Skeletal vs Plinth style turntables


I am pondering a new plinth design and am considering the virtues of making a skeletal or closed plinth design. The motor unit is direct drive. I know that as a direct drive it inherently has very low vibration as opposed to an idler deck (please do not outcry Garrard and Lenco onwners coz I have one of those too) but simple facts are facts belt drive motors spin at 250rpm, Lencos around 1500 rpm, DD 33 or 45 rpm. That being the case that must surely be a factor in this issue. What are your thoughts. BTW I like closed designs as they prevent the gathering of dust.
parrotbee
my bad... the first pic link above should read Armboard void. JN defintely does not believe in armpods. Evident from his designs.

A case of Armpod on the brain for me I'm afraid. Wasn't kidding about the cabin fever. ...:^(

Hi CT
Not a believer in magic - not even david copperfield? paul daniels?
I guess a bit of experience may help as well...
LOL
Not a believer in magic - not even david copperfield? paul daniels?

PB
actually that's the kind of magic I assumed you meant. Let me qualify a little.
I know this kind of 'magic" is all tricks deep down.
Oh, oh.....sorry to disappoint anyone reading here that believes in it.
(memories of telling my younger brother that Santa Claus was not real just went through me)
Well, you did not hear it here..... ok ?

I guess this kind of magic just doesn't register as anything memorable and lasting to me.
I can't explain it. Maybe my career line of work has conditioned me in a certain way here.

How about the Audio Foolery that happens in my/our rooms? I enjoy it greatly and can't live without it as an audiophile. but it is not magic.
It can be recreated in other rooms by many others.
But the music itself, which even when heard in your car and causes a reaction ...that is a bit of magic to me as a music lover.

Now think about this one... how about a comedian?
Someone that can go to a foreign country where they speak a different language, have a different culture and values.
And then do a show that discusses the same, and makes them laugh in their own house.
That..... IS a little bit of Magic to me.

Two honorable mentions

4 lb small mouth bass on 2 lb fishing line.

When the wife pulls my keys out of her bosom, and allows me to drive my summer car;
Even though she makes me take her to go buy ice cream.

PB
If you can make this cold weather go away. hmmm....
Make it happen first, then I will let you know.
As much as I enjoy reading purely hypothetical arguments about how arm-pods of substantial weight and with high co-efficients of friction will move due to stylus drag.

I believe that there are so many possible movements in: the tone-arm and armboard, the turntable chassis on it's supports, the platter mat, the lp, and as we know changes in speed of the platter - that will all absorb that force to varying degree. Making the movement of the arm-pod theoretically negligible. And certainly negligible in reality (based on years of direct observation).

What is imho the more important aspect of plinth vs skeletal - the absorption and propagation of vibrations deserves most of the discussion.

I never understood the argument that the shelf becomes the plinth. The shelf is a constant, plinth or no. And, that shelf being anything from the flimsiest free-standing crud to ultra-sophisticated designs anchored to brick walls it is impossible to imagine a single statement of its' theoretical contribution.

I just want to say that having run both plinthed and skeletal set-ups for many years my ears are on the skeletal design. My eyes, on the other hand, like a nice plinth as much as the next guy. But music being what it is I will run plinthless for as long as I have a turntable to do it.

Halcro, I read your Feikert results just the opposite of your statement. The Direct Drive has superior numbers. Have you mixed them up, or am I missing it?
Hi Aigenga
In all fairness I am not a fan of armpods as I think they are a bit clumsy and add-on in my view as opposed to those being part of the plinth. Likewise forming part of the whole plinth/turntable just strikes me as a heck of a lot tidier and means that it can't be knocked out of the way so to speak.
Armpods of themselves don't render a plinth as skeletal - likewise, one can be skeletal like the Rega (Naid I think) and not have a pod.