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In praise of isolation.

Isolation as in components, not personal.

(although, that’s not necessarily bad either)

There has been much praise, and discussion on the forum with regards to spring isolation.

Well, all this praise, caused me to look into how to approach this for myself.

I like to try things before I pass judgment on an idea.

The whole coupling/decoupling thing has been of interest to me for a while.

I get the desire to couple (yeah, I know,,,) as it plants the gear firmly in the ground, and if the base is heavy enough and made of a material that absorbs vibrations, you should be golden.

Then there is the problem of 7.83hz. Nope, not audible, but that doesn’t matter. Anyone who has used a test record to check for tonearm resonance can see quite clearly how an 8hz frequency can make the tonearm shake like a belly dancers belly.

So, decoupling. Springs made logical sense. Except, there was the problem of vintage turntables with their springy/bouncy top plates/platters. That just didn’t seem right.

I made an isolation platform and put springs underneath it. Figured out the proper spring rate and ordered 4 springs to support the 90lbs sitting above them. 
It’s crazy the clear and obvious difference it made. For the nominal price of $100 for the 4 industrial springs, the sonic improvements were off the charts! When coupling, and making changes to the materials used under the TT, and the types of feet used, there was a difference with the clarity of the highs, their brightness and with the bottom end being muddy or lacking depth.

With the springs however, the whole presentation opened up. Everything sounded better, clearer and more defined. Faster, less shrill and I could go on.

Not only am I divorced, but I’m a firm believer in decoupling.

(see what I did there?)

Damned 7.83hz…
perkri

Showing 9 responses by perkri

perkri OP
889 posts
 
Love the hockey pucks :)

I made some wooden donuts and put street hockey balls in the holes and placed under my speakers. The weight was sadly too great for the balls, but I wil, be putting some industrial springs under them when I get around to placing another order for springs.

The critical mass pods look very interesting, thanks for that.

And I had considered using extension springs instead of compression springs and hang the platform that way. Damping the bounce was going to be more challenging I figured.
perkri OP
889 posts
 
Thanks! 
I had thought about using shrink, and thank you for suggesting poking holes. Had not thought about foam. 
The journey continues…
perkri OP
889 posts
 
Palms abound:)
perkri OP
889 posts
 
Kinda doing something similar. The plinth is just shy of 60lbs. It sits on roller blocks which allows for lateral movement. They sit on a 30lb platform made of MDF and sand filled. The plinth is coupled via the rollers to the platform. The whole rig rests on springs which are in desperate need of damping. That is for the next round of DIY.
perkri OP
889 posts
 
Well, seeing as how the TT weighs in just shy of 90lbs, and that the spring rate used on the 4 springs is set of a load of 96lbs, there is plenty of ease of movement. The trick is, getting the spring rate right.  
perkri OP
889 posts
 
@larry5729 

Funny you should mention that

Was just at an audio show on the weekend, and isoacoustics had a room set up with one amp driving two separate sets of identical speakers. 
One pair had the Gaia footers, the others were on spikes. 
Eyes closed as they switched back and forth between A/B, there was a marked difference. I kept my eyes closed as I didn’t want to see body language as the guy switched with a remote, nor did I want to see lights changing. 
So yeah, much bigger difference than one would expect. Greater transparency, accuracy, detail and bigger soundstage.
Brought a friend with me and I have been selling him on the benefits of isolation - he could not believe these little feet made such a big difference. 
So yeah, it matters and makes a difference 
perkri OP
889 posts
 
Congratulations on the IsoAcoustics

Hearing the demo confirmed everything for me!
My turntable has springs between a base and the surface of the rack. Ingress roller blocks between the base and the TT. I polished some steel and cut it down as a smooth surface for the balls to roll against under the plinth. 
I feel like a combo like what I did seems to solve a couple of problems. The plinth is coupled to a base via the roller blocks that will help dissipate “local” vibrations. The roller blocks also deal with lateral movement. The springs decouple the whole thing while dealing with vertical movements. Now I just have to sort out the damping. 
The Gaias are a one stop shop :)
perkri OP
889 posts
 
@henry53. 
What I heard at the show was very much a real thing. Eyes closed, 100% accurate when identifying the speakers and the difference in presentation. 
perkri OP
889 posts
 
@audiopoint 

I have tried many different styles of supporting (mostly) my TT. As I stated above, I could tell the difference in varying spike materials and the “feet” they go into. (Wood/steel/aluminum - with and without sorbothane) and none of the cone combinations  gave me the open sound, with better dynamics and clarity like the spring/roller block combo.

im not saying springs/isolation devices are for everyone, but they have shown a marked improvement over anything I have previously tried. Granted, I have never purchased any high end spikes, and would of course be open to a listening comparison. And it should be mentioned that there are spikes in my set up. Sorbothane>aluminum disc>Spikes > board>springs>sand filled block>roller blocks>turntable. The spikes are mainly used for the purpose of being able to level the rig and to have as small a contact point to the rack as possible.
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