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How to isolate turntable from footstep shake or vibration

Even while the Oracle turnable that I use has a built-in springs suspension by design there is a low or even sub-low frequency boom every time someone walks in a room. This becomes really bad with the subwoofer’s volume set high as the low frequency footsteps make straight to subwoofer where they are amplified shaking everything around. It seems the cartridge is picking up the footsteps very efficiently as even a lightest foot down becomes audioable. What can be done to attempt to isolate the turntable from the low frequency vibrations? Interesting, that the lower the volume of the subwoofer, the less the footstep shake is evident and with the subwoofer turned off it is a barely a problem at all. 
esputnix

Showing 2 responses by sokogear

sokogear
1,104 posts
 
When I first treated my table for vibration control, I got a Townshend seismic platform which really improved the sound, but it actually created foot fall problems that didn't exist before because according to Max Townshend, the frequency was very low and the suspended floor vibrations were amplified.

He said to get a wall shelf or tread lightly or go back to inferior sound. I was able to get sign off on the wall shelf by the assumptive close and now have the table on top of the Townshend platform which sits on top of a Project shelf. Nirvana.
sokogear
1,104 posts
 
I am also surprised @mijostyn that you doubt that a vibration platform would help with your phono stage.

What you don't seem to comprehend is that in addition to external vibrations, there are internal vibrations within components that can be drained with a good sub platform. Regardless of a slab or whatever. In these cases, you can get a multi layer platform instead of springs or podiums or whatever. From what I was told, SS is even more susceptible to this than tubes. 

Not so much on a turntable, so I buy the SME lack of need of vibration control. Also, the biggest beneficiary of vibration control is a CD player, even more that turntables for some reason.

Don't ask me, just ask Peter at Symposium Acoustics who has been doing this for 29 years.
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