Turntable Isolation

I believe it would be 10lbs per ball.So you should take the combined weight of the platform and table,then do the math...good luck.

Thanks Schipo. Just weighed the whole thing and it comes to 23 lbs. I need to take the center ball out and then add 17 lbs. Holy Moly! Have you experimented with this type of thing?

Cool project.

What kind of feet are on the P3/24? I have a Technics SL1210 with aftermarket threaded brass cones. I just did an experiment using the cones on top of metal floorsavers that are wide enough to span the top of Vibrapods, then placed on Vibrapods (which are platformed on top of a butcher block cutting board supported by silicon gel pads). The spikes-to-Vibrapod addition dropped the noise floor dramatically and brought forth a new level of dynamics. Surface noise dropped noticeably and microdynamics have come alive.

Are you willing to experiment with Vibrapods instead of squash balls? Since they make 5 models with different weight ratings, it would be easy to pick the Vibrapods that deflect the correct amount for a given load.

Also, the Vibrapod instructions say to never place one dead center; I wonder if that would apply to other absorptive modules such as the squash balls?

Another alternative for the squishy middle of a heavy wood sandwich: silicon gel wrist rests for computer keyboards available at your local OfficeMax, Office Depot, Staples, etc. I use two 19" long gel wrist pads under my cutting board.

Hi Macdad:
I'll be happy to give the vibrapods a try; they are only $6 bucks each. The feet on the P3-24 are rubber with screws and can be easily removed, I think. So, let me make sure I've got this right: Your turntable has threaded brass cones, cones sit on the floor savers, floorsavers on the Vibrapods, Vibrapods sit on the butcher block, and the block sits on siicon gell pads?

What a great set-up! Then, the turntable is leveled with the brass cones. You stated that the floorsavers sit on top on the Vibrapods, they don't fit down inside them, right?

I've got the Timbernation block already, so your set-up will only cost me $30-$40. I'll give it a try, even though the squash ball rig seems to have opened up the soundstage and surface noise is lower.

The first response I got from Schipo is one I respect, but 10 lbs. per squash ball seems like a lot. I took one of the balls and put a 10 lb. weight on it; squished it down to nearly flat. It has got to be less that 10 lbs. per ball, doesn't it?

Where is your table in relation to your speakers? I am surprised I don't hear more about people placing their table in a separate room or equipment closet. At the very least one should look for a null in standing waves. All equipment remedies will help still further but the best location should be the starting place.

I've got a 10' x 16' room, speakers at the end of the room, 2 feet from back wall, 8 feet apart (like Quad people recommend). Turntable is on a rack along the side wall, about half-way back. It is not ideal, but I don't have a way to move it to another room, which I know would be best, so I'm trying to isolate as best I can. I could put the rack between the speakers or even move it farther back on the wall away from the speakers. What do you think?

Hi Gmsasso,
Your set-up sound pretty good to me. I've had my table in a separate room in a sealed solid oak box lined with sound damping for years so I must admit I've never looked for a null in my room. With my set-up I can still faintly hear music with a stethoscope on the outside of the turntable box. I see a lot of pictures with a table only inches from the speakers. That can't be good. Blah, blah, blah, sorry I'm rambling.
I have a room analysis program "CARA" that is pretty cool in that is shows room nodes in a visual way that I find easy to "see". I would use something like that to find a null. As little as a foot or two can be significant. Good luck!
PS frequently the most significant impediment to optimal placement is significant other objections. Lucky for me we had a spare bedroom so the go ahead to get the "stereo crap" out of the living room was gladly given.

I have a Rega P2 and even the slightest tap on the cabinet it sat on produced a thump through the speakers.
I cut some foam pieces to put between the feet and plinth. One kind of foam didn't do much. What did work well was to use two or more different densities of foam. Experimenting is the key.
Everyone probably has all kinds of scrap foam lying around. It may not be as elegant as exotic custom bases, but it works and is pretty much free.

03-01-09: Gmsasso
So, let me make sure I've got this right: Your turntable has threaded brass
cones, cones sit on the floor savers, floorsavers on the Vibrapods, Vibrapods
sit on the butcher block, and the block sits on siicon gell pads?

That's exactly correct.

What a great set-up! Then, the turntable is leveled with the brass cones. You
stated that the floorsavers sit on top on the Vibrapods, they don't fit down
inside them, right?

That is also correct. The
floorsavers have to be big enough to perch on the "doughnut"
part of the Vibrapod. Floorsavers that fit inside the center of the Vibrapod
won't make use of the Vibrapod's suspension, so don't use small floorsavers.

I had pretty good results with the brass cones seated directly on the cutting
board with the gel pads underneath, but when I added the floorsavers and
Vibrapods, it moved the turntable over a very noticeable threshold that has
made my system more compelling to listen to than ever before.

Tip: The Vibrapods have to settle in at their optimum deflection, which takes
a few hours. When I first added the floorsavers and Vibrapods, the system
became notably quieter, but also sounded overdamped--a bit dead and
lacking transient attack. But a few hours later when the VPs had settled in,
the lowered noise floor remained and all the detail I had before returned,
plus a lot more owing to the lower noise floor and greater dynamic range.

Ok, Johnnyb, I'm ordering the vibrapods today. And, I'm going out to get a few floorsavers and a couple of gels. I'll let you know how it works out.

Johnny -
What is the dimension (diameter, primarily) of the floor saver you are using?
Thanks.