Dust cover up or down?

@lewm 

I've just re-read the thread and as I thought, no-one said they had measured a difference in VTF.  Two said there might be a difference.

So far then the score is nil posters have measured any difference.  We've all got those digital scales, so why not get down to it - a minute or two's effort.  I would certainly try, but I don't have a dust cover.

The subject is interesting because this is one pretty stupid tweak where a scientific measurement can easily be made, and proven by weighing with cover off and then doing it again to test the scale is true.  I'm putting my money on 'no difference'.

Art Dudley was one of the nice guys and a great writer, but an arch-tweaker and inclined to believe the voodoo.

I’ve got a digital VTF scale, and I do have the dust cover from my Victor QL10. It sits on the floor under a table near the QL10, but for me there are other more major reasons why I don’t use dust covers so I won’t be participating. Moreover, it is clear to me that you would have to do something with the dust cover in order to build up a charge on its inner surface. I am not sure what that is, short of rubbing it with a cloth or something of that sort. Anyway, I could not care less. On the other hand I believe those who report a difference. I don’t know how you interpret those posts, but obviously we disagree on how to interpret them. If you would prefer to think the score is nil, then it is nil divided by nil, and we all know what that is.

I have an old SONY PS 7 and in the instruction manual it says close the lid and enjoy the music

If the manufacturer provides a hinged dust cover, they must be saying down when playing. A non-hinged one or one like my Rega P8 is saying off when playing but on when not to keep dust off. Some like the big ones over everything not hinged to be on while playing that don't touch the plinth or base which might be better at eliminating air borne vibrations and accumulating dust while playing, but what a pain moving them on and off when flipping a record - double worse for 45s. Unfortunately in our hobby there is no perfect solution....to anything. Just keep trying to get as close as possible.