Does Dynamat have a place in hot-rodding a turntable?

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N8Nagel

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Just thinking out loud here.

Latest two acquisitions do have some metal to them :rockon: (AR XA and Technics SL-1650)

I know we're always looking for cheap and easy ways to get better sound out of our gear. Has anyone experimented with using Dynamat on metal TT parts, and does if you did, does it yield any improvements? Any tradeoffs? Thanks for your thoughts...
 
Stay away from it - it leaks tar or asphalt or both and is known to jam suspension systems. That stuff is advocated by the analog department and it's a shame. Seemingly, it works perfectly! Why not? It adds mass and does proper damping on thin metal surfaces but then it just sits there like a time bomb waiting to spill it's disgusting content all over the guts of your TT, You'll need lighter fluid and raw gasoline to clean that crap off. Hot summer days are the likely trigger to trip that disaster. It's a bad, bad idea and that material should have never left the automotive industry in the first place. It's also a bitch to cut and shape - totally inappropriate. Oh... and it ain't cheap!

Look up "Sonic Barrier" lightweight sound damping sheets as an alternative. That's appropriate - and cheap(er).
 
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Hi,

FWIW bitumastic car underseal spray is my damping material of
choice. Why ? It gets intimately everywhere if intelligently applied

rgds, sreten.
 
The underside of the platter for a Technics SL-1200.
104_1256-M.jpg

I removed the stock Technics rubber undermat which is very poorly attached and applied the Dynamat Extreme. With the stock rubber in place, that platter rung like a gong. With the Dynamat Extreme, it doesn't. Very effective at damping vibrations getting through the platter to the stylus. It's been on there about a year now with zero problems, but then I don't have my deck sitting in direct sunlight on hot summer days.
 
I used Dynamat on many parts of my TD 160. No problems at all and yes, the damping mods advertised for this table provide a significant sonic benefit.

I moved this summer and a personally transported my trusty Thorens turntable from my basement sound room in my old house to my basement sound room in my new house. Based on reports from TNSilver I made sure to avoid exposing my table to heat. I would not store anything treated with Dynamat in an attic, a garage, or even a car/truck on a hot day. That said, it is designed to be installed in cars and trucks and it is subjected to intense heat soaking in these applications. From my experience using it I could see that the tar-like substance could leak and run if exposed to high temps and prolonged heat soaking.

You can just buy audio damping material, sold in sheets at Parts Express, if using Dynamat is a concern. it will cost a bit more but it is designed specifically for this stated purpose.

Hope this helps.

Bob
 
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Well, I already have not dynamat but a similar foil backed product that I originally bought to try to quiet down my old Jeep Cherokee, so cost is not an issue for one or two tables

I guess if PE sells something similar, I really have no original ideas :)
 
N8Nagel said:
Well, I already have not dynamat but a similar foil backed product that I originally bought to try to quiet down my old Jeep Cherokee, so cost is not an issue for one or two tables

I guess if PE sells something similar, I really have no original ideas :)
Click to expand...

I think a good point made here is that, damping material aside, the benefit of damping the platter and innards on the AR XA is questionable ... Which is in contrast to the Thorens TD 160.
 
Son-of-Vere said:
While the Technics is something I can't speak for, I'd use caution when trying to dampen an XA. It's easy to "dampen them to death".
Paging Dr. Marc..........
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I hate that schitttttttttttttt. it's always stuck on something that rings if it's hit.........still looking for what vermin may have been in there hitting things to cause the need for it...........getting that schitttttttttt off is a pain.
 
I have used Dynamat on my turntables for many years and have never experienced a single problem with it. I never let my house get to a high enough temperature to cause it to melt and I don't mount it where heat is a factor. Properly installed to a clean surface it stays put and quietly does its work. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)
 
I'll be using it on the underside of my JVC QL7 plinth this weekend . After reading this I'm going to buy some spray on sealant to seal it once its applied
 
I had a discussion on this topic with a friend over the weekend in discussing how to make some improvements to a Harman Kardon ST6 I had come my way lately. The conclusion we came to was this: if you need both additional mass and damping (as on the bottom plate in the ST6) then there still isn't any good substitute for Dynamat. If all you need is the damping/sound absorption there are nicer alternatives.
 
I've used it on platters with good results. Actually the product I use is called GT mat (Ebay), it's the same thing only much cheaper. One thing I do is to apply it and then put the platter upside down in the oven at 170 degrees for about 30 minutes. I then take it out and press firmly all around while it's still hot to make sure it's stuck to the platter as good as it can be. I've never had a problem.
 
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