Nude Turntable Project

Henry, At the risk of beating a dead horse and mixing metaphors (because the horse has left the barn), have you ever seen the finish on the Saskia and other turntables made and sold by Mosin (Win Tinnon)? He (and OMA, as well) obtain a beautiful smooth black finish on slate by means of treating the material with certain finishes. Also, they start with Pennsylvania slate, which has a unique near-black color to begin with. I borrowed Mosin's ideas in finishing off my own slate plinths (made for Lenco, Denon DP80, and SP10 Mk3).

Corian might be ideal. What about the material used by Kenwood which people call faux marble. It's ARCB - Anti-Resonance Compression Base. It makes up the plinth of the KD500, 600, and is used in the L-07D.
Contrary to popular belief, it's a mixture of ground limestone and polyester resin. I imagine you could add liquid acrylic pigment for the color of choice.

I think this could be sculpted like clay or put in a mold. You might find the best solution is a combination of materials - resonances tend to cancel.

Thanks for all the feedback guys....😃
Corian unfortunately is a lightweight in the density scales (1.7g/cm vs 3.0g/cm for granite/slate).
It seems many of you think the material of this 'cradle' will have an effect on the sound?
I hope you're wrong...🙏🏽
If I were to physically 'bond' the turntable to the granite, I'd be inclined to agree with this thought but I intend to simply 'rest' the table on three rubber pads just like those on the steel cradle.
I have experimented greatly with differing methods and materials in the support of this turntable.
I have also recently bought for my son, a Victor TT-71 factory mounted in a heavy wood plinth and compared the sound in detail to my 'nude' mounting.
Whilst the superb drive and timing of the Victor decks is untouched by the coupling to the heavy wood, there is a very slight (but inoffensive) colouration to the overall palette which is absent from the 'nude' mounting.
There is little doubt that there is truth to the theories of resonances in materials and the effects of combining dissimilar materials to mitigate these resonances.
I have my theories regarding the pervasive evil of structure-borne feedback in the turntable loop of analogue audio and the methods for handling it.......and I'm putting my theories to the test...👅

I'm not a believer Pryso, in the relationship between the 'ringing' of a material when struck and its performance in resonance dissipation and absorption. Polystyrene beats most materials in the 'ringing' test but is not ideal as a plinth material. And yes....I've tried it 😎

This exercise is not about developing a plinth for my 'nude' DD Victors.
The sound of the 'nude' Victors is unsurpassed in my listening experiences.
This is about adding mass to my turntable support to prevent it sliding on its supporting shelf.
If there are any detrimental sonic changes....including colourations....the 'cradle' will be back...💥

09-14-15: Halcro
...I have just brought in a Victor QL-A7 from Japan for my son (who has recently dived into HiFi and vinyl).
Listening to this in my system (with a Signet TK-3Ea/155Lc cartridge) was a sobering experience.
This $600 table literally shamed the belt-drive Raven AC-2 loaded with mega-dollar arms and cartridges.
It also sounded stunningly better than my 'nude' TT-101 and TT-81 Victors (also with their mega-dollar arms).
This salutary experience has caused me to reflect on the wisdom of my 'nude' turntable mounting. The heavy wood plinth of the QL-A7 combined with the four large mildly compliant feet appear to bestow upon the performance, a depth and palette somewhat greater than is extracted with the steel cradle and spiked feet of my 'nude' mounting.
Changes are in the wind....👀
Halcro (System | Reviews | Threads | Answers | This Thread)

Halcro in my view you should purchase another QLA7. Based on your comments above this would give you a benchmark to aspire to. If you could duplicate the arm/cartridge then you will have a "constant" against which to analyse any mods to your TT101.

A good suggestion Dover......
I will surely be borrowing the QLA7 for comparison sessions once the granite cradle arrives.