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Wow! Best $50. Tweak in a Long Time!!

OK, I've been reading this thread, following links, reading numerous other threads all regarding "isolation" (or coupling) or whatever term you would like to use...inner tubes, maple blocks, granite etc, etc, etc.

My brain is spinning...can some one give me a quick down and dirty answer regarding the way my table is set up? After reading the first few threads today I ordered (not arrived yet, obviously) some of the 1.50 sandwiched isolation pads that are rubber and cork. I was also working at a Plastics fabrication shop this week and picked up a couple of 1" clear plexi slabs.

I placed my Empire 698 (suspended table) on the plexi. I am planning on adding the rubber/cork pads to the underside of the plexi.

On to the question...what should I put between the turntable and the plexi?

The plexi is currently sitting flat/flush on the top of the built in cabinet as shown in the image...am I on the right track here or?

Thanks...

L1050575.jpg
 
would either indeed make a difference for the P3 and if so would it be cutting board or granite (or neither) that would deliver the sweetest stuff...
Click to expand...
If you have resonant flooring and masonry walls I think a skeletal but rigid wall shelf works well for the Planar 3.

Google 'rega wall shelf' for some ideas.
 
classicform said:
I placed my Empire 698 (suspended table) on the plexi. I am planning on adding the rubber/cork pads to the underside of the plexi.

On to the question...what should I put between the turntable and the plexi?

The plexi is currently sitting flat/flush on the top of the built in cabinet as shown in the image...am I on the right track here or?

Thanks...

L1050575.jpg
Click to expand...

You should first move TT away from the speaker, in the middle as best in this set up.

But that window and the forest ... oh my :drool: beautiful
 
physically as far from the speakers as possible would be good. Honestly, if practical, I'd move the speakers off the table entirely.
 
Thank you, we feel very fortunate to live here.

So, swap out the pre and the tt? Not sure if my IC's are long enough but I'll give it a look. I don't want to put the amp next to the left speaker because of the weight, I like it being on top of the cabinets as opposed to the desk section.
 
Unfortunately there is no other option for the speakers. It's a small room, one side wall has a guitar amp and Leslie and the other has a bench for sitting and playing. I took the pic from my listening chair. If the speakers were placed on the floor they would be pointing at my ankles and stands are out. Really, the room is just too crowded but it's what I've got to work with for this system.
 
classicform said:
OK, I've been reading this thread, following links, reading numerous other threads all regarding "isolation" (or coupling) or whatever term you would like to use...inner tubes, maple blocks, granite etc, etc, etc.

My brain is spinning...can some one give me a quick down and dirty answer regarding the way my table is set up? After reading the first few threads today I ordered (not arrived yet, obviously) some of the 1.50 sandwiched isolation pads that are rubber and cork. I was also working at a Plastics fabrication shop this week and picked up a couple of 1" clear plexi slabs.

I placed my Empire 698 (suspended table) on the plexi. I am planning on adding the rubber/cork pads to the underside of the plexi.

On to the question...what should I put between the turntable and the plexi?

The plexi is currently sitting flat/flush on the top of the built in cabinet as shown in the image...am I on the right track here or?

Thanks...

L1050575.jpg
Click to expand...
The two most important things you could do is turn your speakers on end w/ the tweeter up, move them to the front edge, and put them on foam speaker isolation pads. Then move your tt to the center like someone suggested, to minimize vibration to the electronics and turntable.

Here is one of many links to studio speaker isolation pad used to isolate near field monitors from the mixing console in recording studios.
http://instruments.thefind.com/instruments/info-speaker-isolation-pads

I like your idea of setting your turntable on 1' acrylic, then set them on sorbothane dampeners.
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&key...pads&page=1&rh=i:aps,k:speaker isolation pads

On a final note, I love your totl mac/empire system from 'in the day'.
 
Thanks for the tips...I have pads coming for the tt and speakers, they are the rubber/cork/rubber sandwich type. The only reason the speakers are on their side is so they don't block the view...plus when sitting the tweeters are now at ear level (tweeters are "in" by the way). I'll try them standing up for a bit and the hell with the view.
 
I currently have my tt on racquetball halves. If I wanted to implement a thick cutting board, I should put it on top of the halves right?

Sent from my toilet using Tapatalk.
 
Yes, and then, from what I can tell, you want to "couple" your turntable to the slab of wood/plexi/slate/whatever using spikes of some sort..so basically you're adding mass to the turntable and then isolating it from its surroundings.

Someone will correct me if I have misinterpreted all that I've read in the past week regarding this I'm sure.
 
In my studio I have built in heavy oak counter-tops. Upon that, I have a 20" square piece of black granite that my Empire sits on. I agree that mass loading underneath the table may bring huge benefits to LP reproduction, especially on the lower/mid bass region.

I am always amazed at what information is in those tiny grooves and if we let our stylus extract those without being bothered by other external vibrations (motor, air-born, inducted), the results can be awesome.

Keeping the listening room quiet in the winter can be a challenge (furnace, dry air), but that is another topic....

Wayner
 
There is not a lot of measurements published what happens when using spikes. I have studied some, a long time ago, about using spikes on speakers.

What happens is that resonances in the speakers are not diminished by the spikes, but fed back into the speakers, at what frequency and amplitude we cannot know without measuring, it will depend on many things.

In many cases this will change the sound comparing to if instead the speakers were isolated by a damped spring. It is most likely this change what is heard if using spikes on TTs, and the hevier stand the TT is resting on, the more resonances will return to the TT.
gusten
 
Ah, yes...so spikes on turntables that are spring loaded is good...spikes on turntables that are not spring loaded is bad, correct?
 
I put spikes under my subwoofer which sits on carpet.I didn't notice a big change in sound either way.Is there a chance that the sub would sound better with the cabinet sitting right on the carpet?
 
gusten said:
This is what I´m leaning to, it makes sense to me.
gusten
Click to expand...

Actually, after some experimentation I believe that is correct, at least with suspended TT's, like my Thorens. I could'nt figure out why my volume level had to be about 10% higher, with my "spikes" directly on the maple platform. I put a few fingers on the deck top plate and was feeling vibration. So, I got a couple of my "stress balls" I use in my lab and cut them in half, placed under the deck. The vibration was gone, and volume and dynamics returned in spades! I was losing a lot of energy through the coupling when using spikes!
 
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