Vintage DD turntables. Are we living dangerously?

the ebay link did not translate, search for acryteller as the seller. An outfit in Germany that sells a whole bunch of platters, mats, weights etc.

Audpulse, thanks for the rey to Audio Fidelity - they could be just the right guys to rewire the arm on the L07D I just acquired from Lewm!

Couldn't find much info on the delrin mat on their website, I will have to look around for similar mats. On my Micro I use a similar product which I got from Germany here: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Plattentellerauflage-aus-PLEXIGLAS-5mm-stark-D-293mm-/370183497535?pt=Plattenspieler&hash=item5630a7e73f#ht_3509wt_905

This an acrylic based compound that works best on the SX8000, noting that this stainless steel platter, does not require damping, unlike the Micro RX5000 which rings like a bell. I suspect I get better results from my SAEC and Cu-180 metal mats on my other tables because they are acting as damping controls. I have experimented with a cork / rice paper /cork sandwich and that works quite well too. All of these seem to give a more lively outcome than rubber. I have not experimented with leather mats, but am intrigued on that front.

One thing is clear, on all my DD tables, the SAEC SS-300 or Cu-180 are the winners. The worst ever mat I tried BTW was the Kenwood/Trio ceramic mat - it completely destroyed the timing of anything played on it - ughh!

This whole topic of record mats can be a different thread, I have never cracked it .......

Halcro,it is a great question -I also wonder about this. I used a heavy 5Kg Audiolife platter on my SP-10 for 6 months and guess what, it started to go wobbly and not hold a constant speed - it is now at my tech being repaired. I suspect the bearing will survive, but I am also interested to hear from others on the motor concern. I have used my SAEC mat on my 101 for well over a year with no issues, although like you observed the stop is not quite as crisp as with the stock rubber mat. BTW,the SAEC mat is superior to the CU-180 on my 101 and Lenco, whereas the CU-180 is better on my Micro SX8000 and L0-7D.

Great thread - I concur that the TT101 is a great table and I had the same concerns as Halcro, so I have a back up for spares

I have a tech here in Ottawa who is from Vietnam and specializes in servicing vintage Japanese gear, his workshop is floor to ceiling with vintage "junk". He seems to be able to fix anything I have thrown at him, including by backup 101 when it started to behave badly. So I am on the page that we can get by for a few more years yet.

On another note, I bought a heavy lead plinth for the TT101 from Tommy Cheung specially drilled for the table and accommodates 2 arms. Makes a big difference, but admittedly I have not tried the table nude. I found the best mats are the micro seiki cu-180 closely followed by the SAEC SS300.
My reference table is my Seiki sx8000 and the 101 is very close, such that sometimes I muse on selling the big micro.