HEAVY Platters. Metal or Plastic? Your personal Experiences

More mass = more better. Your mileage may vary. This experience is related to VPI and U-turn tables. The VPI is a sandwich type. The U-turn was an acrylic type. 

I have a DP-80 with a Platter that has a Gun Metal Platter in place of the original, but I am not able to inform you how that presents in comparison to a Standard Design Platter, I can do this, but have not taken the time to do so.

I also have a Gun Metal Platter Mat and a Duraluminium Technihard Platter Mat that both add weight and am very impressed with these as Mats. These obviously add a noticeably increased weight to a Platter.

I am most settled with a LP replay on my system, in my listening environment, when the LP is on a Metal Mat and has a 1.4Kg Spindle Weight upon it.  

I have still got interest for other TT's the DP-80 Gun Metal Platter can be modified for furthering trials and it will be usable on a SP10 MkII. I also have a CAD Drawing to produce a replacement SP10 MkII Platter in a Metal such as SS or Gun Metal, it could even be Acetal. The replacement Platter idea is on hold at present as there are positive reports of producers of such alternative Platters, that make it known a Acetal Disc mechanically fastened to the OEM Platter has produced very similar results and is a very cost effective method to attain improvement.

I now own Three Spare OEM Platters to carry out Trials with. One will also have a Densified Wood used as the mechanically fastened Disc.

My encouraging work to be done with Platters, has prompted a friend to learn how to produce a Kaneta Design SP10 MkII, and then will produce a bespoke Platter design out of Acetal . As the concept it is looking likely to also incorporate a designed in peripheral ring, to clamp down the LP and be used to balance the Platter.

You are not alone in the idea of trying different types of Platter. 🖖

thanks for the responses.

We have been looking at Clearaudio. Their Innovation has 3 Platter Variations: Basic 40mm plastic; Compact 70mm plastic; Innovation (Innovation Wood variation) 15mm stainless steel platter below the 70mm plastic: 85mm total.

Instinct says thicker/heavier/both plastic and metal better!!!

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pindac

that's some serious weight, the bass has to be awesome.

My best bass came from my Thorens TD124, just under 8 lbs cast platter. The superfine fit of the shaft into the bearing was beyond amazing, it took quite a while for the air to get out allowing the platter to decend. When I watch manufacturers videos and see them put the platters in, they descend completely within seconds.

If you have ever left the room, come back, Thorens still not all the way down, you just smile. Were the Garrard 301 and 4001 bearing tolerances that refined?

@wturkey , Yes, the platter has to have a reasonable gyroscopic effect to smooth out speed imperfections. Even DD tables are using heavier platters now. However there is such a thing as too heavy for standard bearing arrangements because the heavier the platter the faster is bearing wear. Exceptions are tables with magnetic thrust bearings and air bearing thrust mechanisms. Very heavy platters create other problems. Because they are harder to accelerate and stop belt wear is faster. If they are not perfectly balanced and leveled they will wear out the bearing sleeve. Only the Kuzma air bearing table would be immune to this and indeed Frank almost doubles the mass of the platter. He still does not have vacuum clamping. He is obviously convinced that reflex clamping is good enough.

At any rate. I personally think anything over 20 lb is a waste. There are many turntables with lighter platters that have SOTA speed specs. The Sota turntable is special because it corrects speed deviations slowly so you do not hear it happening and the speed will remain stable to 0.003 rpm. Sota is so brazen that the Condor displays speed in real time down to 0.001 rpm. At this moment it is reading 33.335 rpm. The platter weights 20 lb I think. 

@wturkey 

@mijostyn 

@pindac 

Bigger and heavier doesn't necessarily mean better. Within a specific design that relies on mass to iron our speed inflections due to the pole switching on a motor then yes. Likewise that same platter can in facts absorb spurious resonance.

However the EMT 950 has a very light plinth something like 200 grams - the logic and their analogy is that the platter is like a sports car driving up a hill overcoming corners etc. as such a light weight is better able to overcome those ripples. That said the plinth/frame weights a ton and it has incredible speed control.

Then there is the Grand Prix and Rega Naid which are both designs based on low energy storage using intelligent speed controls to overcome speed ripple effects.

My point is that bigger is not necessarily better. It's about implementation and the overall design. Think of it like food - just saying adding sugar improves the flavour - no good if you are eating lamb chops or steak.