I would love an idler just to try but finding one in great shape, ready to play is difficult and costly. My best turntable experience was at the VSAC show hearing a 401 in a birch ply plinth out of massive gotu horns.
Direct drives to me sound better (greater focus, dynamics, soundstage) than do the belt drives I have played with, including the LP12, VPI Superscoutmaster, Scout and even the table of my dreams the Galibier Serac. When you get in the post $5k realm and into the upper Galibiers, modded aries from VPI or Raven tables DD is a cheaper and arguably sonically at least as good as many sub 5k belt drive tables.