Hi Ron,
I didn't go for the base plate because I wanted to assess its effect in isolation, over and above the effect of the MN platter, so if people ask me what it does, I can say
I'll do the comparison tomorrow at Martin's when we swap T/Ts, using the same MN platter, which should be interesting.
If the base plate makes a noticeable improvement, I'll order one from Mike. Martin will also get the chance to ascertain whether the copper top plate on my platter makes a worthwhile sonic improvement.
Lots of Techy and T/T shenanigans tomorrow, so it should be fun!
Marco.