russ andrews torlyte versus townshend seismic isolation platform ?

[CnoEvil]

Far too 'random' for me.

I like to have at least some idea of what is happening, makes it much easier (for me) to work out what works and what does not.

Undoubtably the curse of an engineering background......

I have "an idea" what's going on, but no more than that........I suspect it's more complicated than it would appear. What works, is often easier to figure out, than exactly why it works.

 

[davedotco]

Far too 'random' for me.

I like to have at least some idea of what is happening, makes it much easier (for me) to work out what works and what does not.

Undoubtably the curse of an engineering background......

I have "an idea" what's going on, but no more than that........I suspect it's more complicated than it would appear. What works, is often easier to figure out, than exactly why it works.

I'm probably 'over egging' this but I like to be able to work out what is going on, trying different things help me to understand what is happening so that I can move my experiments in the right direction.

Over the years I have worked out a number of simple tecniques that allow me to tune a system to get best results, and perhaps more importantly work out why a system is not performing to the standard expected.

As a dealer I found this invaluable, being able to walk into almost any home and improve the sound of a system by making quite modest changes was a big bonus. Not involved in this anymore of course, but these days it just gives me a basis for setting up any system, a sort of 'best practice'.

Nothing very clever, just a fair amount of experience combined with a straightforward, logical method.

 

[CnoEvil]

Nothing very clever, just a fair amount of experience combined with a straightforward, logical method.

I agree......theory only gets you so far.

 

[namefail]

Over the years I have worked out a number of simple tecniques that allow me to tune a system to get best results, and perhaps more importantly work out why a system is not performing to the standard expected.

Would you care to share your wisdom, I've been working on isolation tweaks with my Rega Planar 2 for the last month with fair results.

 

[davedotco]

Nothing very clever, just a fair amount of experience combined with a straightforward, logical method.

I agree......theory only gets you so far.

Half agree....... :?

There are some aspects of equipment support that are straightforward and quite easily understood. Most obvious being the use of a light, rigid support for a suspended turntable, just like using two overlapping filters. This is well known and well understood.

More interesting is the effect of different supports on components that can, in some circumstances, be subject to microphony, 'solid' record players or valve amplifiers for example and of course components that generate their own vibration like cd players/transports.

Again, the effects of some supports are quite predictable but sometimes there are results that are, at first experience, counter intuitive. Sometimes you do just have to try it and see

 

[CnoEvil]

Again, the effects of some supports are quite predictable but sometimes there are results that are, at first experience, counter intuitive. Sometimes you do just have to try it and see

That is what I'm trying to get at......I think we probably are not that far apart.

 

[davedotco]

Over the years I have worked out a number of simple tecniques that allow me to tune a system to get best results, and perhaps more importantly work out why a system is not performing to the standard expected.

Would you care to share your wisdom, I've been working on isolation tweaks with my Rega Planar 2 for the last month with fair results.

Rega players are easy.

Wall mount and use a shelf that is decoubled on spikes. If Rega still make their skeletal wall bracket, that works almost as well.

Do not, if you want the best from your player, place it on any heavy furniture....... :shame:

 

[davedotco]

Again, the effects of some supports are quite predictable but sometimes there are results that are, at first experience, counter intuitive. Sometimes you do just have to try it and see

That is what I'm trying to get at......I think we probably are not that far apart.

I am sure that we are not, I tend to be a bit more 'anal' but I am very pragmatic.

Some years ago I was doing some turntable setup for a chap called Warren Stolmack, the Linn agent in Australia. I got him to import some basic Sound Organisation tables as there was nothing available locally to put your player on. This was quite successfull.

Then a local dealer started making his own table, to avoid being just a copy of the SO table, he avoided spikes throughout by fitting flat flanges to the top and bottom of the frame to maximise contact with the floor and to the top shelf.

Completely the opposite of the 'point contact' of the SO table, yet it worked just as well, interesting....... :?

 

[CnoEvil]

Some years ago I was doing some turntable setup for a chap called Warren Stolmack, the Linn agent in Australia. I got him to import some basic Sound Organisation tables as there was nothing available locally to put your player on. This was quite successfull.

Then a local dealer started making his own table, to avoid being just a copy of the SO table, he avoided spikes throughout by fitting flat flanges to the top and bottom of the frame to maximise contact with the floor and to the top shelf.

