Garrard 301 - Project

Pindac, I thought you were never going to respond again to one of my posts?  How dreary that you cannot resist.  First, I never said slate was superior to Panzerholz. Second, neither OMA nor the British company to whom you refer was first to use slate to make a plinth.  The idea goes back to the early 90s at least, but then again, you dislike slate so why bring it up?  Also, I do recall the British slate plinths (can't recall who made them); they were insubstantial compared to the OMA products. Funnily enough, Jonathan Weiss said on his website, about 15-20 years ago, that he vehemently disliked me for commissioning my own PA slate plinths (he used more colorful language), using material from the same quarry he uses.  That was purely by chance; I had no prior idea where he was getting his slate. Nevertheless, I was not and probably am not welcome in his emporia (Brooklyn or PA), which doesn't faze me a bit.  And finally, as I understand it you use a Peter Reinders Lenco turntable, which I believe has a Corian plinth.  Who do you think supplied me with the program to have my Lenco plinth cut from PA slate? Answer: Peter Reinders, an exceptionally nice guy who acted in spite of OMA's objection. I used a waterjet operation in York, PA, to cut the plinths (for Denon DP80, Technics SP10s MK2 and 3, and Lenco) from slabs purchased in PA. At the time all this was occurring, slate was very much in fashion, and more to the point, the cost was much much less than the cost of purchasing a Panzerholz plinth for the SP10 Mk2 or Mk3 from Albert, who is another very nice person. And I needed to save the money. At the present moment, I have no doubt that Panzerholz or the like might be superior to slate, but I also have no doubt that slate is very good for the purpose, based on listening.

Ok. From now on I will accept your pronouncements without question. But I won’t be able to reproduce your data for slate or any other material, because you refuse to explain your methodology. Also, in what way are you not a “layman” when it comes to materials science?

And your method for arriving at a numerical damping factor with plinth materials, Pindac?

We also have to ask where is all this spurious energy coming from? Also keep in mind that European slate is different from Pennsylvania slate, just as PA slate is different from Vermont slate, etc. ( I’ve had SP10 mk2 plinths made of both. PA slate was better.) OMA proudly use PA slate and also natural hard woods from PA in their speakers.

Slate is layered such that its energy dissipation in the plane parallel to the layers would be very different from its energy absorption perpendicular to that plane. There you would probably get more “bounce back “. But does it matter? What spurious energy is attacking the surface perpendicular to the plane of the layers? In the end also, slate provides lots of dead mass, which I think is beneficial. Finally it’s impossible to resolve the question by back and forth discussion. I built my plinths 10-15 years ago, I’m satisfied, and I’m not starting over with plinths.

Typing on my bespoke cell phone made of densified wood.

I use slate combined with cherrywood in two layers, for my Technics SP10 mk3. I listened to it befor and after adding the cherrywood base. It seemed a touch better after cherrywood was added.

Pindac, hoe did you assign a numerical value to damping factor for a plinth? And can you define “bounce back”? Thanks.

Fsonic, My own Lenco is mounted in a 50mm slab of PA slate. However, it also benefits from a PTP top plate, a hefty after market bearing, a platter that has been painted with vibration reducing black paint, speed that is regulated by the Phoenix Engineering gear, and two high end tonearms.  So I am hardly in a position to say that the slate slab alone is responsible for its excellent performance.  But it doesn't seem to hurt, either.  I can say I replaced a John Nantais re-plinthed Lenco with the one I have now. the JN unit did not benefit from the PE power supply and Roadrunner, and the slate unit is better for whatever reason.

I have 3 TT s in PA slate and am very pleased with performance but I did not sample a wide variety of materials so would not claim slate is absolutely the best. So what do you prefer, fsonic?