TT Weights VPI center clamp

Mark,

I compared a small rubber O-ring vs. the supplied (hard) Delrin washer between the platter and the LP (beneath the LP) when clamping on my first Teres table. To be honest, I barely heard any difference. Might have been my imagination, since I wasn't operating double blind - just double stupid! ;-)

I might hear a bigger difference today, since our system has advanced very far from those days. But I'd rather watch the Olympics. :-)

OTOH, some clamps/weights I've seen had a large embedded O-ring on the bottom of the clamp, presumably to protect the record label. That was a bad idea. The sonic mud was readily audible in a transparent system.

A two-piece screw clamp (as Markd51 described and as Teres clamps are) makes it easy to avoid label damage. Just stop the clamping piece from spinning while you tighten. One-piece screw clamps don't allow that, so *may* risk some label damage.

If a clamp uses rubber or a similar material at the interface between clamp and LP it may have a negative impact on sonics. Rubber absorbs vibrational energies, shifts them in amplitude and frequency, then releases them after a time delay. This softens transients, dulls dynamics and smothers low level details. In a word: mud.

If you can, try removing the rubber bit and using the clamp "bareback". Your system resolution will probably increase. Everything should tighten up a little. If maximum resolution is your goal, remove rubber from around your analog rig wherever you can.