Nealw, What "other designs" are you referring to? It seems to me that the integral armboard is most usual with plinths. Outboard pods for mounting the tonearm seem to be the exception rather than the rule. In principle, I don't like the idea of a totally separate arm mount, and I have stated my reasons elsewhere. But in practice, such arrangements could possibly sound very good; I wouldn't know.
Mosin, I wish I had known in advance about that "shoot-out" in the DC area. It would have been fun to get in on that. Would you really say that the Continuum tables have no plinth? I see that the works are enclosed in a rectangular box-like structure, rather than mounted on the box as per a conventional plinth, but I would think that the box has an effect on coloration of the sound, be it good or evil.
Mosin, I wish I had known in advance about that "shoot-out" in the DC area. It would have been fun to get in on that. Would you really say that the Continuum tables have no plinth? I see that the works are enclosed in a rectangular box-like structure, rather than mounted on the box as per a conventional plinth, but I would think that the box has an effect on coloration of the sound, be it good or evil.