Thoughts on the various platter materials used in Pro-Ject's midrange turntables?

@syr1990 , You can make a good platter out of pretty much anything if you know what you are doing. It is the mat and the way the record is clamped to it that matter the most. The mat has to be dead flat, the same mechanical impedance as vinyl and relieved for the label and edge of the record. The mats that Sota and Basis use are great examples. Vacuum clamping is the best followed by reflex clamping as used in SME and Kuzma turntables. The Sota Reflex clamp can be used on most tables. Just putting a weight on the record is pretty close to worthless. 

The size or weight of the platter is another contested issue many thinking the bigger and heavier the platter is the better. This is not necessarily true and depends on drive type, torque of the motor, control system of the motor, belt stiffness, etc. A heavy platter might have less flutter but it has more inertia and is harder to correct. After a point, platter weight is just male muscle flexing. Most of the tables I really like, cost no factor have platters in the 20-30 pound range. 

My Clearaudio Performance DC Wood has a 40mm thick POM platter.  I have never used or felt the need for any platter mat.  Am I missing something important?

Not a fan of acrylic or MDF platters.

@syr1990 

It's shameful that audio manufacturers often don't fully describe what you are getting.  [I'm involved in some discussions about DACs and finding out what's actually inside some of these is detective work.]  IMO platter weight is perhaps the most important turntable spec.  If you're serious about buying you might write to Pro-ject and ask.

They are correct about ringing aluminum platters if they are not thick and heavy (like VPI for ex.).  Best then to use a substantial mat for dampening.

@melm Unfortunately, the only weight info I could find is on the acrylic platter on the X2: its 2kg and 30mm thick.

The description given on the Classic Evo aluminum platter is:

"The heavy aluminium main platter construction utilises advanced thermo plastic elastomers (TPE*) for optimising resonance behaviour. A drawback for most of the old designs was the platter. Casted platters all have been heavy (which is good for speed constancy and low wow and flutter) but suffered very much from ringing effects which again caused colouration of the sound. The platter of The Classic EVO is precisely machined out of a special aluminium alloy again damped with TPE*, which offers special damping abilities." 

And here's what they say about the 6 PerspeX SB - Vinyl/MDF sandwiched platter:

"The resonance-optimised platter is a sandwich construction utilising a fine-balanced medium density fibre platter and a 4mm thick flat-ground layer of vinyl and a screw-down metal record clamp. It runs on an inverted bearing with stainless-steel axle carrying a ceramic ball/plate bearing."

He’d have to buy two turntables to try two different platters.

IMO the weight of a platter is a very important consideration.  What do each of these weigh?  On acrylic and vinyl, you may be better off without a mat.  It's worth trying.

I think I was a little too emphatic in my statement about Pro-ject. They seem to have many satisfied users. I am no expert on mid or low cost belt drive TTs.

@lewm 

I do not believe any of them come with a mat, but that could be purchased separately.
 

I’m open to recommendations for turntables in that price range (approx $1500-$2800) if you have any. 

Using 3 different materials on 3 different models from one company indicates the absence of any coherent theory at Pro-ject. So I wouldn’t buy a Pro-ject at all. You don’t say whether any or all of these come with a mat. Aluminum platter with mat is extremely common and works fine. In that case the SQ is determined largely by the mat. I personally don’t like acrylic at all but many obviously do. MDF strikes me as a bad choice for a platter because MDF imparts an objectionable coloration but maybe in a CLD layering with a harder material it works.

@syr1990 - My Rega Planar II originally had a glass platter - it was tough to get a mat that worked really well.

Finally settled on a 20 SRM/TECH Acrylic Platter

DELUXE ACRYLIC PLATTER FOR REGA AND REGA CLONES | eBay

Installed it and never looked back.

I think what helps the performance of this platter is the "Peripheral Rubber Band" surround - which helps add mass and prevents the platter from "ringing"

This provided the performance boost I was looking for

• more artculate
• improved details and clarity
• tighter bass
• less glare
• improved sibilance

A mat is not required with this platter.

Since changing to the Acrylic platter I have upgraded the plinth, arm and cartridge and each time this platter simply provided more and more details.

After this experience, I would not consider any turntable that did not have an acrylic platter

Hope that helps Steve

At the price point ,overall construction and what it's gonna be connected to- would be my concern.

Phono stage and cartridge are more important-IMO. 

Save the A.N. for later.

I don't think there is just one material that is the best material for platter use. The design is at least half the engineering problem and the material needs to work with the given design.