Completely the opposite of the 'point contact' of the SO table, yet it worked just as well, interesting....... :?

I had my Linn on a SO table, as that was where it sounded best.....still have two of them.

 

[davedotco]

Some years ago I was doing some turntable setup for a chap called Warren Stolmack, the Linn agent in Australia. I got him to import some basic Sound Organisation tables as there was nothing available locally to put your player on. This was quite successfull.

Then a local dealer started making his own table, to avoid being just a copy of the SO table, he avoided spikes throughout by fitting flat flanges to the top and bottom of the frame to maximise contact with the floor and to the top shelf.

Completely the opposite of the 'point contact' of the SO table, yet it worked just as well, interesting....... :?

I had my Linn on a SO table, as that was where it sounded best.....still have two of them.

The basic SO table was very good.

Back in the day it was noticed that the LP12 sounded better on it's setup jig (a simple frame stand that lifted the player off the workbench to allow access underneath), obviously so when the player was placed back on the workbench. The simple, original SO table was derived from this.

Many attempts were made to improve on the original but few even matched it. It took the much later Mana stand to offer any real improvement, and that at a price.

With reference to the above post, the Rega players worked quite well if the floor was pretty solid, quite a job to get it to work on suspended floors but it always sounded best on a wall bracket with decoupled shelf.

 

[namefail]

Do not, if you want the best from your player, place it on any heavy furniture....... :shame:

Phew, dodged a finger there, unless a 4 tier Target stand from the early 90s counts. I got it around the time then 1st Mana stand appeared afaik. So it is double spiked, also I've called into use a couple of brand X floorstand mounts and an old mission isoplat to top it off. The FS mounts really helped in freeing the setup of a lumpy wooden sound that I was unaware of, until it was gone, made the deck sound more responsive and attacking, not sure what the isoplat brings to the party, but I hate to see things go to waste.

The Rega atm sits on the original MDF (?) shelve that target shipped it with, could any improvement be gleamed in changing that to another material? This may all sound a lill like I'm staring up me own bun hole here, but I do like to get the best sound I can with as little outlay as poss.

Sorry to the OP of this thread for the drift, just give me a nudge and I'll open a new thread. Also cheers Dave for your time and input, you notice that at no time have I mentioned blutac of plummers mate.

 

[davedotco]

If you want to play there are a number of things you can try.

Firstly, try removing all the other equipment from the rack, so that the player is the only piece on it. Do not use the isoplat, ever.

See what effect that has, it should tell you whether the 'mass loading' of your stand with your equipment is having an effect. Usually it does, not in a good way.

If the differences marginal than the spiked top board is doing it's stuff. To make it even more effective try some small metal disks between the spikes and the underside of the board, 5p coins will do as an experiment though smooth disks should be better.

Another trick to try is to use tiny cross head screws in the underside of the board so that the points of the spikes fit into the cross. This will couple the board nicely vertically but restrict lateral movement that you would get with a flat disc, may or may not be better.

If you are going to try anything under the player (not the isoplat) try another board spiked off the first.

Talking of screws, drive some into the floor so that the spikes on the bottom of the stands sit in their 'cross' too, rarely fails to give a marked improvement.

All of these changes will make differences and although going to such lengths might be considered obsessive it will teach you about the way turntables behave and the way they interact with their supports. For a vinyl enthusiast on a budget, this can be very helpful.

A final thought, as a general principle, any change that reduces the percieved bass output is a step in the right direction.

 

[namefail]

Thanks a lot for the advice Dave, looks like I have this weekends project. :cheers:

 

[namefail]

If you want to play there are a number of things you can try.

Firstly, try removing all the other equipment from the rack, so that the player is the only piece on it. Do not use the isoplat, ever.

See what effect that has, it should tell you whether the 'mass loading' of your stand with your equipment is having an effect. Usually it does, not in a good way.

If the differences marginal than the spiked top board is doing it's stuff. To make it even more effective try some small metal disks between the spikes and the underside of the board, 5p coins will do as an experiment though smooth disks should be better.

Another trick to try is to use tiny cross head screws in the underside of the board so that the points of the spikes fit into the cross. This will couple the board nicely vertically but restrict lateral movement that you would get with a flat disc, may or may not be better.

