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.
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!
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!
63 responses Add your response
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 . |
sorry my experiences with Sorbothane have always been negative , even when i tried the clearlight audio RDC 4 cones with the sorbothane layer i found it kills the dynamics of the music , but if you wish to try it look out for a set of clearlight audio RDC 4 cones I prefer the RDC 1.2 cones with bases around 50gbp for a set of 4 no sorbothane in them or theres a German company called BFLY they build platforms using different layers of various materials and sorbothane is one of them , the do a 3 platform range i think which can all be leveled and they also sell isolation feet using the multi layer various material idea , i have tried the probase two around 500gbp i found the results a mixed bag so i didnt buy but your situation may be different good luck |
I did hundreds of tests a few years ago that included sorbothane. I was inspired to try Sorbothane by Chris Orchard's positive experiences designing the excellent, but long gone, Rivelin Eclipse turntable (loved by malcolm Steward). Here are some of the results: http://www.tnt-audio.com/accessories/vibra_iso_pt1_e.html http://www.tnt-audio.com/accessories/vibra_iso_pt2_e.html http://www.tnt-audio.com/accessories/vibra_iso_pt3_e.html http://www.tnt-audio.com/accessories/vibra_iso_pt4_e.html http://www.tnt-audio.com/accessories/vibra_iso_pt6_e.html I don't test sorbo specifically in these tests as my sorbo sheets were not an audio product. The unnamed devices in the test were RDC cones and Deflex blobs, which they did not want reviewing; RDC were comprehensively beaten by PolyChrystal and Deflex blobs were slightly behind Isonodes. My findings were mixed for sorbothane, useful as a big sheet (reduced horizontal compliance, but excellent damping) and as a sheet under a brick on top of a component (but not as good as Isonodes in same place). See picture at top of this article to see how far you can go http://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/aaaa5_e.html |
Geez, there are so many different materials: variations of the same type of material like Sorbothane and similar viscoelastic material, lead, ceramics, many different types of hardwoods, including Mpingo, maple, but also granite, slate, bluestone, air bladders of various designs, racquet balls, squash balls, tennis balls, brass cones, steel cones, aluminum cones, springs, cryo’d springs, suspensions, magnetic levitation, sandboxes, glass microbeads, roller bearing assemblies, negative stiffness isolation, dual layer mass on spring platforms. And permutations and combinations thereof. Who can evaluate and compare them all? |
geoff is right about the plethora of different materials and devices on the market as well as some you might pick up at a well stocked hardware store. After messing with many of these over the years I have found Steve and Robert Herbelin (Herbie's Audio Lab) to provide very sober yet sane advice. You can always give them a call or email them, describe your issue and see what they might recommend to deal with it. I have had fine results with both their regular and stiff Tenderfeet. They have other devices to discuss as well. |
Of all of the many tweaks I have experimented with, this was the least favorite. As noted, these damm things distort and are generally a pain to install. Once installed they are NOT attractive nor could I hear any improvement whatsoever. Mine went back with a note that these things were not at all pleasing. |
Generally speaking Sorbothane is good for absorbing shock but the same reason that makes it good for insoles of walking shoes makes it bad for the sound - it absorbs and stores energy. Super balls, on the other hand, those little high bouncing multicolored rubber balls about 1" diameter you can get in bubble gum machines at the supermarket work much better, I.e., sound much better. They don’t store energy, they release it. It's the same thing with the Happy Balls and Sad Balls from Edmund Scientific. One is good for the sound, the other isn't. |
Like a couple of others in this thread, I've had good luck with my Sorbothane table mat (an Audioquest). Used it on a Rega Planar 2 and now have it on my vintage Pioneer PL 15D II. Made a bigger difference on the Pioneer because of its flimsy aluminum platter. My Sota never needed anything; one of the best suspensions out there. Both of my tables are also in an exceptionally massive built-in cabinet rig. Footfalls and the like simply don't propagate much, if at all. Never liked the idea of accessory isolation feet. They just seem like too much of an engineering compromise. My 2 cents, anyway. |
Beware "fake sorbothane"? I've used sorbothane sheets for many years - originally purchased it from a local supplier - they used in AC applications to dampen vibration noise on AC ductwork. I use it on most of my components for isolation - especially the feet But it definitely is a case of less is better - I only use 1/10" thick sheet. I tried thicker but the SQ gt worse. I purchased a couple of sheets off the web last year (I don't remember the vendor). The issue I have with these newer sheets is that they leave a slight residue (almost greasy) on the components they are attached too. My original purchase left no residue at all. So I'm wondering if these latest sheets are actually a knock-off of the "real thing" I'll be more attentive in future Cheers |