Scratches on acrylic platter Clearaudio Emotion


Hi there!

My question might sound very anal but hey, here it is. I noticed some tiny concentric scratches on the acrylic platter of my Clearaudio Emotion TT. They are isolated from each other and don't come in bunches, so to speak. Although they are very small and very few, I'm a bit disappointed to see them

Are those scratches normal and are they on the platter from the beginning, or could they have been made by some LP? I noticed that once, one LP slipped a little when I brushed it. Otherwise I don't see what could have made those tiny scratches on the platter. But on the other hand, I think it's very strange to have such tiny scratches (however small and few they might be) on a $2000+ TT.

Did someone here have a similar experience with an acrylic platter, especially a Clearaudio acrylic platter?

So as said, this question is very anal and I'm sorry for this but I couldn't help asking it. If everyone wants to share its experience or provide advice, he or she is welcome.

Thank you very much!
boozendormi
Hello, thank you very much to you all for your helpful answers.

Sorry that I didn't mention it but yes, I bought this TT new. The platter was wrapped in a sort of soft plastic bag, which was itself placed in the bottom of the box, in a hard foam case. I don't think it comes from here.

I don't think I've scratched it during the set-up either, as I did everything very carefully.

So I assume it may come from the polishing/manufacturing process, as some of you suggested. The other thing is, those scratches follow a regular semi-circular pattern (although they are much smaller than a semi-circle), just as they came from a mechanical process (that's why I wondered if it could have been done by the LP's themselves while turning on the TT).

Just another question, Zd542: when you say that alcohol will destroy acrylic, what will it do exactly? Change the texture of it, I guess, or create spots on it? Anyway, I never used alcohol on the platter and those scratches don't look like checmical damages.
Do you normally brush the LP while it is moving? Could there have been some hard grit in between?
In theory the characteristics of vinyl and acrylic are similar enough that they should not scratch each other?

If this is happening because of grit (and indeed the LP itself could end up being scratched) you could try a mat such as the Ringmat. It offers minimal contact between table & mat as well as Mat-LP.
"Just another question, Zd542: when you say that alcohol will destroy acrylic, what will it do exactly? Change the texture of it, I guess, or create spots on it?"

Its not subtle. Alcohol dissolves/breaks down acrylic. I should have been more clear. I put the comment in just as a caution in case you decided to try and polish or clean the platter in some way. If you tried to clean you platter with an alcohol based cleaner, you would be buying a new one.
If it bothers you,get yourself a platter matt. There are many types to choose, from cork to carbon and a whole range of prices !