Why does your turntable sound the way it does.


Ok, we all seem to agree that turntables sound different, and there are any number of upgrades to a basic turntable that are offered, up to and over $100k. But what is it that causes a turntable to sound the way it does. After all, isnt the basic principal that the table causes the groove undulations to pass by the stylus at a certain speed, thereby creating the sound we hear. If that's true, then only something that affects that point of interaction should have an effect on sound. Forget of course, differences in cartridge, tonearm, wire or preamp. Just think of the turntable itself.
Now, we hear that idler drives are more impactful than belt drives, belt drives are quieter and release more inner detail, direct drives maintain speed and tempo better, aluminum platters sound different than acrylic or glass or MDF. Platter mats can change the sound considerably. different bearing materials and precision in manufacture can change the sound. but why?
Is there a basic sound to be acheived when everything is perfect, and what we are hearing is actually a distortion of that sound based on resonance or time or torque or vibration or whatever. Is there a means of measuring what a cartridge can do in a perfectly set up system where there is no influence on the stylus/vinyl interface and the cartridge is free to follow the groove undulations without exterior influence. Is this perfect environment found in the cutting head, or is it also subject to the same influences as the playback stylus. And if so, how can we ever account for that effect in our playback systems.

So, fellow Audiogoners, what do you think has the greatest effect on vinyl playback as far as only the turntable itself, and what do you think can be done to ammeliorate those effects.
manitunc
Just put on some more tunes and forget about such things that will never be adequately answered. People on this forum cannot even agree on the most simple of questions. This one is not worth our brain cells.Too much opinion.

Time for side B of Katy Lied!
Since a phono cartridge is designed to turn very tiny undulations in a record groove into very tiny electrical impulses, that interface can be distorted by very small variations from optimal performance. And so a better platter bearing will generate less vibration that is picked up by the cartridge. A low torque drive system may be affected by stylus drag, which can vary with the pitch of the music being played (since low frequency grooves have large variation than high frequency.

If there is a theoretically perfect turntable, it is one with a perfect connection between platter and cartridge, which allows zero vibration other than what is generated by the record grooves. It would generate zero vibration out of the motor, the platter bearing, the arm bearing, the arm and the cartridge (other than that generated by the record grooves). It would hold perfect speed, no matter what.

As far as mats, platter materials, or plinth materials, they affect the perfect ideal to the extent they affect platter vibration, which can be transmitted to the cartridge.

Since there is no perfection in the real world, we have tradeoffs. Low torque belt drives exist not because low torque is better, but because the designer felt he could isolate motor vibration better by minimizing the interaction between the motor and the platter.

Then finally we have colorations, some of which may be quite pleasant. Because different materials resonate at different frequencies, and since you can't avoid all resonance completely, some folks seek out the more pleasant
coloration. For example many people change the bodies of a DL-103 cartridge from plastic to wood or aluminum, each of which imparts a slightly different sound.

I hope I'm not the only person who attempts to answer the original post. It's a reasonable and interesting question.
I guess this forum has devolved into just posting personal opinions on hardware or stating that questions have been answered before. If there is an answer to my question, I havent found it,and it certainly isnt in one place. Perhaps I should have posted this in a DIY section, because my interest in the answer is due to my turntable building interest.
Jonahsdad,
Looks like your the only one capable of actually thinking an issue through. I can understand if people are not interested, but what is left of this forum is sad.
"Because different materials resonate at different frequencies, and since you can't avoid all resonance completely, some folks seek out the more pleasant."

I couldn't agree more. I attempted to damp down my TT as completely as possible, reducing/removing all resonances that I could. The music became lifeless and uninvolving and dynamically constrained. Removing some/most of that dampening gave the music life and it became immensely enjoyable again.

I, for one, would rather enjoy my music and hear it in a way that makes me smile and tap my foot, rather than sit in front of my system and say "well, it is as neutral sounding as I can make it, but I feel uninvolved".
I am definitely of the "tune for liveliness" school as opposed to the "damp all the life out of the music" school. My high-mass non-suspended table may be more susceptible to this than other tables, but if so only in degree. Whatever material the table is positioned on makes a big difference in sound quality, and the more highly damped the material the less music there is, in my experience. I have yet to find any good technical explanations for why one material is better sounding than another. Each manufacturer has his own theory but each one is at best a partial explanation. Ultimately, it is up to each listener to figure out what works best for his own system and tastes.

The same type of latitude exists for different types of drive mechanisms. There are great sounding tables of all types---idler, direct, belt.

I happen to share Manitunc's views on the state of this forum. It is sad to see how much the quality of posts has declined in the past couple years.