2. misc-audio
  3. 128950-95347

Are You Sorbothane Experienced?

I couldn't find any discussions on user experiences with sorbothane isolation feet, so decided to start one. I recently purchased a set of 4 40mm sorbothane feet for my Music Hall mmf-5 turntable. 
Setup was less than favourably a one-man affair, so it was a rather precarious endeavour.

One thing that adds to the difficulty of what I imagined would be an entirely straightforward installation, is the fact that the sorbothane feet easily distort under the slightest off-centre loading. That means you have to adjust them incessantly  at both top and bottom contact points until you miraculously have all 4 perfectly vertically loaded perpendicular to your turntable's factory feet as well as your shelf. In my case the shelf is by Salamander.

Once you've managed all this and justifiably rather pleased with yourself, guess what? Your turntable may or may not be level as it was prior to the installation. So, level the TT at the shelf rather than at the adjustable feet, as are standard on the MH, because adjusting the feet would upset those super squishy sorbothane isolation pucks. 

The listening verdict: I honestly can't say that I can hear any difference during before & after playback of Jimmy Cliff's Wonderful World, Beautiful People.

I'm curious to learn of your experiences, if any. Cheers!
avdesigns

Showing 3 responses by gregkohanmim

gregkohanmim
153 posts
 
AVDesigns - According to the literature on your turntable, they say:

"Viso-elastic cones separate the platforms and act as superb dampening devices. The result: Quieter, more detailed playback that benefits from advanced vibration control, dynamic balances, and properly alignment of key components."

Granted, that's the description for the 5.1, but the MMF5 has the same thing.

Are you sure that you need additional isolation?

Just curious.

Greg

gregkohanmim
153 posts
 
You might try felt bottom footers for your table's feet.  Another option would be a separate plinth under your table that you could isolate independently and then level your table in the usual way.  I have mine on 3/4" acrylic with isolation spikes - works well and even looks good.

I'm sure that you'll come up with something that ultimately works for you.

Take care

Greg
gregkohanmim
153 posts
 
avdesigns - You might consider starting a new thread in the analog forum for feedback from members with more experience with your particular turntable - but given that you can't hear any difference with the sorbothane pads, I will say this:

If you want to tweak and try different things, that's great as long as you enjoy it - that's part of the fun - but be careful and realize that upgrades and tweaking can become a slippery slope and I've seen many here spend more in "upgrades" than on the actual device they're trying to upgrade (with cables, isolation platforms, platters, weights, etc. etc.)

The fact that you can't hear ay difference with the new sorbothane is a good sign- shows that you aren't all that susceptible to "wishful thinking" -that's a good thing.

You have a great table for the money, you should enjoy it and if you see a problem and you can fix it?  Go for it - otherwise, don't go chasing your tail unnecessarily - your Music Hall should deliver great results as-is and if you think that you have isolation or resonance problems, chances are, the solutions aren't going to ever be solved by some silver bullet "tweak".

Just my $.02

Greg
More to discover