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From: crandell@ut-sally.UUCP (Jim Crandell)
Newsgroups: net.audio
Subject: Re: Turntable mats and clamps
Message-ID: <2371@ut-sally.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 17-Jul-85 02:20:51 EDT
Article-I.D.: ut-sally.2371
Posted: Wed Jul 17 02:20:51 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 18-Jul-85 04:08:56 EDT
References: <690@charm.UUCP>
Organization: U. Texas CS Dept., Austin, Texas
Lines: 20

> Well, the salesman told me that clamps and damps are out.  Today's 
> high-end turntables are made of NON-DAMPING materials, like acrylic.
> What say you all to that, eh??  He went on to explain that acrylic has
> the same resonant frequency as a record, a statement which shows an
> admirable ignorance of simple physics.  Damping takes out the harshness,
> but music is sometimes harsh, blah, blah, and the logic started to
> fade a little.

The salesman is obviously being honest with you.  Otherwise, he'd tell
you that a heavy damping material was what you need.  Of course, if it
takes out the harshness, since music is sometimes harsh, then
naturally you need a new moving-coil to put it back in.  Unfortunately,
he's actually a little behind the times.  The most recent research has
conclusively demonstrated that the best platter-mat material is a
foot-diameter sheet of diamond.  You see, the diamond has the same
resonant frequency as the stylus, and ....
-- 

    Jim Crandell, C. S. Dept., The University of Texas at Austin
               {ihnp4,seismo,ctvax}!ut-sally!crandell