If you are going to try anything under the player (not the isoplat) try another board spiked off the first.

Talking of screws, drive some into the floor so that the spikes on the bottom of the stands sit in their 'cross' too, rarely fails to give a marked improvement.

All of these changes will make differences and although going to such lengths might be considered obsessive it will teach you about the way turntables behave and the way they interact with their supports. For a vinyl enthusiast on a budget, this can be very helpful.

A final thought, as a general principle, any change that reduces the percieved bass output is a step in the right direction.

I couldn’t wait till Saturday so tried a few of your suggestions out. 1st took out the isoplat and left in place the FS stands, and it sounded great. Then removed them and had a listen and preferred the previous arrangement. Now my records sound so much more alive, the rythmatical expression is almost sublime. The second track on Dals Cars’s LP is impressive, the mix during the chorus is very challenging to present clearly, it was clear. Godflesh’s opening on Streetcleaner, "Like Rats”, is like a sledgehammer, Thank you!

 

[davedotco]

If you want to play there are a number of things you can try.

Firstly, try removing all the other equipment from the rack, so that the player is the only piece on it. Do not use the isoplat, ever.

See what effect that has, it should tell you whether the 'mass loading' of your stand with your equipment is having an effect. Usually it does, not in a good way.

If the differences marginal than the spiked top board is doing it's stuff. To make it even more effective try some small metal disks between the spikes and the underside of the board, 5p coins will do as an experiment though smooth disks should be better.

Another trick to try is to use tiny cross head screws in the underside of the board so that the points of the spikes fit into the cross. This will couple the board nicely vertically but restrict lateral movement that you would get with a flat disc, may or may not be better.

If you are going to try anything under the player (not the isoplat) try another board spiked off the first.

Talking of screws, drive some into the floor so that the spikes on the bottom of the stands sit in their 'cross' too, rarely fails to give a marked improvement.

All of these changes will make differences and although going to such lengths might be considered obsessive it will teach you about the way turntables behave and the way they interact with their supports. For a vinyl enthusiast on a budget, this can be very helpful.

A final thought, as a general principle, any change that reduces the percieved bass output is a step in the right direction.

I couldn’t wait till Saturday so tried a few of your suggestions out. 1st took out the isoplat and left in place the FS stands, and it sounded great. Then removed them and had a listen and preferred the previous arrangement. Now my records sound so much more alive, the rythmatical expression is almost sublime. The second track on Dals Cars’s LP is impressive, the mix during the chorus is very challenging to present clearly, it was clear. Godflesh’s opening on Streetcleaner, "Like Rats”, is like a sledgehammer, Thank you!

Right. Now take everything bar the turntable off the rack. See what happens then.

 

[namefail]

Mañana, I also tried to penny tick and its cleared up the top end.

 

[unknown]

any opinions on the opening question ? any body use either product ?

 

[unknown]

anybody ?

 

[unknown]

has any body tested/used either platform ? under which components ? results ? both claim simular sonic improvements but work in completely different ways. torlyte platform designed to channel vibrations out of components, via the use of hard oak cones. seismic platform designed to isolate components from floor bourne vibrations, with no additional cones needed. thanks for replies !

 

[the record spot]

I think the deafening silence would suggest no Mike...

 

[unknown]

I think the deafening silence would suggest no Mike...

i live in hope !

 

[davidvann]

hi mike i have tryed and still got townshend seismic sink it's the older version which is the platform is raised by intube in the compartment which rasies up so its like floating in mid air so it dosent come into contact with anything ,it works quiet well,the only problem is to get level as with my arcam bdp 300 is heavier on one side than the other but i know they have brought some new ones out,not sure what there like.i would also recomend clearlight rdc 4 cones work very well with vibration. hope it helps a bit david

 

[unknown]

hi mike i have tryed and still got townshend seismic sink it's the older version which is the platform is raised by intube in the compartment which rasies up so its like floating in mid air so it dosent come into contact with anything ,it works quiet well,the only problem is to get level as with my arcam bdp 300 is heavier on one side than the other but i know they have brought some new ones out,not sure what there like.i would also recomend clearlight rdc 4 cones work very well with vibration. hope it helps a bit david

thanks for informative reply. this forum would be great if all posts were as helpful as this. eg no abuse !