It does not work, not even remotely. To isolate a turntable it has to be suspended in a system that resonates below 3 Hz. It will take a lot more than a base made of anything. Tables that come appropriately suspended are SME, Oracle, Sota, Dohmann and Basis. There may be others that I do not know of. Any other turntable will require something like a MinusK platform to isolate it from the environment. There may be other systems that I do not know of. The specs to look at are vertical and lateral resonance frequency.
Turntable isolation
I have read multiple references to the benefits of putting maple platforms under a turntable to isolate it from vibration. I have a question about why that works. Specifically, I have a VPI Prime that weighs 32 pounds. My Prime sits on a sturdy audio rack which, in turn, sits on a solid floor. It seems pretty well isolated. Would the addition of a maple platform or something like the IsoAcoustics Delos help in this situation? Is the theory that the more weight I put under my turntable the better the sound? If so, how, in a specific system, does one figure out how much weight is best?
Thanks for your help!
Thanks for your help!
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@kenrus, "Is the theory that the more weight I put under my turntable the better the sound?" I would say that the theory is that whatever surface you place your turntable upon that allows its cartridge to track the grooves best will result in a more accurate sound. There are too many variables to suggest a one fits all answer. Eg the room/ turntable /speaker placement, the type of floor/wall construction, the turntable/arm /cartridge interface and construction, all acting in relation to various resonances (airborne/structural). To perhaps illustrate the complexity of this issue you can see there is a divergence in the generic approaches taken by users. Some like Rega favour the combination of lightness and rigidity whilst others like VPI favour sheer mass. Ditto for siting - eg a light but rigid structure versus a heavy plinth such as often used by broadcasters. Another approach to siting is to isolate the turntable as far as possible from its surroundings (and also hopefully lower it’s own resonant frequency) by some form of pneumatic/spring device. Virtually all turntables use some form of rubber feet varying in degrees of compliance. In an ideal world turntable designers would factor in a suitable stand for their decks but hardly anyone does. The only only one I can think of is the uber expensive Continuum Caliburn with its own Castellon stand. In your specific case it’s very difficult to say whether a maple platform or the IsoAcoustics Delos would help to lower (or even increase?!) resonances in your VPI Prime. The best results I got were by using a very light but also rigid wooden table sat on the floor, but that may be of no use to you. Therefore it might be a good idea to contact VPI themselves as they’re sure to have extensive data to back up any suggestions. https://www.vpiindustries.com/contact-us.html http://www.continuumaudiolabs.com/legacy/caliburn/castellon.php |
