A $300-$400 turntable tweak

"IME, the sonic benefits of keeping a mechanical path to drain away vibrations trump the lower noise levels of a floating bearing."

Would not the sleeve/platter interface provide a pathway to drain vibrations, or does the lubricant interface effectively prevent vibration tranfer?

I believe the magnetic bearing in the Project RM10 only unloads the platter from the bearing and doesnt isolate it completely under the same theory that a drain path is desirable. So essentially you have a regular bearing with minimal load and therefore minimal friction and noise with the advantage of a heavy platter for rotational momentum

J Carr

Hi Jonathan, interested in your feedback on centre clamps. My main concern on the gunmetal Final Audio clamp is that the spindle hole has no sleeve so it has metal to metal contact and it is not snug. I have often thought it would be an advantage to mill out the centre and put a teflon or other polymer sleeve in, but this is a one way trip. Do you have any recommendations on heavy clamps.
The other query is that on the Final the record edge is ever so slightly proud of the platter/mat, therefore I assume peripheral clamps may not be ideal on this turntable - thoughts ?
Might as well ask a third - graphite mats - a friend had an unfortunate experience where his cartridge ended up gummed up with grey scale off the graphite - comments ?

Dover, how did the graphite mat get the "grey scale" onto the cartridge? I've used a Boston Audio Mat 1 (graphite) for years without problems and the only one I'd replace it with is a Mat 2.

The mat was the Millenium, which has a smooth and rough side. I assume its off the rough side, but I dont know if the gentleman is using it correctly. Hence the question.