01 Reference Garrard 301/401 plinth

Restoring a Garrard 301 to its full potential is a journey that goes well beyond routine servicing. To hear what the deck is truly capable of, it needs more than a simple support; it needs a plinth that respects the Garrard’s iconic design while advancing its performance.
The 301 and 401 motors are remarkable pieces of engineering, valued for their  authority and drive. With the powerful motor comes energy which, if not properly managed, can travel through the plinth to the stylus, introducing subtle distortions that blur fine detail. The aim is not to suppress this energy entirely, but to direct and control it, preserving the immediacy and vitality of the music.
Traditional high mass plinths rely mainly on mass to resist vibration. While this can reduce movement, it often stores energy and releases it back into the chassis slightly out of time, softening transients and affecting rhythmic precision.
The Shida Reference Plinth uses a carefully judged multi material structure so energy is dispersed rather than trapped. A solid hardwood frame provides rigidity, and an interface between the three sections.  The super dense plywood/MDF motor board dissipates vibration across a wide range, and the Forbo top layer adds a controlled interface beneath the chassis to absorb finer mechanical noise. The arm board is engineered as a constrained interface, coupling the tonearm firmly while preventing energy from reflecting back into the cartridge, preserving low level detail and stable imaging.
Our  dedicated S55 elastomer loaded sub platform isolates the deck from floor borne vibration down to 12 Hz, protecting the stylus from external interference while maintaining stability and timing.