phenomenomenomenon...

Would welcome discussion/thoughts on this phenomenon. Turntable sits on 'Target' wall shelf -

with glass shelf on top of default chipboard shelf on spikes = detailed, brighter sound;

with 4" thick pine board directly onto spikes = less surface noise, increased 'presence' with vocals (wife says "singer sounds in the room").


keep the phase
keith

 

Keep the Pine board if you and your wife think it sounds better, pretty simple really...

 

I'm not yet sure it is "better". Bass clarity, very evident with transmission-line speakers, is weightier and maybe less clear.

Any other experiences, folks?


keep the phase
keith

 

Glass rings ... Any vibration getting into the glass will have the effect of making it vibrate. You've seen the wet fingure on the wine glass. The turntable is setting up micro vibrations which are adversely effecting the performance .....IMO

Try a damping layer between glass and wood, experiment with sandwich materials ....I've had good results with 2x mdf sheet [6mm] with 15mm foamed butylrubber sheet between. This seems to help cdps too.

 

I've now tried the glass sheet on top of the 4" board: the sound is similar to previous glass/chipboard setup, though less bright.

So, let me get my feeble brain around this: you are suggesting I use a damping insert between the 2?

keep the phase
keith

 

Folks: apologies for my feeble last msg - it's been a long week...

I've underlined the glass sheet with that tacky, woven rubber (neoprene?) sheeting you can buy to use as non-slip mats. Although it will compact, there is a slight 'calming' of the hardness that the glass appears to create. See how it goes.

I have previously seen t/ts with platter mats made from this rubber weave, along with enthusiastic comments from the owners. Anyone on ZG tried this?

keep the phase
keith

 

Do you need the glass ?

I feel the glass is the problem. If you can source a sheet of perspex this will look good, but due to its physical make up will not ring like a bell. This will not be cheap and I hate to suggest it.....alternatives look for a stone masson and try for an off cut of 15 mmish thick granite or slate, I'm not keen on marble or sandstone though both will work. If I had to choose go for slate.

That sticky matting sounds a good idea......but as a TT mat it has to be a suck it and see.

 

Most cheapo mouse mats are made from neoprene - buy a couple, cut to size, experiment to your heart's delight for pennies.

Dunc

 

Its wonderful what four years of computer science can do for you! [obligatory ;-) ]

 

Two more suggestions:

You could also try Corian acrylic which is quite dead acoustically. You might find an off-cut at a kitchen units manufacturer.

An alternative would be to replace the spikes with a doorstop/superball combo. You could also try squash balls instead of superballs.

 

good suggestion....

My flexy has a floating shelf supported at various times by sorbthane pucks, super balls, foamed butyl rubber wooden door kobs [a la oak cones]. they all do slightly different things.

 

Hi Steve,

How do you find this solution works under speakers in terms of stability?

My (v large and heavy) speakers are on large table like stands, and I've been wondering about a better alternative than the little rubber feet they have.

I can't have any solution that causes movement however..

sorry for thread hijack (you can have it back now!)

 

Hi Chris,

The speakers would move when pushed, unlike if they were spiked. However, the frequency of the movement would be well below 20Hz (about 1Hz on mine) so in practice they would remain completely still while playing music.

It's worth a try, particularly if you're on a wooden floor.

Cheers
Steve

 

This is getting really intriguing - thanks folks.

I must ask, in my ignorance, what is a "superball"? (We don't get out much, in Derbyshire... )

At the moment, I'm ringing around re thick slate pieces, but in the meantime am trying a unit made of 2 slate placemats with woven neoprene sandwiched between.

keep the phase
keith

 

Another alternative: get a suspended turntable.

Dunc

 

Keith it's a children's toy ball about 1" diameter that's very bouncy. They're available dirt cheap from Toys R Us or similar.

Cheers
Steve

 

And I can verify that it works - at least in the context of keeping my Yamaha Ns1000s from interacting with my suspended floor. I tried them under the speakers on Steve's suggestion and they work a treat. Cheap Tweaks R Steve.

 

Although in fairness it should be said that I couldn't find doorstops that were suitable for holding the superballs anywhere in the UK. I ended up buying Belgium doorstops in Germany.

Not so cheap.

 

Steve, well you should buy em in bulk and market them as "Sonic Stoppers", made from a "super secret audiophile grade of yadda yadda" as seen in the front of HiFi news for £50 each ... you could retire

 

I've thought about that. You couldn't sell doorstops and superballs but you could assemble them to produce little audiophile supports that resemble neither.

The problem has always been finding the right kind of adhesive. Strangely enough, while writing this I think I've solved that problem.

So now I need nicely designed presentation and packaging and I'm in business.

Are you interested?

Steve

PS: I think £50's a bit steep.
...although, for a packet of 4 ...