Excellent turntables with threaded spindles ?

Edle,

You raise a valid point, but as usual it's all about implementation. The design and build quality of the bearing will have a major impact on the costs vs. benefits of a screw-on clamp.

On my old HK/Rabco ST-7, bearing noise and intra-plinth vibration levels are so high that any record clamp, even a light weight Michell, seriously degrades the sound. The spindle isn't threaded but if it were I suspect the table could be the poster child for your theory: it would probably go from noisy to unlistenable. ;-)

OTOH, all Teres tables include a screw-on clamp (there's another one for Opus88's list). The bearing design and BQ are such that clamping the record firmly makes a significant sonic improvement, and there is no noise that can be attributed to bearing friction. The table is effectively free of bearing noise and silent grooves are exactly that, even with the gain controls turned well above safe listening levels.

Assuming a well made bearing, intra-vinyl resonances from stylus/groove friction are VASTLY greater than bearing noise. Clamping to a massive bearing can provide an effective pathway to evacuate and eventually damp certain frequencies, to the betterment of the sound.

A record weight or damper may or may not perform better, again depending on implementation, but IME bearing noise is not necessarily a reason to avoid threaded clamps. The devil's in the details, as usual.

Doug

Opus88,

IME a center weight or clamp won't do much for a bad pinch warp. Dish warps can often be flattened, even when playing the concave side, but pinch warps require a vacuum platter or periphery ring.

In truth, if one's arm and cartridge are reasonably good trackers, warp-flattening is not the main reason to use a hold-down device. The main benefit of weights, clamps, periphery rings and (I suspect) vacuum hold-down is to provide evacuation paths for and dampening of intra-vinyl resonances.

The drop in noise floor and improved low level detail and clarity from weights, clamps and rings is much more audible than any flattening of the record - at least IME.

Add the Kuzma Stabi to those tables with threaded clamps.

Edle, if your theory of vibration transmission with threaded clamps is true (and it may be per Dougdeacon's observation), why would it not also apply to clamps which grip the spindle in some fashion to secure hold down? To be effective on a smooth spindle, this must be a tight grip and that would still promote transmission if I have any understanding of physics. The only way around this would be a heavy weight which would not need a tight coupling, and that might introduce micro chatter.

Yes, the theory will apply to your mentioned method too. I used to have a light weight Michell LP clamp...I used it a few times and sold it. It was not worth my time.

Music Hall MMF 7 comes with one from the factory, also a really excellent table for very resonable cost, you can find many favorable reviews on it.