartridge, and my XS3 with Neat SX3 speakers.
The Technics was great with my XS3, and is still great with the 42.5/110/HiCap setup I have now. As others have said, loads of us here running DD turntables, including with Naim kit.
My view now is still similar to it was when I finally decided on the Technics. The three TTs I auditioned were all excellent. I would have been happy with any of them. They all sounded great, they definitely all had their individual strengths too. None of them sounded the best on all tracks.
The Technics was the easiest to use and is an absolute pleasure to interact with. The Michell and Origin Live are great sounding turntables, but so is the Technics, and it beats them for ease of use. In my opinion 
There are several DD TTs that sound good. The most obvious for me are Technics offerings starting with Technics 1200 but there are some very nice products from Denon for example too.
I do not use one myself, prefering my lovely Gyrodec but over the years I have listened to several DD TTs and many I like. One thing I would say particularly about the technics offerings is that the base platter is very susceptible to resonance and so a good well matched TT mat to keep this under control can make significant improvements over the TT as shipped.
There is no reason why one would not use a DD TT with Naim amplification in my view.
Try and get a hold of the old thick Technics SL1200/1210 mat, 6mm vs the stock 2.8mm one they come with nowadays. No longer in production but works great.
A thick mat can work for sure but I am not a fan of rubber like mats thick or thin.
I like the Soundeck mat as well as the Origin live mats. I have been told the Hexmat mats work well but I have never heard one on a Technics TT. The unusual shape of the Hexmats may look a bit too odd on a Technics 1200.
But of course it depends very much on ones own ear and what works best in a particular setup.
My dealer swore by a cork and rubber one, not even that expensive. I preferred the old thicker rubber one (more expensive, due to scarcity). I haven’t tried any of the ones you mention, but I’ll keep it in the back of my mind.
Perhaps good to mention that there are fakes of the thicker mat out there, no idea how they perform.
I have a cork and neoprene mix mat on my 2nd TT an old Dual 505-2. At its level it works well and to me much better than the original ribbed rubber mat.
However, TT mat tech has moved on significantly in recent years and a cork and Rubber or neoprene mat is unlikely to do much on a TT like the Technics 1200. I am just saying the Technics deserves better. The soundeck mat for instance is excellent at taming ringing in metal platters. It is made of a composite sandwich of materials (quite stiff) and was originally developed for heavy industry sound deadening of metal cabinets and the like.
It could be worth a look at these new designs many are very good although some of them are quite expensive. The Stack Audio Serene mat is worthy of consideration too.
Yes, they are undoubtedly nice decks. My only concern is that if anything should ever go wrong, good luck finding someone who can fix it.
Not a problem over here, Albepro can do that. I don’t know if there’s anyone your side of the pond.
