Rank choice of three turntables

I love the Acos Lustre GST-801, it is my favorite arm, I wish they made a long version. It is the only one I change both arm height and anti-skate while playing, it is that smooth. The headshell fitting allows a bit of twist when loose to adjust azimuth and firms up when tightened, even though I would prefer Micro Seiki's adjustable fitting. I use the mirror method for azimuth, a mini-level on the headshell, an acrylic block with grid .... a mixture of techniques, and the blank side lp method to see skate and the effects while adjusting anti-skate force.

The UA-7082 top anti-skate dial is so smooth and precise, my new favorite adjuster, I changed it while playing, but the arm height needs two hands, thus tool-free but not while playing. 

It’s about far more than ringing,

I think the heavy and solid cast iron platter of my Thorens TD124 was one reason it produced the best bass I ever had, not just inertia for speed stability which is important in belt or idler wheel drive, but solid,

10lbs of cast iron, my instincts say better than 10lbs of acrylic .... perhaps better than 20lbs of arylic, I never had/heard that, just instincts

I wish my JVC TT81 had 10lbs of cast iron, or something as solid but non-magnetic.

the sandwich pair of 1/4" thick iron plates in it’s plinth are part of what I like about the Luxman PD-444 design I helped my friend acquire and set up.

Cast iron, or any iron in the platter material, is not always compatible with especially LOMC cartridges that have powerful magnets.  I think this issue has been cited by TD124 users. Caveat emptor.

Eno, I have not had a problem with discoloration of the platter of my TT101, but if I did, I would approach it as if it were a piece of discolored metal, in terms of how to remove the undesired stain. But there are limits to what you can do to a TT platter that must remain balanced or as near balanced as the factory tolerated. For example, I would not try to grind on the metal or polish it too extensively with power tools. Gentle is the way to go. I would find a way to live with it if gentle methods were ineffective.  The only part of the platter that shows when it is under a mat is the polished edge. Is that where you see discoloration?  Best thing I did for my TT101 was to enhance the mass and rigidity of the plinth by adding aluminum pieces below the deck and replacing the MDF arm board entirely with a piece of solid machined alu. I further re-inforced the arm board from below with more alu that couples to the bearing.

lewm

My JVC Victor CL-P2 Plinth’s arm boards are special 5 layer composite, the plinth a similar 7 layer composite construction. Every time I handle them, I am impresssed by them, is this what you replaced?

This composite construction feels so solid, it is one of the reasons I am so critical of Linn’s Bedrok hollow skirt type base, which I would never call a plinth.

I did not replace the entire plinth. I reinforced the plinth with slabs of aluminum which I bolted to the bottom, adding mass and constrained layer damping. I did replace the arm board.  It felt light and insubstantial to me where I was trying to maximize mass and stiffness.  But you are probably correct, and I was wrong, to imply that it is made of MDF, if you can detect that it is truly a multi-layer sandwich of some sort of solid wood. My error. I did not throw the arm board away; I still have it. It was used as a template for making the aluminum arm board that replaced it. I further reinforced the alu arm board by bolting to it another slab of alu which is mounted down below the opening that houses the armboard.  That lower level alu is also coupled to the bearing, or as close to the bearing well as I could arrange. This setup is specifically for my Fidelity Research FR64S tonearm with B60 base. On the FR64S I have my Koetsu Urushi in an 18g Ortofon LH9000 headshell.  All this mass is good for the tonearm and cartridge and also probably reduces any TT resonances.