Do all record pucks sound the same?

[doodoos]

I haven't a clue as I've only used the Clearaudio Quattro clamp which came with the deck, and is stainless steel. I ask because having just played around with some thin felt on the underside, I rather prefer the sound. Could be my imagination of course but wondered if others have tried different materials to any advantage or not.

[YNWaN]

I've built quite a number of different clamps and weights and a number which are different versions of the same design - I would say that there can be quite clear sonic differences between them. Of course there are some who think mats and clamps make no difference at all....

[struth]

Different materials from both clamps/weights and mats all make sonic differences in differing ways to different types of turntable. Asking what folk are finding best for your tt is the way to go

[ReggieB]

It depends how hard you throw them.

[RobbieGong]

It depends how hard you throw them.

There's always one :D It depends on the puck, weight clamp to be honest. I didn't get on with the Michell Clamp but others do, found it sucked the life out of the music for me. Weight plays a factor too- too heavy not good for a number of reasons including the poor old bearing factor. I find 350g is about right and the weight I use certainly doesn't detract from the sound. My guess is that I'm benefiting from it adding that nice firm coupling to the mat :)

[Pete The Cat]

I use a 450g Simply Analogue stabiliser. It didn't seem to agree with the speed stability on the PL-71 that I used to run, but it seems very at home with the Rock that followed. I added felt so as not to scrape the labels of records, which is probably taking record care to an obsessive extreme :mental: Anyway, no difference in sound to report from the felt.

Pete

[Spectral Morn]

Different weight and material used will have an effect on the sound.

[YNWaN]

On the 'Which turntable do you use?' Thread Marco asked me about the record puck I use and I have just posted this (below), but I think it's perhaps more relevant to this thread so I have copied it here:


Yes, Mark's lightweight (magnetic) acrylic clamp is superb: a rather clever and very effective design.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/921/fsSPeH.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/plfsSPeHj)

Perhaps you might like to outline its design principles again, Mark? :)

Marco.


Sorry Marco, somehow missed this. Well there is not a huge amount to write really (I've just reviewed the length of my post and perhaps there is more to write than I anticipated ;)). I developed the idea for the clamp because I wanted one for myself that didn't suffer the negative issues of the usual clamp or record weight. To outline those negative issues I refer to:

Clamps: usually screw onto the centre spindle or use a split chuck arrangement to grip the centre spindle. In every case they grip the centre spindle. The problem with this is that the clamp is directly connected to the main bearing which is the primary source of noise outside of the motor. The clamp is also pressed against the record so any noise in the bearing (I already use an extremely quiet magnetically supported bearing) is directly coupled to the record surface and to the same surface the stylus rests on. The second problem is that it's difficult to regulate the pressure that the clamp exerts and it is very likely to vary from record to record and between uses.

Weights: the problem with weights is primarily - the weight of them :). Increasing the load on the bearing is not a good thing. In the worst case it will increase wear and in the best case it will increase noise. If you use a suspended design (as I do) you may well alter the resonant frequency of the suspension by increasing the suspended mass and it may even be rendered useless.

In addition to the above I wanted a system that could be removed or added without having to stop the platter - not for any specific reason other than it's convenient.

I realised that many turntables (not all of them but many) use tool steel for their bearing shafts and this is often (again, not always) continued to be the record spindle. I also realised that magnets are attracted to tool steel. So I constructed a Delrin puck that had a neodymium magnet within it and this proved to be most successful. The actual weight of the puck was low but it was attracted to the record spindle and applied far more force to the record than its weight alone - effectively it pulled itself toward the platter. I had also made it in such a way as although it used the record spindle to centre itself it made minimum contact and was further decoupled from it. So I went on to experiment further with slightly different designs and versions and one of the last ones I made is the one Marco has. It's made from acrylic primarily and is really very low in mass; however, it pulls down onto the record with significant force. In this version the record spindle length doesn't matter and the applied force is consistent. The way the magnets are positioned means that the magnetic field is in line with the spindle and the field radiated sideways is very low so there is no issue even with very sensitive moving coil cartridges.

This isn't a universal solution and won't work on all decks. in addition, It takes a bit of care to position (I actually use a version that is easier to locate but requires a spacer for thinner records). However, it does work very well and does address the problems I saw in existing designs. I've tried and made loads of alternatives and, for me, this is the best solution.