Vintage Denon Direct Drive Turntable

Hi lewm,
It looks like the Micro Seiki because that was the inspiration come from. I didn’t have the ability to do it but someone else did. One could simply take one’s design and ask a metal fabricator to accomplish the project, at a cost. By the way, I shouldn’t have called it a plinth but a support or base, may be a supporting base would be more appropriate. It is my perception that a plinth of any material will anyhow contribute a sort of sonic signature, if not distortion, to the sound. So a plinth-less design was a way to overcome and reduce the amount of sonic coloration that would be introduced, I could be wrong.
Here are some more photos of the base:-

[IMG]http://i42.tinypic.com/dqovpw.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i44.tinypic.com/2aexgn6.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i44.tinypic.com/30277l5.jpg[/IMG]

That looks like a nice design that would really get a firm grip on the JVC. The pros and cons of a plinth for a DD table have been much discussed elsewhere. There is no question in my mind that a massive and properly constructed plinth does wonders for an idler drive table. There are two camps as regards DDs; you seem to be in the less is more camp, as opposed to the more is more camp. A really dense plinth of slate, for example, or layered wood, for another, should not contribute negatively in terms of sonics. Beyond that, I have no basis for an opinion, except thoughts.

Lewm, can you provide a link(s) to the pro/con discussion of a plinth for DD tables? My quick look can not seem to find it. Thanks.

Does this forum have a search engine? If so, try searching on the word "plinth". If not, go to Vinyl Asylum and do a similar search. Also, scroll down the list of threads on this Analog section and look for threads about Garrard, Lenco, Technics SP10, Denon, direct drive, idler drive, etc. Hope this helps. There was at least one thread here that was directly addressed to your question, recently.

Lewm,
As regarding to my plinth-less support, I am thinking to add a lining of sorbothane and sandwich between the skeleton base and motor unit to further improve the isolation and resistance to shocks and vibrations from other sources.
I have done another approach to my other turntable "the SP 15" with reasonable success by using acrylic for the plinth material which was not difficult to cut and drill. Also it was aesthetic appealing and was my main concern at the first place. I did think about using slate but it would be prohibitive costly, if feasible for those with deeper pockets. Actually if I were choosing a plinth for my DP80, I would choose slate as my priority though.

My three armed SP15:-

[IMG]http://i44.tinypic.com/1zebas9.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i43.tinypic.com/14j7rf9.jpg[/IMG]