Albert Porters after market panzerholz plinths

I don't see anything wrong with the statement that the Technics trounced the walker. The Walker is sold as a complete system/package (tonearm/table) and I am sure it is a fine table. There is no other choice for table/arm combo in this case so it had to be compared as it was. I am sure Albert put on his best cartridge and cables for both the Technics and Walker so in this case a fair comparison. Yes, not apples to apples but it could not be done in this case.

What the guy was trying to imply is that they (all of the people who were at the listening session)preferred the much cheaper technics table when compared to the "walker system" which cost a whole lot more hence it "trounced the Walker".

I guess "they" were speaking from "real" experience and there is nothing wrong conveying it t"the way they heard it". Ultimately, it is just an opinion and IMHO, and it is definitely VALID.

I have heard the Walker in a friend's system, and I think it is fantastic. I never heard it side by side with any direct-drive turntable, and frankly I would be surprised if an SP10 Mk2 could "trounce" a Walker, regardless of the plinth used, but I have no argument with what someone else heard. However, the finding spurred me to experiment with direct- and idler-drive turntables, because there is no way I am going to afford a Walker.

My completely empirical thoughts on the subject of plinths and platters is as follows: For belt-drive turntables, minimal or no plinth and a very massive platter correlate positively with performance. One can argue all day long about whether the motor for a BD table needs to be strong to control the platter or weak to allow platter mass to dominate. I don't know; both ways could work if designed well. Multiple motors for BD seems silly to me. For direct-drive turntables, a well-designed plinth seems to help. I will grant Raul's contention that I/we have not experimented with no or a minimal plinth, but I certainly have experimented with light weight bad plinths, and they do harm rather than good. I think platter mass is probably less important for DD than for BD. I think I am going to like core-less motors over other types (based on what owners say about the Exclusive P3, and what I hear from my Kenwood L07D), and I think there should be "enough" torque to control the platter, but massive or excessive torque may not be a dominant requirement. For DD, the motor control mechanism is very important (duh!).

Dear Genesis168: Everything can be VALID depend what we want to find out.

Many years ago I offered Albert to make a test on the SP-10 against the Walker with the same tonearm/cartridge combination: I offered to give two same tonearms and the Technics for the test and only that he has to find a stand alone arm mount device for the Walker.
For different " factors " that test never happen. The target was to know how these two different TTs performs one against the other.

I don't have any bias in favor of the Walker or Technics or any other TT I'm only trying to say that because I like more oranges than apples the apples are " trounced " because certainly there are other cartridges that could be a better match with the Walker tonearm and can " trounced " the Technics.

I remember very clear what I told Albert when I heard the Technics in his system instead the Walker: " Albert I prefer your system performance through the Walker ". He was gentle enough to explain me the circumstances around that I was not take it in count.

This is not what Albert wanted/liked to know or waited because their audio friends prefered the Technics except one of them that agree with me.

The Walker/Technics example seems to me that is not totally fair, it is like if some one with the Rockport TT ( with dedicated tonearm like the one M.L owns. ) made a comparison against a Garrad and then a group of persons likes the Garrad over the Rockport: " trounced " the Rockport.
Could this means that the Garrad really " trounced " the Rockport?, certainly not.

I read a lot of posts where the people said that the SP-10 is better than the Walker. The people speak on this " rumor " only because in a comparison some persons like more a Technics configuration that a Walker different configuration.

Seems to me that is really unfair for the Walker. IMHO the Walker TT is not inferior to the SP-10 and maybe even better than the Technics in similar " circumstances/environment/set-up ". I own three SP-10s and I'm not against Technics is only that IMHO is totally unfair that " rumor " with out validated true foundation.

Anyway, as you say it is only an opinion.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.

My Linn Axis sits low to the ground on a very heavy solid oak coffee table ($30 used) which in turn sits on the thinly carpeted concrete foundation of my house. It plays beautifully here, the best ever. If you can provide a solid foundation like this for any good table, not sure what value a massive plinth can add.

I think a similar solid foundation is a requirement for practically using the no plinth option as Raul suggests.

A solid foundation beneath the table greatly reduces or perhaps even eliminates the need to fortify the table itself IMHO.

How about those drilling platforms on the sea searching
for oil or gas? Are those 'legs' or feets inadequate? Or
are those low torque drive mechanism?