Well I did some listening tonight with the foil-damped platter and compared it to the std platter. I used a single thin rubber mat of unknown origin over the foil as a better surface for the record.
Listening to 'The Morning Side" again and the bass notes seemed a bit cleaner and more defined as if a degree of "bloom" had been removed. I wasnt sure I liked this as "bloom" is one of the things I like about vinyl. So I went back and forth with the std platter and the treated one. There is definitely greater clarity with the new one and a bit more dynamic range. The notes seem to leap out of blackness more rather than be surrounded by hash.
In fact the thought that kept comming to me is that it sounded more like CD! But do I want my vinyl to sound more like CD? I pondered this as I listened to more LPs like "Inner Mounting Flame" by Mahavishnu Orchestra (an old favourite). The track "Dawn" lept out with raw energy and had me transfixed. It still had the huge, wide soundstage of vinyl but more of the precision and clarity of a good CD player. I realised the reduction of bloom let me hear into the recording better and get a better sense of each individual instrument. Mmm I think I could get to like this. Then I tried Jennifer Warnes "Bird on a Wire" off the "Famous Blue Raincoat" LP. Again the bass had greater clarity, seperation and slam. I forced myself to focus on the higher notes (I'm a bass junkie). There was less of the harshness that often comes through in her voice on my system so it was easier to listen to but the clarity was still there.
So I think this mod is definitely worth trying especially if you dont have a SDS Plattermat. It cost me nothing as the local 3M people generously sent me a sample which was plenty to cover the platter and magnet. I may at some stage try adding a disc of 1-2mm aluminium to the foil as this would provide a better constraining layer than the thin layer of foil over the polymer layer.
Last edited by mulane; 04-08-2009 at 13:51.
Technics SL 1200-MK2 (3M foil damped platter and Pocan and rubber removed naked plinth); JH Formula IV unipivot arm with magnesium headshell; AT 33PTG cartridge; home built KEF transmission line speakers; Pioneer A400 amp seperated into pre/power used as preamp into Rotel RB-980BX power amp; Tascam CD-RW4U CD player/burner.