Garrard 301 - Project

I don't use Slate for any purpose in HiFi, but have at one time been interested in the material and as a result, own a very heavy Slab, probably from a Seam that was close to 2500Kg+ per m3.

I no longer express an interest in Granite as a Plinth Material, I have many years experience of it used on a 401, and through the 401's new owner being a friend, experienced the 401, used on a selection of Plinth designs of which I preferred the lighter designs, in either a Wood Mass with Damping Pockets or as a CLD Design.

I know the 401 Sound very well and the most it has impressed me is during one of my last encounters of it in use, when the 401 was mounted in a Three Way Compressed Bamboo Board cut to be used as a Plinth.

I stand by my statement made at the time of the demonstration, being that I have not encountered a 401 that could create such a good impression.

With my better understanding of materials today, I do know that the Three Wat Compressed Bamboo Board can have a Damping Factor of 2 - 5 depending on whether the size tested is a Sample dimension or a Plinth Dimension.

That as a measurement for a Sample is 10x improved damping in comparison toa MDF Sample.

Slate as a Sample has a measurement of 0.017, which is one the last measurements one would select if choosing a material with highly effective intrinsic damping. The Bounce Back of Energy transferred is going to be evident, I will state audible, if compared to a material being used with damping properties that produce little or negligible bounce back of received energy. 

The material I am now an advocate of, and for a period of time have been transitioning to for various roles. Especially as a Plinth Material, Sub Plinth Material, Equipment Chassis and is the material that will most likely supersede most support materials used in my system is the material referred to as a Phenolic Resin Impregnated Densified Wood, of which it can be discovered from the Brand Panzerholz and Permali and in my case are both owned.

A Sample   of Panzerholz and Permali has a Damping Factor of 4 and a Plinth Dimension of 25mm Thick Panzerholz has been measured with a Damping Factor of 7.

There is no Bounce Back that is audible from these Damping Factors, and the Dissipation of Energy transferred is one of the Best Measured as well.

I will not suggest a Stone, Plywood Board or MDF is a inferior plinth, each material can be quite stable. I am sure they have their fanboys for how the sound produced is assessed.

I would myself have a Compressed Bamboo over any of the above, as I know how it has impressed me in relation to what I know about Stone and Plywood Board Designs.

Over all the above I now know without reservation I would have a Phenolic Resin Impregnated Wood Board, I have heard this compared to Marine Plywood, MU25 Plywood and the Panzerholz Plinth was instantly discernable for the improvement  it offered. 

@pindac @noromance @fsonicsmith 

all interesting.  My only experience is of Woodsong plinths.  Didn’t realize, but apparently they combine birch ply, panzerholz, and slate, all in one design.  (search for an Art Dudley piece from June 2016 describing a Woodsong 301 plinth.) Does that mean I win?  (lol!  quite sure we’d all love each other’s decks!)

I use slate combined with cherrywood in two layers, for my Technics SP10 mk3. I listened to it befor and after adding the cherrywood base. It seemed a touch better after cherrywood was added.

Pindac, hoe did you assign a numerical value to damping factor for a plinth? And can you define “bounce back”? Thanks.

@mdalton, @fsonicsmith, @noromance 

Thank you for the great insight on your journey and for sharing your collective experiences with Garrard 301 / 401. This is exactly the kind of feedback I was hoping to read! I did initiate the purchase of a Garrard 301 with full restoration, finished in Sable (black). The ETA is 4-6 weeks. 

As far plinth goes, I had the same vendor in mind on eBay as @elliottbnewcombjr linked above. Based on what I’ve learned here, I am going to query the plinth maker about the manufacturing process, materials and footers. I plan to experiment with the footers and eventually decouple TT with a SRA Isolation base atop my excellent core audio design rack. 

As far cart options, I am taking notes on all the recommendations so far. Three extra head shells are already in-house with Reed 3P tonearm :-) 

Hopefully, Garrard 301 ends being my end game TT!

Just as Damper and Body Materials used in Cartridges has evolved in the selection for a materials.

Materials used for structure in audio equipment has evolved as well, and it is easy to see where the industry is adopting it and not. Linn won't inform on their most recent TT being constructed with P'holz, it is an inhouse name for the material. As does Kaiser Speakers referring to the Bespoke Materials as Tank Wood.

There are most likely other Brands with a usage of it and a disguised name to protect their IP.

'Bounce Back' is a simplistic term, used when describing extremely Poor Dissipation and Damping, the Energies are not Damped or Dissipated, hence they are contained and in motion as further transferal, hence 'Bounce Back'.

In relation to the TT, being in contact with such a material, the likelihood/guarantee is that the Styli is to be receive energies from Bounce Back, resulting in a contaminated energy being sent to create the initial signal to be transferred for further stages of amplification, where the contamination is included in all stages until sound is produced.

Whether the end listener is able to detect the contamination in the produced sound will be open to debate, I have and do, when certain types of structure are being used.