TT Weights VPI center clamp

I'm going by memory here, but I think I can remember a long time back, one, or some VPI owners disliking the Rubber Spindle Washer (as Doug recently brings up in this thread) and substituted a Carbon Fiber Washer of the same-similar dimensions as the VPI Rubber Washer.

Claimed there was some very slight improvements in Sonics.
Doubtful I would hear them, but some might? In the stock configuration, the Rubber Washer of course goes between Record, and Platter, and not between Clamp, and Platter.

I would assume supply houses, perhaps like McMaster-Carr would carry such? Mark

Mark,

I compared a small rubber O-ring vs. the supplied (hard) Delrin washer between the platter and the LP (beneath the LP) when clamping on my first Teres table. To be honest, I barely heard any difference. Might have been my imagination, since I wasn't operating double blind - just double stupid! ;-)

I might hear a bigger difference today, since our system has advanced very far from those days. But I'd rather watch the Olympics. :-)

OTOH, some clamps/weights I've seen had a large embedded O-ring on the bottom of the clamp, presumably to protect the record label. That was a bad idea. The sonic mud was readily audible in a transparent system.

Well, I tried a center weight (I will leave the brand unidentified at this point) and although it dod some things right it definitely did some things wrong too.

There was a more organic sound than with the VPI clamp and a general taming of some excessive "resonances". However there was also a dulling of transients and top end detail as well as a general smearing. With the VPI clamp and rubber washer back in the picture the energy returned as well as the detail and top end extension, but at the expense of that "organic-ness".

Trade off's, but in a nutshell I will be sending the clamp back and looking for another alternative. Thanks for your help and opinions everyone.