Record clamps: do they really make a difference.

I purchased my Sota table used in 1989. Back then, the rest of my system was nowhere near as revealing as it is today. I too heard little difference as far as the clamp back in those days.

I have found that with periphery clamps.........it very much depends on the platter mat used (or not used)?
With any compressible platter mat......in my system.....a periphery clamp sucks the life out of the music and robs the vinyl of its magic....whilst with a metal patter mat (or no mat at all)....there is a benefit (when used with a centre clamp) in flattening warped records....although any sonic benefits are subtle.
A centre clamp is platter mat dependent as well (although not to the same degree).........but is certainly beneficial with metal mats or no mats at all.
As always....YMMV

In order to be serious, you need it all, that being clamp, periphery ring and vacuum hold. All else is a compromise. Oh, don't forget the electron microscope platform that should be under your rig. I am sure you don't want those nasty vibrations intruding in your pleasure. Give it up, enjoy the music.

11-03-13: Mosin
It all depends on the table. The worse the turntable, the greater the need.
Mosin

You have to be joking.

If you believe that then

Q1. If a record is not flat, do you think it sounds better with half the record not supported, floating in mid air ?

Q2. Can you unequivocally say that there is absolutely no slippage from a record sitting loosely on a platter ?

Q3. Do you not think that there is substantial energy generated from the stylus/record interface that requires dumping to ground ?

A properly designed weight or reflex clamp with raised edge toward the outside of the record label and a small washer under the label can be very effective in coupling the record to the platter by compression.

Unfortunately most record weights are poorly designed. If you look at 90% on what is available on the market - the bottoms are flat. So effectively its a weight on the centre label and does nothing for warped records or coupling the record to the platter UNLESS the platter is concave.

In terms of your proposition, I would argue the opposite is more likely - that a stabiliser will sound worse on an inferior TT as it is more likely to exacerbate problems of noisy bearings and platters that do not deal with energy transmission properly from the stylus record interface.

Actually, a heavy weight will make a noisy bearing run quieter.