Hi Outlier,
When a turntable is placed on a rack situated on a suspended floor there many times will be a tendency for significant mistracking.
When a person steps across one section of the floor that one spot will deflect up and down in response to the pressure of the person's foot. Because the entire floor is flexing in response, the section under the equipment rack is not deflecting directly up and down it will be rocking back and forth. This rocking motion is even more pronounced at the top of an equipment rack. Many tonearms have difficulty in this type of situation and linear trackers are even less tolerant of anything less than a perfectly flat and tranquil environment.
I would suggest that placing a high mass device directly under the turntable will be beneficial in your situation. This will mass load the equipment rack and make it less prone to deflection and rocking. The particular material or device that you choose will be quite critical, however. I would suggest that you avoid materials that ring (such as metal, stone, glass, etc.) as well as materials that are resonant (wood, acrylic, plastic, etc.). Any of these materials will impart its own sonic signature on whatever music the turntable is playing and this will result in increased coloration taking you further away from faithfully reproducing the sound of the instrument as it has been captured in the recording.
We have sold a large number of our Big Rock platforms to people that are in your situation and they have reported very good results. The Big Rock is not only very high mass it is also highly absorptive and has the ability to dissipate unwanted excess energy that is trapped in the turntable's chassis due to air-borne vibration and internally generated vibration from the motor. In addition, it provides a barrier to floor-borne vibration coming up through the equipment rack but it is not a highly compliant device.
Using a highly compliant mounting will not be beneficial in your situation because it may accentuate the rocking motion.
Using a rigid mounting under the turntable will increase the amount unwanted energy that is traveling up through the rack and into the turntable.
Best Regards,
Barry Kohan
Disclaimer: I am a manufacturer of vibration control products.
When a turntable is placed on a rack situated on a suspended floor there many times will be a tendency for significant mistracking.
When a person steps across one section of the floor that one spot will deflect up and down in response to the pressure of the person's foot. Because the entire floor is flexing in response, the section under the equipment rack is not deflecting directly up and down it will be rocking back and forth. This rocking motion is even more pronounced at the top of an equipment rack. Many tonearms have difficulty in this type of situation and linear trackers are even less tolerant of anything less than a perfectly flat and tranquil environment.
I would suggest that placing a high mass device directly under the turntable will be beneficial in your situation. This will mass load the equipment rack and make it less prone to deflection and rocking. The particular material or device that you choose will be quite critical, however. I would suggest that you avoid materials that ring (such as metal, stone, glass, etc.) as well as materials that are resonant (wood, acrylic, plastic, etc.). Any of these materials will impart its own sonic signature on whatever music the turntable is playing and this will result in increased coloration taking you further away from faithfully reproducing the sound of the instrument as it has been captured in the recording.
We have sold a large number of our Big Rock platforms to people that are in your situation and they have reported very good results. The Big Rock is not only very high mass it is also highly absorptive and has the ability to dissipate unwanted excess energy that is trapped in the turntable's chassis due to air-borne vibration and internally generated vibration from the motor. In addition, it provides a barrier to floor-borne vibration coming up through the equipment rack but it is not a highly compliant device.
Using a highly compliant mounting will not be beneficial in your situation because it may accentuate the rocking motion.
Using a rigid mounting under the turntable will increase the amount unwanted energy that is traveling up through the rack and into the turntable.
Best Regards,
Barry Kohan
Disclaimer: I am a manufacturer of vibration control products.