Subwoofer rumble issue


I’m having a hard time solving a problem that seems to come and go. My subwoofer will rumble uncontrollably when playing records at a higher volume. If I turn the volume down sharply it goes away but when I creep the volume back up it comes back. I’ve tried isolating my turntable as much as possible with diy books, isolation feet, etc. (I don’t want to buy an expensive isolation platform unless that really is the issue.) Any thoughts on what I can do to fix this? Thx!
paulgardner

Showing 25 responses by paulgardner

I hear ya on the isolation thing. It does rumble in between tracks. I do not run a CD player, just phono. I’ll keep playing with trying to reduce vibration. Hmmmm
I don’t have another table on hand to swap in to see if it is indeed the Concept that’s causing the issue. I might give the subsonic filter a shot before giving up on the Concept. I really do like it aside from this apparent issue. Time to play the DIY isolation game! 
I will play around with isolation some more. Think I’ll focus on the sub first. I will look at picking up a test record as well. Thanks for the suggestions!
Thanks for all the reply’s and ideas, awesome! I’m running a Clear Audio Concept table and the sub is a REL T9i. They’re both very good products so the lack of quality materials in the turntable build is likely not the issue. I will do the stylus down on a still record/finger tap on platter test later today and report back on the weather conditions - earthquake or other! I’m not sure how I feel about a subsonic filter. Maybe as a last resort but moving the table to another room is not really an option - I live in a 2 bedroom condo loft with 20 foot ceilings so it’s essentially one big open space with 8 foot half walls for bedrooms and a bathroom and furnace/washroom being the only closed off rooms. I will report back on my findings! 
Haha it’s absolutely a self serving move but it’s cool. Always be closing, right? I’ll consider the springs but we’ll see. Thx
@geoffkait thanks for the tips 👍 I’ve ordered a subsonic filter. Hope that does the trick!
@georgehifi you were spot on. Stylus resting on a still record then tapped the plinth and the sub rumbled like crazy. Would a subsonic filter fix this or what’s the best solution in you eyes? 
Never swapped cables. It was in the correct phase the whole time. When I switch the phase from it’s typical position all hell breaks loose
George, Dan - thanks again for your insight and ideas on how I might go about resolving this! I did end up ordering a subsonic filter from KAN Electro Acoustics. Fingers crossed it at least help because relocating the turntable to another room just is not an option given the space/layout I’m currently working with. When the filter gets here and I get a chance to try it I’ll post a quick update. 
Paul
Yeah I’m not into the spring thing. Never gonna happen.

The REL has a phase switch. 0 or 180. My system likes 180. Flit it to 0 while music is playing and the Sub rumbles uncontrollably. Earthquake time! 
I understand that a properly set up REL should go unnoticed but apparently I Guess I like more bass than most “purist audiophiles”. I absolutely love my set up (aside from the recent sub rumble issue) and am blown away by how good some recordings can sound. I’ve always been into listening to music and sound quality but only up until recently (about a year) have I really discovered what a very good stereo sounds like. Partly due to financial reasons. I’ve always had a nice stereo set up but never really nice stereo. It’s a different game when you get into the $10k+ realm. I have a subsonic filter on the way. I’ll play around with that - otherwise I’ll learn to live with a sub crossover/volume combo that sits below the earthquake rumble reaction. My next upgrade is a new phono stage. The MS Phonomena II+ is great but I do miss the all tube experience I once had. A rabbit hole this game really is!
Interesting. I’ve been considering upgrading my phono stage anyway. Maybe this is the excuse I need to pull the trigger. Thanks.
Subsonic rumble filter! All better! I understand it’s a “bandaid” approach but it totally worked and my stereo sounds amazing again! YES!!! Thanks again everyone!
Yeah I hear ya. I also built an isolation platform out of two butcher blocks. I sandwiched it with gel furniture pad discs. I wonder if that is contributing to the solution more then the rumble filter. I’ll remove the filter when I get home and give it a shot. 
George - so I removed the filter and the rumble returned ☹️ even with the homemade iso platform. So even if I’m missing out on super low frequencies, it’s better than the earthquake situation. I’m planning on upgrading my phono pre so we’ll see if that does anything to alleviate the rumble like one guy said earlier. Thx!
LOL you guys are funny. There’s gotta be a solution that doesn’t involve moving my tt to another room. Would a different tone arm help? One that doesn’t use magnetic stabilizing? Ugh this is no fun. So strange that it developed over time too. I’ve had this set up for about a year now and it just started a month ago. I did have woofer pumping issues with my mains at first but fixed it by putting them on stands vs. the same surface at the tt. Do you think going to the Herron phono pre will help at all? 
Hey George - tubes seem to be ok. I’m running the Phonomena II through the aux so I’m assuming the preamp tube(s) in the amp aren’t being utilized, right?
The tubes I checked are in the CM II integrated. 4 power tubes, 3 12AU7s and 2 12AX7s. I’m running the Phonomena II+ phono pre which is solid state. I assume some of the small tubes in the CM II are still being utilized in the signal path - I believe the center position 12AU7 is the Preamp tube. 
Just did a quick test just for fun and placed a pillow under my turntable and the rumble is gone! Super tight bass! So maybe it’s not actually airborne?? Just need some extreme isolation? Hmmmmm interesting