@Mister Pig : Thanks for the link. I found it interesting that the Wayne's Audio ring relies on friction between the underside of the ring and the record to hold it in place and the 'Gon complaint (other than Wayne's business ethics) was the ring slid around. Did you notice that or was it only that the ring was off-center? Or any issues with the thickness of the inner edge of the ring touching the bottom of the cart? Am I correct in assuming the return process went smoothly?
My interest in a periphery ring began after I started using the Michell clamp and after reading the thread started by 4-2-7 I had the impression that with a clamp with a hollow underside, plus the correct size washer at the spindle, the edges of a warped or dished record would flatten out. That has not been my experience on a number of my records even using a variety of very thin mylar washers to adjust how the clamp applies pressure to the record. With some dished or edge warped records no combination of washers improved matters.
Besides VTA/SRA issues I am concerned about the vibration path from the stylus through the vinyl to the TT mat etc. What happens to the vibration at the stylus if the record is floating above the mat? I suppose the record provides damping and that any vibrations migrate to where the record touches the mat or spindle. Does that really matter? I'm fairly confident that my tonearm provides a consistent VTF as it rides a warp given the CG of the counterweight is below the vertical pivot but my experiences with TT isolation indicate to me that damping or isolating the stylus from external vibration is a good thing.
