Acrylic platter


I have a Project expression II turntable which comes with an aluminum platter . I was wondering on buying an Acrylic platter made specifically for my turntable . My question is will it make a difference for the better changing my aluminum platter for an acrylic one ? I'm using an Ortofon Salsa moving coil cartridge with it , project speed box , cables are JPS superconductor Q and phono stage is the dedicated moving coil gold phono board of the Audible Illusions 3A preamp .
mannypr55
My previous TT Audiomeca J1 had acrylic layers with lead in between, my present Kuzma Stabi Reference has also acrylic layers with aluminum plate in between. You can buy an acrylic mat for much less money, try and if satisfy you can eventual glue the mat on your aluminum platter.
Agree totally with the acrylic mat suggestion from Nandric.I am using a Goldmund Relief mat on my Oracle.It is not acrylic ,but a proprietary substance which I suspect may have similar sonic qualities.If you go this route I think you will need to couple the mat/platter at least with double sided tape.The mat will also likely require reset of Arm height.My mat is approximately 1/4 inch thick.I thought The bass was tightened up with the mat.I'm using an Ortofon LOMC and all tube electronics so there was likely room for some improvement in the lower register.Best of luck.
My thinking is that platter material is much like cables. You really should listen to it to decide if its right for you. ( I guess everything is). I went from an acrylic to an aluminum and in MY system, it was undoubtedly better. The acrylic sounded somewhat closed in and tubby sounding in comparison. If your electronics and/or speakers are a bit bright sounding, the move to acrylic will be welcomed, however, if your system tends to be on the "Boston" side, you might think it too much.
Thanks a lot guys . My preamp is excellent in it's sound quality and even though I could get better sound with another cartridge my present cartridge is an over achiever for the price so the law of diminishing returns comes into play . To get me better sound I would have to invest an amount that at this time is prohibited (unless I'm willing to sleep with my dog)
I've read quite a bit on the subject and it seems that a consensus is starting to form on the positive sonic qualities of metal together with cork or acrylic . Getting a acrylic mat seems to be my best option right now. Again, thank you guys for your help . Take care
This is just a matter of opinion. My opinion is that acrylic is not intrinsically any better than alu. The early Teres turntables used all acrylic platters, and the recommendation was for no platter mat. Then they went to acrylic with pockets of lead shot imbedded in the acrylic. Then they went to wood platters on their top of the line turntables. I am sure, if queried, Teres would say that each "upgrade" was for the better. When I see an OEM turntable with an acrylic platter, my first thought is that the platter material was chosen for looks, ease of machining, and low cost, not necessarily for max performance. My question would be why would you feel confident that acrylic is better than alu? I would suggest using a mat on the alu platter, rather than exchanging the whole platter. Boston Audio Mat1 or 2 is very good. But that's just my opinion.