To ring or not to ring?

You can also try the periphery rings sold on Ebay for around $240 shipped. They are machined from stainless steel like the VPI. I would have taken this route if I had been aware before I purchased my more expensive aftermarket one.

I have used an aftermarket ring in combination with a heavy center weight for a number of years. Conceptually, the idea is to couple the record to the platter to dissipate energy into the platter and not back into the stylus. Additionally, it provides a solid foundation for the stylus to track the groove. (Is it easier to walk on a vibrating floor or a stable one?)

The energy picked up by the stylus creates a subtle echo effect similar to hearing music in an auditorium. This distorts the original recorded music. It is also deleterious to sound retrieval. If one's system is good enough at extracting the music from the grooves, one should find it more pleasurable hearing the recorded music and the aural sounds of the environment in which it was recorded.

With regard to playing warped (even slightly warped) records: Why optimize the VTA setup only to have it altered during playback with a warped record? Is the purpose of listening to recorded music to hear what was recorded or to hear an altered version of the music?

I have used record mats (copper, alloys, Delrin, carbon fiber, in some combination) with center weights, and various periphery clamps. I have applied them to belt-drive, idler drive, direct-drive, and rim drive. When the devices are implemented, they always produce a truer image of the originally recorded music when contrasted to non-applications of the devices.

The ability of the stylus tracking the groove is analogous to walking: Is it easier to walk in a straight line on a stable surface or a vibrating one?