Edle,
You raise a valid point, but as usual it's all about implementation. The design and build quality of the bearing will have a major impact on the costs vs. benefits of a screw-on clamp.
On my old HK/Rabco ST-7, bearing noise and intra-plinth vibration levels are so high that any record clamp, even a light weight Michell, seriously degrades the sound. The spindle isn't threaded but if it were I suspect the table could be the poster child for your theory: it would probably go from noisy to unlistenable. ;-)
OTOH, all Teres tables include a screw-on clamp (there's another one for Opus88's list). The bearing design and BQ are such that clamping the record firmly makes a significant sonic improvement, and there is no noise that can be attributed to bearing friction. The table is effectively free of bearing noise and silent grooves are exactly that, even with the gain controls turned well above safe listening levels.
Assuming a well made bearing, intra-vinyl resonances from stylus/groove friction are VASTLY greater than bearing noise. Clamping to a massive bearing can provide an effective pathway to evacuate and eventually damp certain frequencies, to the betterment of the sound.
A record weight or damper may or may not perform better, again depending on implementation, but IME bearing noise is not necessarily a reason to avoid threaded clamps. The devil's in the details, as usual.
Doug
You raise a valid point, but as usual it's all about implementation. The design and build quality of the bearing will have a major impact on the costs vs. benefits of a screw-on clamp.
On my old HK/Rabco ST-7, bearing noise and intra-plinth vibration levels are so high that any record clamp, even a light weight Michell, seriously degrades the sound. The spindle isn't threaded but if it were I suspect the table could be the poster child for your theory: it would probably go from noisy to unlistenable. ;-)
OTOH, all Teres tables include a screw-on clamp (there's another one for Opus88's list). The bearing design and BQ are such that clamping the record firmly makes a significant sonic improvement, and there is no noise that can be attributed to bearing friction. The table is effectively free of bearing noise and silent grooves are exactly that, even with the gain controls turned well above safe listening levels.
Assuming a well made bearing, intra-vinyl resonances from stylus/groove friction are VASTLY greater than bearing noise. Clamping to a massive bearing can provide an effective pathway to evacuate and eventually damp certain frequencies, to the betterment of the sound.
A record weight or damper may or may not perform better, again depending on implementation, but IME bearing noise is not necessarily a reason to avoid threaded clamps. The devil's in the details, as usual.
Doug