good points mentioned in this article in relation to the Garrard 301
A Word about Plinths
The choice of plinth design and materials is critical to the ultimate performance potential of Garrard 301. A little history and learned lessons from other hot-hoovin' Garrarderos might come in handy, particularly if you want to fabricate your own plinth. As part of this series of articles on the 301, I intend to provide free plans on how to build your own killer plinth on the cheap if you are so inclined.
Back in the olden days, the usual way to mount Garrard 301s was right into the top of a stereo console or counter top. In the last 50 years, people have learned a lot about making high-performance plinths for Garrard 301s. I'll share the results of the fruit of their labors with you, from the worst to best sounding.
Reputedly, the worst sounding plinths for Garrards are layered MDF with heavy damping. What works well for other tables -- damping with lead shot for example -- spells death for Garrards. It is said that damping of any kind undermines the performance of Garrards by sucking the life out of them to produce a boring and lifeless sound. The Japanese actually have a theory regarding Garrard 301s. It says that one should consider the modulations that occur at the interface of record and needle as miniature "explosions". Everything possible should be done to preserve the transmission of that explosive event all the way through the table. You definitely don't want to do anything in the plinth that could damp those "explosions". Simply put, damping Garrards is a curse that guarantees bad sound. Of course to kill vibration with damping sounds very logical but with Garrards, it's sonic suicide. So avoid MDF and any kind of damping like the plague. What works on belt-driven turntables doesn't work on idler-wheel-driven turntables like the Garrard at all.
The second-worst plinth style is said to be the box plinth. The plywood box that my Garrard came with is certainly the worst of the worst in box plinths. A sturdy Birch-ply box designed according to the template in the Garrard manual would certainly be much better, with hardwoods being better yet. Having said that, the mighty Garrard with even this style of plinth can sound extremely good but connoisseurs claim that you'll only enjoy about 50% of what a Garrard 301 is capable of with the best of plinths.
The Birch-ply stack plinth is considered to be a very good sounding base for the Garrard 301. In this style of plinth, layers of Birch ply are glued together with cutouts in each layer that are just big enough for the motor assembly to fit into. For the last 30 years, this has been the most common design used in Japan and the rest of the world to get contemporary good sound from a Garrard 301. There are some pretty straightforward ways of doing this cheaply to get about 80% of what the Garrard is said to be ultimately capable of.
The solid layered Cherry Shindo plinth is considered to be the ultimate sonic treat. It is said that the opening in the plinth fits around the Garrard motor assembly like a glove. While quizzing Jonathan about the Shindo plinth size, he told me that the Shindo plinth is actually not too large. "It comfortably fits the 301 with a 12" arm. The overall size of the Shindo plinth is 550 280 440 mm WxHxD and it weighs 26.5 kg." It sits on a base that measures 550 140 440 mm WxHxD. Ken Shindo has spent about 30 years perfecting his plinth design and materials choices. Trial and error and lots of saw dust later, the Shindo plinth is reportedly the best one on Earth. Two people who've heard it told me that "it will simply blow your mind". The Shindo Cherry plinth with a machined steel arm board cut for a Shindo or Ortofon 12" arm retails for $3800.
The original article:
6moons audio reviews: Garrard 301 Restoration Project
