Higher mass minimizes wow and flutter because the greater mass provides more inertia. High frequency mechanical noise causes less audible flutter because the platter is so massive that it takes a lot of energy to accelerate and decelerate it rapidly in an audible fashion. Low frequency mechanical noise is also less audible for the same reason. Many years ago I had a budget table with a truly lightweight platter that would slow slightly when the needle hit a loud passage on the record where the bigger groove modulations would cause frictional slowing. This was audible as wow. My current heavy platter doesn't have this susceptibility. The single greatest drawback of heavy platters is, in my opinion, that they require bigger motors or longer spin up times to reach playback speeds. (Of course, they also cost more.) In extreme cases, you have to give them a head start with a shove from your finger.
Pros and Cons of Platter Mass
I am curious about the pros and cons of high and low mass platters in terms of physics and sonics. Like, why a designer would choose one over the other, and why any of you would have a preference. Although I do not anticipate any freak arguments about which is best in this relatively benign topic, let's try to keep this normal, ok? Thanks