The drive system of the Heretic 1 is unique. Until today there were 2 drive systems in high-end TT's: belt and direct drive.

Each drive system has its disadvantages.

Belt drive turntables:

Slow start/stop- slippage of the belt- heavy platters need time

Fast running motors- up to 1200 rpm- noise, vibration

Stretching and contracting of the drive belt- destabilizing rpm

Angular pull on the main bearing- causing vibration and rumble

Direct drive turntables:

Direct coupling of motor to the platter increasing vibration

Limited platter weight

Drive magnets close to the cartridge

The unique Heretic 1 drive system eliminates the disadvantages of these systems- introducing:

the Decoupled Direct Drive!

4 small super quiet stepper motors drive the main shaft

The motors are symmetrically connected by short toothed belts

This unloads the main bearing of all angular belt pull

No slippage of belts possible- RPM motors=RPM Platter

Belt stretching minimized, while still damping motor vibrations

Programmed quick start and stop- 10 sec to 33 RPM

In case you are wondering: the coppery bits are the main bearings of the Heretic 1 turntable- more hardware will be revealed soon!

Some further reading: http://www.iar-80.com/page12.html

The Heretic 1:

Decoupled Direct Drive System