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Help in isolating a TT with spring suspension.

Hello,

I recently got an old Pioneer PL-10 TT at an estate sale. After cleaning it up and getting a new headshell and belt for it, it looks and sounds to be in NM condition.

It sounds great as long as you just sit there, but as soon as you start walking around, even softly with no shoes, etc., it causes the tonearm to skip around a bit. I replaced the rubber feet the springs rested on and leveled it, but it still vibrates when you walk.

Are these types of TT's normally this sensitive? I find this unacceptable. I'd like to keep this TT if I can eliminate this problem. It's original rubber feet are pretty hard and chintzy. Would getting some kind of cone feet help? It is resting on a vertical rack which isn't exactly audiophile quality, but isn't light weight junk either.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, but please make them somewhat reasonable (no $900 Harmonix feet)!
128x128chris_383
chris_383's avatar
chris_383 OP
15 posts
 
Chris,
I understand your frustration. I've been there.
I believe that you have 2 choices.
First, use a different turntable. Secondly,
look at the problem from a different perspective ( somehow make it work in the room)
and find a way to utilize one of Nsgarch's suggestions.
Thanks for the help. I will use this TT temporarily until I can get the one I want (that I know wont shake like this one). I only paid $50 total for it including belt, headshell, etc.

I can understand why many TT manufacturers don't utilize this design. It only works if you have perfect floors, and it's difficult to fix and level when it gets old.
msiebers's avatar
msiebers
22 posts
 
What cartridge are you using?

A poor cartridge/tonearm can add to your problems. A high mass arm and high compliance cartridge can put the resonant frequency of the cartridge and arm exactly in the range of the nearby footfalls, which are typically at 7 Hz or below.

The solution is to use a less compliant cartridge. Typically, high output moving coils have lower compliance than moving magnets, so a cartridge like the Dynavector 10X5, Ortofon X5-MC, or Denon DL-160 would help your situation. (I'm not sure of the Denon's compliance at 7-12 HZ, which is the area of interest for footfalls).

Another suggestion is to brace your stand against the wall. I used a couple pieces of closed foam cell wedged between the wall and the stand. The point is to put some of the weight of the stand against the wall, which is presumably not subject to the footfalls.

I had a TD125 with RB300 and changing cartridge to Ortofon X5-MC and bracing the stand made the problem tolerable. A remodeling project to remove the carpet and replace with wood floors eliminated the problem completely.

You can also try stuffing cotton balls in the turntable springs to see if that might help.

Good luck!

neumannu87
7 posts
 
Hi Chris,

I live in a 80yr old house, with creaky wood floors. I have had very good luck with using clean, "sandbox" sand (like you get at Lowe's) placed in 4 quart sized ziplock baggies, sandwiched between 2 3-4mm thick squares of cork.

I can't say it looks real pretty, but it is very effective.

Hope this helps :)
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