Isolation platform/spikes for turntable

[margetti]

Before a re-arrangement of my equipment, I had my turntable on top of my CD player, which in turn sat on 4 isolation spikes. Since changing things around, the turntable and cd player are on their own shelves, with the cd player still using the spikes.

As a result there has been a very definite drop in quality in the sound coming from the turntable. Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced set of spikes or an isolation platofrm for the turntable (it's a Project Debut so don't want to spend over the odds).

thanx

 

[the record spot]

Isolation platform: go to Tesco, go to the kitchenware section, buy a granite chopping board for around a tenner. This is about as sturdy as they get, worked a treat for me and my Rega P3 and you can either buy dedicated spiked feet, or get something from your local DIY store. Total cost, about a tenner for the board and whatever you care to spend on the feet.

Townshend Seismic Sink? Pfft!

 

[margetti]

Now that's not a bad idea at all! cheers

 

[Anonymous]

Blue tack!

 

[the record spot]

margetti:Now that's not a bad idea at all! cheers

It's worth a shot; if you don't like it, you can either change the "feet" or upgrade to something better. You won't find something more solid though for the money - it's granite (or marble, can't recall which now) and it's heavy and of course as flat as you could wish for.

After that, you can spend money on dedicated wall shelving, etc., which I'm sure are great, but at £150-£200 a pop, I'm not so sure they're 15-20 times better than this version. Horses for courses though!

 

[Anonymous]

Better still, buy two ganite choppingboards from ASDA and sandwich some blutac between them. You will have a high mass support, the top one will be minutely adjustable for getting it level by squeezing the blutac alittle more where required.

Furthermore, the blutac acts as a good inhibitor to vibrations from reaching the top board upon which the ttable rests.

£20 tops and looks stylish.

 

[Nadeac]

This guy on Ebay has some very nice spikes different types as well and at a good price ,bought some for mu speakers

http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/solid_spikes

Mark

 

[margetti]

All sounds good - I think I might combine chopping boards, blu-tac and spikes! We shall see... goodness knows what the missus will say!ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

Here is what The Record Spot suggests. They're supported by rubber chair back stops from Homebase. £1.50 for 4. Total cost, 10 squid.

 

[Gusboll]

Is there an advantage with spikes over rubber feet?

 

[chebby]

How is that a better arrangement than just putting the tt onto a rigid, stable, level surface with it's own feet? Looks like just another layer of potentially 'wobbly' mass. (Granite on top of rubber.)

I use a very rigid (but light) table with adjustable spikes on the legs to level/isolate the table. The spikes pierce through the carpet to a solid concrete floor. This arrangement does not 'hold on' to any energy in the system. There is also a solid oak book shelf cabinet - full of books - between the nearest speaker and the turntable to eliminate any direct airborne vibration.

Is this wrong? I have always held to the Rega approach of light, rigid, supports whether bolted to a load-bearing wall or on a solid concrete floor. I don't understand this drive to 'isolate' things with different layers of heavy masses and compliant materials like sorbothane or rubber. Seems like an arrangement that would hold on to energy for a long time rather than lose it instantly.

 

[Anonymous]

Iv'e just been thinking about isolation platforms. which made me think of easy spike solutions. These might be worth a try.

http://www.dakine.com/snowboard/accessories/stomps/pyramid-studs

9 in a pack enough for 2 platforms. Or 3 never wobble platforms

 

[Anonymous]

chebby:How is that a better arrangement than just putting the tt onto a rigid, stable, level surface with it's own feet? Looks like just another layer of potentially 'wobbly' mass. (Granite on top of rubber.)

Don't know, but I was bored and for £10 this provided me with quite a lot of entertainment fiddling with it. Yeah, I should get out more.

Seriously though, the top shelf of my rack is not actually completely flat, although I could have solved this by sticking a bit of cardboard under one of the turntable feet. But then what would I have done for the rest of the afternoon?

 

[margetti]

chebby:How is that a better arrangement than just putting the tt onto a rigid, stable, level surface with it's own feet? Looks like just another layer of potentially 'wobbly' mass.

Whatever the "science" of isolation et al, I've certainly noticed a drop in sound quality since moving the TT. Am wondering now how much it was down to the isolation spikes, or that it was sitting on the CD player, which comes in at a healthy 10kg or so (thus providing a solid base).

Although I bought the spikes a long time ago, they were certainly one of those tweaks that gave a definite improvement without having to go back and do AB comparisons until you convince yourself the outlay is justifiedÿ

I'm with tractorboy on this - if nothing else it will keep me entertained for an afternoon and without costing the earth.

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry to open up this discussion again, but I was wondering. How do those acrylic platform (isodek et-al) perform? They are a bit more expensive than granite chopping boards, but include isolation feet, and come in multi-layered variants too.

Aesthetically the acrylics are quite nice, but then again, so is the chopping board! I was conbsidering maybe doing a double whammy: first a granite board, followed by an acrylic one.

I can imagine the granite board being solid, and from that point to explain to some that may not understand: The point of a heavy weight isolation platform is not to dissipate energy, but to prevent it from entering the system in the first place. Imagine, what will take more effort to get vibrating: a piece of plastic weighing a few hundred grams, or a granite slab weighing 10 kg? The point is, the granite slab is difficult to get moving in the first place, and most vibrations in domestic situation would not contain enough energy to get a granite slab moving.

Of course this all stands or falls if the granite slab doesn't have proper isolation feet.

Reasoning, I would say, use rubber feet between the granite slab and the ground surface, then use spiked feet between the granite slab and the next platform to minimise the surface area through which vibrations can transport themselves.

Or an alternative, is to have a platform on spikes, and on top of that a slab of granite on rubber feet. However, I would not know what material would be best in this case to be used for the lower platform.

 

[floyd droid]

Attention all. Read what your uncle chebby posted.

Concrete floor ... Rigid table / rack, spiked to level it.

Wooden floor.... Wall shelf.

Ok, got that. It aint rocket science.

The way this is going the op will be lashing out more than his flippin deck is worth.

 

[the record spot]

Where there is a hefty sideboard, then this is fine I'd have thought, but for those who don't have this luxury, then an isolated turntable can only help. Ideally, two slabs with an inflated rubber tyre in the middle for a neat low-cost solution that is effective. Adding a slab to something which already vibrates just means the vibration will go up through the slab to the deck. The tyre acts as the cushion between the deck and incoming vibration this limiting it from affecting the playing.

Barry Diament has recorded his views on this (google it for more info).

 

[Anonymous]

I tried this 12 inch tyre idea about 6 months ago. It improved the sound towards how I want it. You can buy the inner tubes from a shop or they are cheap as chips from the bay. If it doesn't change the sound in the way you want, get yourself a kiddies bike and recycle.

If you do try, put a straw or the the outside of a pen between your shelf and the a bit of the inner tube. This lets out the air created by the cavity inside the tube.

 

[Anonymous]

if you can source symposium acoustics sveltes or ultras, these are great platforms for hi fi gears.