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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
glennewdick's avatar
glennewdick
1,666 posts
 

if your looking for inexpensive ways to isolate id suggest a talk with your local head stone maker ( possibly counter top maker as well) and get a  granite / marble etc slab semi ruff cut its smooth but not shiny see the one under my table in my profile ( its bigger then you need at 3"x24"x18" and 165lbs but you get the idea). it cost me $60. then make a simple braced wall mount for it and you will be shocked at how much better it will sound. shouldn't cost much more then $150 total with a little leg work and simple fab work. if you want more details let me know. then get some cones/ pin points like others suggested and boom your in turntable glory.

 or buy a turntable wall mounting kit and be done with it.


oh yes I used to have that 165lb slab on a wall mount...can't unfortunately in this place i'm in now though. I had that big slab in a corner though so got extra bracing there, all on some 1.5"x0.5" wood slats. It looked great by the way. i'll have to dig up a pic someday.  

jimf42's avatar
jimf42
62 posts
 
I have a sorbothane turntable mat...and I find it works well. I tried the feet a long time ago and can't say it was worth it and made it much harder to set up.
willlusher
6 posts
 
The Sorbothane folk at isolateit! make it explicitly clear that for their material to work effectively simple calculations need be made to order what is needed.  Determine the total weight to be decoupled from whatever it is placed upon-that will tell you how many isolation devices need be used and the durometer rating they should be ordered in.  i have a 44 lb granite slab upon which my 20 lb table sits (64 lbs total) which has 10  1 1/2" diameter x 3/4" tall Sorbothane isolating hemispheres used by me as feet placed between the granite and the stand working in conjunction with each other to provide proper isolation. Each of these 10 feet were ordered with a duro load rating 30, which provides isolation for a load of 4 lbs to 7 pounds each.  Thus 64 lbs divided by 7 pounds each thus needed 10 of them.  Yes they are compressed when in position bearing that load, but function perfectly.  No wonder they did not work out well in some of the applications described.  Duro ratings of higher than 30 support additional weight each so the determination can be made to get the proper fitment for the load to be isolated.  Have photos of my application of these but am a newbie here on AudiogoN and don't know how to get them posted here. Sorry, hope this extended information gives some needed guidance.
team212
250 posts
 
Audio quest made some squishy S' feet ages ago

--thank heaven they disappeared--meh!

The really only decent use/misuse of the dreaded Sorbothane was the

Mission Isoplat---if you can find them--they are worth trying

D
mains
170 posts
 
if you want to completely isolate your TT from its surroundings down to at least 4hz i would check out a Townshend audio seismic isolation platform they, come in various sizes and can be built for the exact weight of the equipment it would be supporting and can be leveled once the TT has been successfully placed on top of it. if the platform is out of your budget take a look at the Townshend audio seismic pods you can use 3 or 4 and they are also adjustable so leveling your TT is very easy , theres been some great reviews in the uk regarding the seismic isolation products , the seismic podiums are platforms designed for you speakers to be placed on the results are absolutely incredible .  
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