Naim introduce a turntable - the Solstice Special Edition

For the record (pun) I have kept all three platters. I have a heavily modded/hot-rodded TD124 too (see my profile and system if you wish) and I have kept the OEM platter and a use a high mass one. 
This was no experiment. I bought a Lyra Etna Lambda from Steve Dobbins, a recognized 301 authority, and he recommended his mid-weight platter over my solid brass one. I do prefer his. Perhaps with a different cartridge I might prefer the very light OEM or the solid brass. 
One of the many problems with this Board and it's regulars are those who staunchly defend what they happen to have. 

I die laughing when I hear these terms applied to turntables. Plodding? Does that mean slow as in 33 1/8th or, does that mean increased amounts of wow? Maybe, it is more wow with more rumble. That would make sense on a Garrard as they are rumble machines. Lewm is quite correct. Turntables are designed with a certain mass platter in mind. Increasing the mass on an idler wheel table is going to accelerate wear on the wheel by increasing slippage on start up creating flat spots on the wheel which will invariably increase wow and flutter along with rumble. Idler wheel drives where also designed to slip "Q". A heavier platter would increase the time it takes to get up to speed. The TD124 had that interesting design with the very light platter platter cover which was lifted off the platter by that lever at the side providing very fast "Q ing" and minimizing wear on the drive. Many people do not know this but the TD 124 was a combination belt and idler drive in an attempt to isolate the platter from the motor. It was a rumble machine all the same. It was my first real turntable. With the SME on board it was a beautiful thing. 

fsonicsmith, I think you should convert to streaming only. This turntable thing is driving you nuts.

Interesting topic, platters. My preference is for a lightweight design because I believe Rega are on the right track at least where weight and mass are concerned.

On the other hand both my Rega 3 and and LP12 had heavy platters. In fact one of the most convincing vinyl demos I ever heard featured a turntable with an enormous platter.

It was almost comical in size, could have been 6-8 inches deep. It was rotated by a motor that was housed in a separate box situated several inches to one side via a fairly long thin belt.

My initial visual impression was that this could, in certain domestic situations, be a surefire recipe for disaster.

However the image it cast, via some Avantgarde Trios, was the best I have ever experienced.

Spookily good.

As my memory of the event (London Show late1990s/early 2000s?) inevitably fades, the sheer size and precision of the image being cast remains.

I die laughing when I hear these terms applied to turntables. Plodding? Does that mean slow as in 33 1/8th or, does that mean increased amounts of wow?

No. If it was such a simple thing as slowing down of the platter speed, it wouldnt have made to the market. Plodding as in transients not recovering fast enough and bleeding into notes, a time domain smear. This is quite easily heard with slow music (low tempo). It is not due to wow, it is due to energy storage in a heavy platter which doesn't have an effective drainage mechanism. A design issue. I am not a technical expert in mass and energy transfer in these devices but I have just heard enough of this nuisance, endemic to "new age" turntables. 

Most of the golden era TTs do not suffer with these issues at least. They may not be quiet but they sound like music. Probably because it came from large established audio companies who hire a good team to do the job instead of the typical "1 man" companies designing TTs today.

Fsonic, sorry if you were offended. Actually, I do not own a Garrard 301, and I have no dog in the fight about the weight of a platter on a 301. My only point was the point I was trying to make. That this is a subjective judgment, unless you have measured speed irregularity due to platter mass. For sure at some point even the big 301 motor is going to be affected by platter mass. But if Steve Dobbins was your guru, you were and are in good hands.

Mijo, not every idler is designed to “slip Q”. I do know that the TD 124 features a belt to drive its idler, and I mentioned earlier in this thread that when I auditioned the three major Vintage idler drive turn tables, I liked the TD 124 least of all, by a long shot. The comparison may not be fair, because I auditioned those turntables in systems that were not completely familiar to me otherwise.