It appears that unlike cables audiophiles just don't experiment with this. It is kind of surprising because the difference may not be subtle, especially when comparing maple to exotic woods. Turntables are really sensitive things and minor changes anywhere are easily heard. I simply don't have funds for this, exotic woods are quite expensive.
Albert, good to hear from you. Do you wish to compare woods under turntable for all of us? Of course, different tables may react differently but still.. |
topchopbutcherblock.com
is where i got mine 18"x24" maple freeship and i put it on spikes then mounted to wall on steel brace 6" thick solid pine timeberframe wall.The maple is just interesting,I just wondered if anyone had noticed any discernable difference the the hard woods . |
I use a 3.5" thick 15"x20" Michigan Maple brand butcher block cutting board under my turntable. I got it from Overstock.com for about $90. Price fluctuates a little bit, but currently they offer them for $100.99 with free shipping. http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Maple-End-Grain-20x15-inch-Chopping-Block/3300227/product.html?...Mine fits perfectly on a Technics SL1210 M5G. It lowers the noise floor, improving dynamics, clarity, and inner detail. I mentioned this to an audiobuddy with a belt drive Music Hall turntable. He picked one up and was also very pleased with the results. Just putting the turntable on it helps quite a bit, but you can get even more improvement by putting some gel pads under the cutting board and positioning the turntable on Vibrapod Cones and Isolators, which absorb some of the mechanical before passing the rest on to the cutting board. |
Thanks ohlala
I have a freind who just had some amazing countertops made with this hickory ,and i said to myself hmmm and he said he has a 30"x24" peice left and well i think i might buy it off him.It's gorgeous and different.Seems to me denser would vibrate at higher frequency but hey i have really no idea honeslty .lol |
I was just looking elasticity and density on another site. Its a little more dense but also little more rigid, which is offsetting in simple resonance equation, so hard to say. Wood isn't so homogenous in all directions either. Going to be close in sound, I suspect. Sound like a setup for a shootout.
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Engineeringtoolbox.com has charts of every wood |
Hickory is denser for whatever thats worth or not vs resonating frequency
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I agree with chayro, no way to predict but butcher block maple is what I choose so I guess I like it’s sonic signature.
McMaster Carr has butcher block food prep sheets, thick ones, up to 2.25” if I remember correctly. Cheap as anything since it’s not audiophile related. One sheet would supply a system and perhaps a friends as well.
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Charyo
i was just curious , i have a vpi classic jmw 10 and a micro benz / ace also |
I think there is absolutely no way to predict the end result without trying it. Some tables, especially the Linn, are tremendously affected by what they sit on and others are not. Plus, it's not about damping per-se. It's about what your ears prefer. That's why some people prefer not to use record clamps - they feel the sound is too dead without the little bit of resonance created by an unclamped record. IMO, worry less about damping and more about what sounds good to your ears. Good luck. |
All hardwood is nature's ideal dampening material. It can absorb and dampen vibrations coming up from the floor.
I would think the reason why maple is the most popular is that it is readily available and the most cost effective. So its used the most. And we have no shortage of it here in N. America being a renewable resource.
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I am not sure either. But I guess of the inexpensive woods it sounds better in most cases. Cherry, as an example, would probably cost more let alone Brazilian rosewood, cocobolo or African blackwood.
Even Michael Green who is an advocate of resonance control tunable speakers and rooms used to make Justarack racks with thick maple shelves. Mapleshade does this too. |
I like solid maple. I do not know why, but it is very popular.
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Hickory is of walnut family, I never tried it. If it does something wrong you will hear it. I use 3" maple under my Nottingham, works well. If I wanted to experiment, the first wood I would try would be rosewood, preferably Brazilian rosewood. |
