Platter Pucks, Worth A F*ck?

[Shitty Rambo]

I would think these would be used by more people here if they were worth a damn. I know a couple dudes who bought them and swear they hear a difference when using one. I honestly cannot notice a difference.

 

Can anyone attest to this? Are these legit and my ears are just garbage, or is this just a waste of money and that don't do anything a tone-arm weight adjustment couldn't do?

 

 

https://secure.juno.co.uk/products/project-platter-puck-record-clamp/428824-01/

[allenh]

Depends very much on the turntable but I would guess a puck is making up for a shortcoming somewhere else on the turntable.

 

I've always thought a clamp better as it doesn't put any more load on the bearing.

[ForSunday]

If you have a crappy light platter then maybe it'd help but you'll wear the motor and bearings faster. Like said above, get a clamp. You want to couple the record mass to the platter, whether you'll hear the difference or not is debatable.

[kidamnesiac]

I've been thinking about getting one of these:

http://www.needledoctor.com/Souther-Clever-Clamp

 

Because I don't really fancy the idea of paying $80 for the Pro-Ject clamp.

[problemchild]

I've been thinking about getting one of these:

http://www.needledoctor.com/Souther-Clever-Clamp

Because I don't really fancy the idea of paying $80 for the Pro-Ject clamp.

One of those came with my turntable and it works fantastically. Not sure if it really makes a huge difference, but I like the peace of mind that records will always be held firmly.

[kidamnesiac]

Yeah. I do a sweep with a velvet brush before most plays and the records can slip if I apply too much pressure. It would be nice to have something to hold stuff tight. Not to mention the supposed "sonic benefits" of it.

[burntwolf]

i didn't think too much of the Rek-O-Nut thing i had. but now i have a KAB clamp. i dunno about sonics, but I think a clamp is nice to have the record snug against the platter. 

[kannibal]

Like others have said, it makes sense from a physics standpoint. I feel like I might get a small bit of sonic improvement, but because it makes sense coupling the record to the platter I use one. I have a VPI clamp, but I usually use a Bren1 weight.

http://www.bren1recordclamp.com/

Money back guarantee. Why not give it a shot for yourself.

[allenh]

I use thid old Bib clamp which is very simple and effective and I’m surprised hasn't been re made or copied yet.

 

 

[xxmartinxx]

For what it's worth, I hear a difference with and without the clamp on my VPI.  I heard less of a difference on the Musical Hall MMF5 I owned a long time ago.

[8ight]

What kind of audio difference are these types of things supposed to make? Or is it just to prevent records from slipping? 

[Requiescat]

What kind of audio difference are these types of things supposed to make? Or is it just to prevent records from slipping? 

 

Record weights/clamps are beneficial for plenty of reasons. They are fantastic at reducing or potentially eliminating warps on records (minor ones, of course) to allow the record to sit flatter on the platter. They also make it easier to use any type of cleaning brush, like mentioned above, as it tends to prevent the record from sliding on the platter while being brushed depending on how much force you're using. You will gain some "stabilization" from the presence of one also which usually leads to better sound quality overall.

 

Clamps tend to put less load on the bearing/motor due to not really adding any additional weight like a record weight will do. You should be sure your table is able to handle the added mass if using a weight versus a clamp. Belt drive tables might benefit from the added "rotational mass" from a heavy weight/clamp but with direct drive tables this might strain the bearings a bit more and cause unwanted results.

 

My VPI HW-19 uses a record clamp which works fantastic and I couldn't imagine my table without it. It easily can fix/flatten minor warps (and even some major ones). Since it's a clamp, the downward force or "coupling" effect can be controlled as well depending on how loose or tight you make the clamp. It has the added benefit of ensuring the record contacts the platter completely, from the label all the way to the outer rim of the record, creating a sort of "vacuum" effect of the record to the platter. This obviously improves tracking and will easily lend to better sound quality.

 

TL;DR: Get a record clamp or a solid record weight like the Bren1 weight like kannibal mentioned. The benefits outweigh the potential negatives and will give you a better listening experience, even if only slightly in some instances. With the ranging costs of these, you can easily find a good one in your budget.

 

There's even awesome weights like the Sutherland Timeline Strobe Record Weight (yes, I know it's not cheap!!) which combines a record weight with a strobe that can help you control/correct your turntables rotational speed. My friend down the street has one and it works great though I'm not confident it's any better than a decent record clamp/weight and a 3rd party strobe.

 

Hope that helps a little.