Why does your turntable sound the way it does.

I can't say much about dampening vibrations and effecting the sound of a turntable. Is it livelier or deader? But I can write from experience that I have lived with two turntables in my system, one unsuspended, and one suspended, and the sound improved tremendously when I isolated the turntable system from floor born vibrations by placing a Vibraplane beneath each turntable. The improvement was more dramatic with the unsuspended table, but it was still noticeable with the already well isolated suspended table.

I have found that isolation and mass are critical to good sound. This is a very complex topic and I wonder if we ascribe sonic characteristics to the turntable which may actually be more attributable to the cartridge/arm combination. How energy is handled by the arm tube, the arm bearings and the arm board is also critical IMO.

I'm just a hobbyist and have no technical knowledge about any of this stuff, but I do enjoy reading peoples' opinions and theories about what makes something sound the way it does.

Dear Manitunc: ++++ " I do agree that some tables do sound lifeless and over dampened, but I have to believe that is due to some other reason than damping out extraneous vibrations. " +++++

in theory the best TT is the one that adds nothing and permit to lose nothing to the cartridge signal. This could means: no added noise, distortions, vibrations, resonances, etc. but " dead silence " and all these IMHO could means a very well damped instrument.
From this statement IMHO does not exist an " overdampened " TT. How can be overdampened?. What we are looking for is a " dead silence " TT.

IF in that " dead silence " TT we don't like what we heard that is not a TT problem but an audio system problem in other or others of the links in the audio chain.

We want to reproduce faitful what comes in the LP grooves and this means that the TT must be absolutely " transparent "/non-existence for the LP grooves/cartridge/tonearm.

++++ " due to some other reason than damping out extraneous vibrations. " +++++

absolutely right, I agree. IMHO that some other reason belongs out of the TT thgrough the audio system chain.

Unfortunately till today I never heard a " dead silence " TT not even an " overdampened " ( this does not exist. ), all the TT makes a " contribution " to the sound by adding TT distortions that are not in the recording and that degrade the cartridge signal.

If we are hearing a lifeless sound coming from our analog rig, one very well dampened analog rig, then it is because that recording is lifeless by it self or because out of the analog rig: in some other audio link exist that kind of lifeless quality performance.

Again, a TT must be unexcistent for the cartridge signal. That we like it or not what we heard through this kind of TT is non important what is important is that the cartridge signal stay " untouchable " by any kind of TT distortion/noise/resonance/vibrations/colorations. We don't want that the TT can works as a mechanical equalizer but as an invisible audio link.

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.

Raul,
I agree with your comments. But putting different tables into an identical system creates a different result, meaning that the difference is in the table. So if we have a dead sound with one TT and not with another, both used in the same system with the same arm and cartridge, are we to assume that the deadest sounding table is the most accurate, and therefore the rest of the system is to blame? Have designers created cartridges and arms that are more lively to circumvent the trend to more massive, deader TTs. And how do we explain the massive plinth idler table movement whose greatest benefit seems to be the liveliness of the sound.

Again, has anyone actually listened to a master tape and compared it to the resulting vinyl on a high end TT?

This might not be the exactly correct place to bring this up, or maybe it is. It has been stated that the Linn method of evaluating audio equipment simplifies things too much, but I disagree. It may not be the only way, but I believe if the intent of the musician to convey something is preserved, that more of the music is coming through.

"Again, has anyone actually listened to a master tape and compared it to the resulting vinyl on a high end TT?"

I have not personally, but I can share an anecdote from a buddy of mine. In the late 80s he was involved with hifi groups that listened only to master tapes. I never understood if these were 2nd generation copies of marketed music or originals from special sessions. These guys had complete disdain for turntables. My buddy had high end turntables, but said nothing approached the musical quality of a master tape. His hifi with vinyl blew me away. I've never had a spare dollar since...