Hi Ddriveman,
The Stelvio armboard is a "nice to have", but of course is only compatible with arms that don't protrude through an armboard hole. The mounting holes for Triplanars and Schroeder References are blind holes - meaning that they do not go through the armboard. So, from this perspective, your SAEC, Audiocraft, and Fidelity Research arms can use only the standard armboard.
The Gavia TPI platter on the other hand is a fairly significant improvement over the Serac. Before the TPI interface (in the days of the Teflon top), the choice was a bit more difficult. A little of the positive attributes of the Serac's PVC were lost in the Teflon topped composite. The sound was just the slightest bit "nervous" ... emphasis on the word "slight".
Still, most people opted for the Teflon topped, composite platter, because on balance it did almost everything better. Most everyone has commented that they don't hear this nervousness in the Gavia TPI, and everyone who has heard the demo mats I've loaned them has opted to convert their Teflon topped platters to TPI.
I feel a bit uncomfortable talking at this level of detail on this forum. Perhaps it's only me, but I fear that delving into further nuanced discussion on the topic here crosses over the line of propriety and is unfair to other manufacturers. I'd be happy to take this discussion over to the Galibier forum for those who are interested in digging deeper into the topic.
Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier
