My theory is as follows:
1. DD turntables are complex, and must be sold in a significant quantity to justify the high development cost, and the high cost of the tools required to make them.
2. Boutique high end turntables are not typically sold in very high quantities, thus making a very high development or tooling cost not economically viable. In fact, I can't think of a single high end turntable company who actually makes their own motors, let alone the amount of electronics a DD turntable requires.
3. Because of the two above points, high end direct drive turntables from boutique high end companies are an impractical product. Mass market companies with the economy of scale to support making DD turntables on the other hand tended to focus on the mass market, with more profitable high volume mid-fi products. Some statement type high end DD turntables did exist, and these are IMO holy grail type products, the likes of which we are unlikely to see again (Excepting the modern Technics line!)
4. As soon as the CD was introduced, it seems to me that a full stop was put on big companies spending money on developing better turntables, leaving the small boutique companies with their simple technology left as the only ones to carry the flame of high end turntables. For the rest of the 80s, mass market turntables were mostly shadows of their former selves, being relegated to "you can still play your old records" duty, rather than being the center of a system. I suspect these are the bad sounding direct drive units which really inspire prejudice.
5. Yeah, I really want a Nakamichi turntable some day!
