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Help! Tweaking My Lovan Rack for new Big A**ed Transrotor Turntable!

Folks, some input would be mighty appreciated.

I’ve been using a hand-me-down (though very nice!) Micro Seiki dd-40 turntable for a number of years and finally got the upgrade itch (it helps the upgrade itch when your cartridge is going on 30 years old, and sounding like it!).

I went down the rabbit hole and picked up a Transrotor Fat Bob S turntable, with an Acoustic Solid 12" arm and a Benz Micro Ebony cartridge. All with only about 30 hours of use at a great price. Yay!

Though I have considered getting rid of my old Lovan Classic rack for a new custom jobby, I’m pretty much spent out and I think I’ll have to make do for now, working with the Lovan.

The Fat Bob turntable is 55 lbs of solid aluminum and built like Thor’s hammer.

I figure this will finally get me to fill my Lovan stands for a bit more rigidity - probably with rice. The stand is the old 3 legged triangular shaped bass, which means the thin MDF shelves can feel like they sit sort of precariously on top. But the stand itself feels quite solid.

I want to incorporate a wood platform base, as many do, because I really love the look of a nice wood slab.

At first I thought maybe I’d have 3 spikes drilled in to the bottom corners of the wood base to directly couple it to the rest of the Lovan frame, vs resting it on the top mdf shelf. But I’m not sure that’s really necessary. And I’d like to incorporate some isolation as well, I think. So I’m thinking of just laying it on the top shelf, with something in between.

My first thought is to place a Symposium Segue shelf between the top of the Lovan shelf and the wood base.

Other than that...I’m flummoxed as to all the other choices...roller blocks? Symposium Fat Padz? Vibrapods? Herbie’s Tendersoft footers? Voo-Doo Isopods?  What should I put between the wood platform base and my Lovan shelf?

Any comments of suggestions on the direction I’m going?

Thanks!

(BTW, I’m an resolutely NOT a DIY/Handy-man type, so I’m not trying to go to heroic efforts, wishing this to be as painless as possible).
prof

Showing 4 responses by folkfreak

folkfreak's avatar
folkfreak
1,349 posts
 
@prof I think you have been badly advised regarding the deleterious effects of sub sonic interference on turntables. Seismic noise is everywhere (traffic, construction, micro quakes) and eliminating it is highly beneficial. Hence manufacturers such as Doehmann build minus k platforms into the Helix turntable and users such as me use active platforms like the Herzan. You might also like that these types of solutions are well scientifically documented and proven to work - although at a costs 

While, as I’ve previously commented, I think your solution will amplify rather than reduce sub sonic interference it would be completely wrong to assume that seismic noise is not causing problems for any turntable
folkfreak's avatar
folkfreak
1,349 posts
 
@prof my error, I’d mixed you up with the other thread where the OP was planning to drill a hole in their floor and anchor everything to a single post

Anyway I’m surprised no one has suggested lead shot as a stand filling option. I knew some think the sound is not ideal and it’s obviously risky to work with but it’s readily available and has admirable deadening and weighting properties. It certainly works for me in my Grand Prix stands

I am also a big fan of cup and ball footers under stands such as the GPA Apex footers. https://www.grandprixaudio.com/products/apex They are expensive but can be retrofitted into any standard 3/8-16 .875 threaded fitting (and can also be had in any other size as needed). When I upgraded my amp stands to these it was like the amps suddenly got another 6dB of headroom.

In regard to shelf options I’d get in touch with Ron Heydrich at Marigo. He sells excellent (expensive, think $1000 each) shelves in his proprietary multi layer blend but also has many other options to damp acrylic shelves or even small pieces of his shelf material to go under existing feet and address any issues you may have with your current setup
folkfreak's avatar
folkfreak
1,349 posts
 
Is it one of the AS tonearms with the one point headshell connection? Like the WTB313? https://goo.gl/images/NUGojx

If so it could simply be that the connection point was loose and the headshell twisted. On most tonearms you couldn’t change the orientation of the cartridge that much without severe damage but with this design you may have gotten lucky. Have you tried playing an LP (with volume low?)
folkfreak's avatar
folkfreak
1,349 posts
 
@prof sounds to me as if the VTA changed between old set up and new, likely it's a little higher than it was before. Alternatively the bump could have affected the suspension such that for the same tonearm alignment the VTA is different -- suspensions do settle over time so that's nothing to worry about, as long as you can dial it in so it works for you
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