Need some opinions over JA Michell

Thanks to all who've offered their opinions so far. Yes, it is a tank and years ago, I began an undertaking to improve the performance of the table - changing out the trust bearing from steel to ceramic, from removing the springs, new arm boards, improving foot isolation and additional damping the motor housing to point out some mods. I've been using the Stack Audio Serene platter mat and stabilizer which in themselves are excellent but obviously from my question, I'm playing with further changes. Possibly my last.

Already have Ceramic Bearing,

You could find and order a few thrust plates, inspect every ____ months ...... that seems to be the only real concern.

Is it easy to change it? I changed my Thorens TD124 thrust plate once, it was old and that cast iron platter was over 9 lbs.

Someone once pointed out to me that the materials choices for ball bearing and thrust plate ought to be chosen in concert with the physical properties of each. I would trust that Michell knew what they were doing. I’m also not sure that a tiny dimple in a thrust pad means it must be replaced.

What is the sonic goal of increasing platter and mat mass by a net 5 kg? You’ll be waiting longer for the platter to get up to speed, you may have more belt slippage, and you’re giving the motor more work to do at startup.

@ehtoo0 

Platter weights really don’t do much as some claim they actually degrade the sound. The way records can have warps the weight may be affective at smoothing out the warp on side one but when you turn the record over it has zero effect on side two and the warp is still there as in dish warps.

The reason why we go to the trouble of matching our cartridge's mass and compliance to that of our tonearm's to obtain an ideal vertical and horizontal resonance between 8Hz and 12Hz is to ameliorate the effects of warp information being conveyed to the preamp and amplification stages is to improve tracking and so that subsonic warp information doesn’t waste valuable output power and cause excessive cone flap in your speakers.

Although most phono preamps start rolling of low-end information at a few dB per octave starting around 100Hz or so which reduces sub sonics buy 10 or more dB at 5 - 7Hz your cartridge will track better and have better overall sonics dealing with warp information if mass and compliance are taken into consideration when choosing a cartridge for your tonearm.

Ultimately, the additional mass of a record weight is eventually going to have a negative effect on your main bearing especially if the turntable manufacturer didn’t design it with that consideration in mind. Not if but when.

Not if but, when? Precisely what I was thinking. I've played with various stabilizers over the years from the OG Michell Orb screw down to a much heavier, just over half a kilo,Thorens I've had for many years. To be perfectly honest, to my ears the Thorens was better however, I worried about the extra weight. As mentioned I've settled into the Stack Audio stabilizer and their Serene mat which are truly excellent.

I was looking into a Fidelix disc stabilizer - an outer 1 kg ring that rests on the outside of the record - in a perhaps quixotic effort to tame that first groove minor warp issue encountered time to time. It also provides a fly-wheel effect as well which can provide audible drive and solidity to the music etc. That's when I came across this other product  and hence my question. Not that I'm dissatisfied with the Stack. Just spit-balling.