I owned an original Well-Tempered Turntable many years ago and don’t really remember any shift of the arm fore and aft. The fluid in which the paddle (now, I guess a golfball?) was suspended was fairly viscous (thick) and acted as a damper as well as a substitute for more conventional bearings. The biggest issue was the amount of fluid used since that could change the sound. I had tricked out my table with a variety of mods, including a heavy brass clamp around the fluid cup, a more up-to-date motor, a different platter and perhaps some change to the arm wand (I don’t remember, it’s been quite a long time).
The table was a very good performer in the era of Linn at reasonable cost. It did not have the gravitas of more expensive, bigger tables I subsequently owned. I had a by then long in the tooth Technics SP-10 at the time I bought the Well-Tempered (in the mid-’80s?). Now the SP-10 has been restored and almost ready to use in my second system. The Well Tempered is long gone, but I had a positive ownership experience with it. I also used a range of different cartridges with it over the years it was in operation, all without issue.
The table was a very good performer in the era of Linn at reasonable cost. It did not have the gravitas of more expensive, bigger tables I subsequently owned. I had a by then long in the tooth Technics SP-10 at the time I bought the Well-Tempered (in the mid-’80s?). Now the SP-10 has been restored and almost ready to use in my second system. The Well Tempered is long gone, but I had a positive ownership experience with it. I also used a range of different cartridges with it over the years it was in operation, all without issue.