Acrylic platter

This is just a matter of opinion. My opinion is that acrylic is not intrinsically any better than alu. The early Teres turntables used all acrylic platters, and the recommendation was for no platter mat. Then they went to acrylic with pockets of lead shot imbedded in the acrylic. Then they went to wood platters on their top of the line turntables. I am sure, if queried, Teres would say that each "upgrade" was for the better. When I see an OEM turntable with an acrylic platter, my first thought is that the platter material was chosen for looks, ease of machining, and low cost, not necessarily for max performance. My question would be why would you feel confident that acrylic is better than alu? I would suggest using a mat on the alu platter, rather than exchanging the whole platter. Boston Audio Mat1 or 2 is very good. But that's just my opinion.

I have not said that I feel confident that acrylic is the way to go . If that would have been true I would not be asking here and just would have gone and bought the acrylic platter .

I have heard turntables that came with metal platter and I did not like the results when it was changed for acrylic . The same is true vice versa , so it seems to be a matter of the overall system synergy . In any event the only way to find out if I would like the results is to test it in my system .

Sorry, but the very fact that you are entertaining this expensive change in platters made me think you were entering into it with the bias that acrylic would be superior to alu. Anyway, you asked for opinions, and you got opinions. I would sooner experiment with platter mats, if for no other reason than the cost factor.

One bit of caution: you probably want to be sure that any new platter is not too far different in mass and circumference from the original, for three reasons: (1) the motor was probably chosen and tuned to move the mass of the OEM platter, (2) if the tt is belt-drive or rim drive, then the motor pulley circumference was chosen to give the correct speed when coupled with the OEM platter circumference, and (3) an excessively heavy new platter might cause premature bearing wear.

Lewm...thank you for the sugestions . I'm more inclined now to experiment with mats instead of going straight for the platter .

If the spindle is long enough I'd be more inclined to experiment with mats like TT Weights 4mm copper, Trans-Fi ResoMat, or a combination of both. These would be portable across turntables should you decide to move to a better table. With the copper mat you will hear the combined effects of platter material and increased inertial mass. The ResoMat, which uses vinyl cones to elevate the LP, may tend to minimize the effects of varying platter materials. I use and like both.

FWIW, a few OEM designers I know prefer stainless steel to acrylic, aluminum, and brass. There's a machinist advertising on Agon who makes them and may be able to help you.