Are Dust Covers a MUST

Dustcovers that remain attached to the table usually do affect the sound detrimentally, whether played with the cover up or down. I have one that fits over my Basis table, so it must be removed completely to put on a record. I no longer use it at all because of the incovenience.

To keep the platter from collecting dust (which would then contaminate a record), I use a "sacrificial" record as a platter dust cover (a Charlie Rich record someone gave me). The rest of the table gets dusty, but, that can be cleaned off occasionally. When I was actually using the cover, a lot of dust still managed to collect on the platter, so, the record-as-dust-cover was still a good way to reduce dust build up.

I use a microfiber dustcloth to wipe down the platter once in a while. I keep the platter very clean because my table uses a vacuum clamp that firmly pulls the record surface into contact with the platter surface.

It keeps the kids and the cats away from my Allaerts cart!

I have a large removable dust cover for my Platine Verdier. Great investment for 300 bucks (GBP200). It keeps my kids, our 5 cats and more importantly our cleaner away from my valuable Allaerts cartridge.

Charlie

Chasmal et al.:
We mounted a B&K accelerometer on the plinth and/or platter and compare vibration with and without the dust cover while playing different frequencies through the system.
Vibration is much more with the dust cover on. How it translates into better sound depends on your system and your ear. If the listener cannot tell the difference then it should not matter to him/her.
I cannot see how a cover can "block" vibration. Being a hard material, it not only transmits the vibration but also resonates at its own frequency as a result. That should add to the overall vibration, not reduce it.

A cover can block vibration because it acts like a fence (think Faraday cage but for airborne radiation instead of electromagnetic) between the excitement in the surrounding air and the tonearm. Consider, can the neighbors hear your rig better with the window open or closed? The chassis itself is necessarily exposed to the environment and hence the damped plinth. To stretch the idea even further the cover typically damped by felt pads above the chassis may act to soften chassis induced vibration similar in effect to the mass loading of component cases.