Vintage Denon Direct Drive Turntable

That looks like a nice design that would really get a firm grip on the JVC. The pros and cons of a plinth for a DD table have been much discussed elsewhere. There is no question in my mind that a massive and properly constructed plinth does wonders for an idler drive table. There are two camps as regards DDs; you seem to be in the less is more camp, as opposed to the more is more camp. A really dense plinth of slate, for example, or layered wood, for another, should not contribute negatively in terms of sonics. Beyond that, I have no basis for an opinion, except thoughts.

Lewm, can you provide a link(s) to the pro/con discussion of a plinth for DD tables? My quick look can not seem to find it. Thanks.

Does this forum have a search engine? If so, try searching on the word "plinth". If not, go to Vinyl Asylum and do a similar search. Also, scroll down the list of threads on this Analog section and look for threads about Garrard, Lenco, Technics SP10, Denon, direct drive, idler drive, etc. Hope this helps. There was at least one thread here that was directly addressed to your question, recently.

Lewm,
As regarding to my plinth-less support, I am thinking to add a lining of sorbothane and sandwich between the skeleton base and motor unit to further improve the isolation and resistance to shocks and vibrations from other sources.
I have done another approach to my other turntable "the SP 15" with reasonable success by using acrylic for the plinth material which was not difficult to cut and drill. Also it was aesthetic appealing and was my main concern at the first place. I did think about using slate but it would be prohibitive costly, if feasible for those with deeper pockets. Actually if I were choosing a plinth for my DP80, I would choose slate as my priority though.

My three armed SP15:-

[IMG]http://i44.tinypic.com/1zebas9.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i43.tinypic.com/14j7rf9.jpg[/IMG]

Kcc123, It's quite possible that the sorbothane liner will work out well, but I have never been fond of sorbothane "feet". One thing to consider is the factors that govern energy transfer between dissimilar materials. At the interface energy will be either reflected back into the energized material or transmitted to the contact material. In both materials, energy is dissipated as heat as it bounces around. There are websites that give constants for different materials and show how to predict the outcome of interfacing one with another. If you want the energy of the motor to be drawn away from the chassis and platter, it seems to me it would be a good idea to choose materials that interface well with the metal of the chassis. That is, you might be best off with what you have now, with the JVC metal ring plinth. Moreover, it might be a good idea to have something heavy and metallic in direct contact with the motor per se, a la Albert Porter's SP10 plinth. (Go to the Soundfountain website to see photos and drawings.)