Best TT plinth material, cost no object

Hey LewM

You mentioned that putting three different tables in a plinth and they all sounded more alike. This makes me wonder if the plinth material is dominating the sonic character and not the tables themselves.

I recently heard the same 301 in the following 4 different plinths, Slate, Maple, Delignite and a three layer ebony and zebrawood sandwich. All 4 sounded quite different and declaring one of them "best" was really a matter of taste and system matching. Each one did show a different character and my ultimate preference probably had more to do with how the plinth complimented the system it was going into. These were rather quick non-scientific swaps but the overall character of each material was readily heard. In a few months we hope to repeat the swaps in a more controlled environment with the goal of putting a sound on the various materials.

dave

You put one chassis into plinths made of 4 different materials. I put 3 entirely different chassis' into plinths all made from the same material. The two experiments are not comparable. In response to your speculation about coloration, each of those three turntables has a characteristic coloration when auditioned in their respective stock plinths. In slate, they all became much more neutral sounding (which made them sound more alike but not exactly alike) AND the best qualities of those two drive systems (idler and direct) were not merely preserved but enhanced. That's all I can say.

So which plinth did you prefer? You did not say.

I realize that the experiments are not comparable but it seems to me that you used three distinctly different sounding tables into a common plinth and they all took on a similar characteristic. I guess the proper thing to do would be to try a different material for all three decks and see what happens.

If I had to choose based on the system as it was, I would have gone with the ebony / Zebrawood, but if the tests were done in my system I suspect the preference would have been something else.

dave

One could just as well posit that the differences in sound among the 3 tables are primarily due to unwanted resonances, either within the turntable mechanism or from the respective plinths, and that slate either dampens the chassis resonance or eliminates the resonance of the factory plinth by replacing it entirely. Once that happens, if you play the same LP on the 3 turntables, you would expect/want them to sound more (but still not exactly) alike. That's what I hear. What favors that hypothesis is that the sound is more neutral. The 3 turntables did not take on a "similar characteristic" so much as they became more neutral to my ears. I suppose you could say "neutral is a coloration". There is no resolution through discussion. That's the beauty of it and the frustration too. I am not saying that slate is the only way to go or even the best way to go. But for me, it's all good.

Hi Lewm,

Howard and I are just a few minutes apart. As you may know, Howard has four L o7d tables set up and running with different cartridges that afford him the ability to match the music to the cartridge of choice. It's hard to beat a combination like that!.

I guess you and I are distant neighbors. I generally travel through MD four or five times a year. If I might, I'll email you the next time I'm in your area. If it's convenient maybe we could connect for an hour or two and compare notes. Conversely, if you ever get to Richmond please let me know as I'd enjoy a meeting. Maybe I'll even have the table done by then.

Ken