Micro Seiki DDX-1000
(1976 - 1980)
Micro Seiki DQX-1000
(1978 - 1984)

1970s design cuties - and drool objects still today !

The DDX-1000 is the original design, with two sculpted strobe markings around the 2kg / 31cm diecast aluminium platter. The resulting moment of inertia is at 330kg / cm2 and the top mat in fact covers a thick cork sub-mat set inside the platter itself.

The DDX-1000, in real late 70s modernism is a direct-drive. The motor is a DC-Servo with FG frequency generator reference set through the strobe neon lamp which "checks" how many stripe it sees and rectifies if necessary ; the resulting speed accuracy is of 0,03% (or 0,025% ?). The starting torque is of 1,2kg / cm and load characteristics allow the DDX-1000 to remain below 0,04% deviation up to a 3g load set at the outer limit of the platter - specs-wise, we're here under the contemporary Sony TTS-8000 for instance...

The heigh-adjustable feet are typical Micro Seiki (or Luxman, of course :) and contain a mix of inert damping (neoprene stuffing) and mechanical damping (spring) - see the illustration below.
The is no Quartz Lock on the DDX-1000 ; the power-supply (named MD-1000) box holds the power on/off, start 33rpm, start 45rpm and stop buttons plus two ±6% speed controls.

The DQX-1000 is the revised version with, mainly... a Phase Locked Loop added ! Defeatable nevertheless. Also changed is the platter, heavier at 2,9kg and which has only one set of stripes for the strobe ; the motor was beefed-up as well to reach a 1,5kg/cm starting torque.
The ps/command box (not named MD-1000) holds a single start button, pitch knob, speed selector and PLL on/off.

The tonearm bases were the same for both (AX-1G to AX-6G) to fit everything from the ubiquitous SMEs to the Technics EPA-100 or PUA-1600L.

Of course, the motor of the DDX was used as basis for the Marantz Tt 1000 (1979), and that of the DQX-1500 (an updated DQX-1000) for the Tt 1000 mkII (1992). And, as often, Micro's direct-drive motors came from... Victor.

The DQX-1000 remained available much later in Germany when, in Japan, Micro Seiki was already back to belt-driven models only (but for the penultimate S-Z1, 1983).
The DDX-1000 naturally spawned a myriad of lookalikes and still does today - perhaps better than the original, perhaps not. Or not that much :)