Get yourself a 2-3" thick maple cutting board, put some cones underneath it, put the Scout on it. If you want to keep the whole shebang near your listening position, place the maple/cone assembly on top of an inexpensive amp stand.
That will raise it up off the floor to a pretty respectable height, and should really help with the footfall issues. |
Hey there,
I am by no means an isolation expert. However, I am a Scout owner and, like yourself, my listening room is carpeted over wood flooring.
I largely corrected the problem with a post and lintel system. I use two record filled record crates as posts and lay a .75 mdf plank across the top (the plank has to be wide enough to accomodate the Scout).
At the four corners of the plank, a racquet ball is placed (like the Ginko Cloud). A shallow "dish" is placed above and bellow each ball to allow for very slight rolling.
On top of the balls, I place three additional layers of mdf. Finally, I place one additional layer of hardwood (maple) on top of the mdf.
I don't like the sound of mdf, the top layer changes the tonal character of the stack quite a bit. Make sure to select a wood that sounds right to you. Your best bet is a variety of tonewood.
It's much simpler than it sounds, it's inexpensive, it can all be found at Home Depot, and it looks okay. Most importantly, it works pretty well. |
I have an Aries on wood base carpeted floors. Mapleshade Recordings stand and 4" maple platform supported by their isolation gizmo's twixt the platform and top shelf does a nice job for me.
I forget what they call their 2" wafer isolation gizmo but if you call them or pull up their website you will see it.
There are cheaper solutions and if you are a do it yourself person do will find a lot of info out there on rolling your own platform (a wood box varnished to suite your taste, a plastic liner, white sand, a board over the sand & under the table, for example, or a good heavy soft wood board supported by squash balls cut it half, etc.).
Other thing, if it skips really easy it might be a sign that it is time to double check table level & tracking force & etc.
Luck! |
Get a nice maple platform and suspend it with adjustable chains or cables from the joists in your ceiling. You can stomp, dance, or do whatever without any problem. I've done this for years with my tables. It will take some time to level everything (critical) but the results are unmatched by any other isolation device. |
Get a wall mount shelf,it's the only device that will work. I had the same problem. Something like this.
http://www.amusicdirect.com/products/detail.asp?cat=&sku=ATARVW2
Tim |
>>Get a wall mount shelf,it's the only device that will work.<<
Not necessarily. |
Sorry! Missed the chains from the ceiling. That would work too. Not sure how the better half would like it though.
Tim |
And dissed the folks who have had success with platforms.
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Jump up and down on the floor. Does it affect the Turntable? I bet you it does.
Tim |
>>Jump up and down on the floor. Does it affect the Turntable? I bet it does.<<
Not here. Even a jumbo fathead couldn't get any movement. |
My mistake. If you listen whilst doing squat thrusts or if your living room is subject to frequent Buffalo stampedes then the wall mount might be the best option.
If you are concerned more about "the slightest thump or walking across the room" causing skips then you have several good options. IMHO.
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Flyfisher stated that wall mounting was not an option! |
Spemd the money and get an isolation platform . Its the easiest solution. chains, sandboxes. Phooey! |
>>Spemd the money and get an isolation platform<<
Listen to this genius. While you're at it, pick up a couple hundred shares of Enron too. |
wall mont is rarely a good idea anyway unless it's solid brick. A drywall board wall flexes in & out w/ bass-freq SPL; it muddies up the sound & can even sound like bad flutter, like a dirty capstan /roller on a tape drive.
I use an Arcici air platform although there are now better methods I've learned of.
You can even go downstairs & install floor jacks underneath the ttable floor area. |
Bob:
>>You can even go downstairs & install floor jacks underneath the ttable floor area.<<
Agreed. This is also an excellent recommendation. |
Thanks for all the ideas. The chains and suspesion sounded kind of cool until the Mrs. looked over my shoulder at the thread. I have a crawl place so leveling is an issue as far as floor jacks are concerned. It seems I need to move into a more audio friendly house. The thought has crossed my mind more than once. It would seem that some sort of table or maple board would be more suited. Any experiences with acquiring or building something?
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Hi there,
I think several posters have already described in some detail simple yet effective solutions for "acquiring or building something".
I would hazard a guess you already have in mind an image of what you want.
If not, reread the suggestions above. We don't get paid by the word, you know! :) |
Faugusta,as much as I appreciate your input and the detail of your remedy for my isolation problem. I don't think my better half would appreciate my replacing her coffee table with two crates of records and a series of boards to lay across them. So once again I thank you but I am more interested in the solutions offered by the other contributors who speak of isolation boards and their recommendations for this project. Feel free to bypass my request s for knowledgable input in the future as I would not dream of having you waste your precious words:) |
Don't give it a second thought ol' boy. My time is plentiful and my words cheap ;)
Ready made-look at the Gingko Cloud. They have supports custom sized for the Scout. Further, Harry Weisfield fully endorses their products. That's not something he does often. The critics seem to agree with Harry, if you follow the mags. They have several pricing options, apparently even the least expnsive "mini cloud" offers excellent isolation. They look good, too. |
Gingko Cloud seems like a very simple design and easy to copy. I wonder what the difference between the balls they use and racquet balls might be??? The acrylic is not visually distracting IMHO.
I may convince the Mrs. to allow something like this into her 'decor'. Maybe a nice piece of Maple wood to boot? |
I got some Isol-Pads for free when I purchased a CD player, I didn't like them under the CDP, but they work great under my Scout for reducing shock and resonance, and tightened up the sound overall. You could try these under the points and the motor on a piece of maple butcher block, I would think this would work well, and the Isol-Pads are cheap. The Gingko is great but much more expensive than this setup. Go to natdistribution.com to check them out. |
My entire rack (400 lbs/8 feet) sits on eight sorbothane hemispheres I got from McMaster Carr or W.M. Berg. They cost about $6 apiece IIRC.
I put them on furniture coasters so as not to stain the carpet (Sorbothane can release oils).
In two years our TT has never skipped no matter who was walkin' or jumpin' around, despite our lively wood floor. Keeping the sorbothane away from direct contact with the TT helps minimize its otherwise terrible effects on dynamics. |
I have been playing with some suggestions offered by Greg Weaver in an article titled Synergizing on Sound stage com. I tried the sand in zip lock bags and the shelves with the bike tube and the sound seems clearer and instruments are easily defined IMHO but I still have to tread lightly. I will try the sorbathane and anything else that comes around. After all it is a hobby... Most of the fun is in the tinkering. |
www.machinadynamica.com
This is THE link for you. A Promethean Base situated as close as practical to the floor will be your best answer. Look at my system pics for one way it's done.
Oz |
Black Diamond Racing is making an isolation setup for Scouts and Aries. Consists of 4 carbon fiber pucks and a platform for the motor. This will prevent motor vibrations more that any thing else. You can order them from Music Direct. I have suspeneded floors and have been struggling for years with vibrations. Finally I put floor jacks under eveything, put my HW19 on a Bright Star Big Rock 19, drilled holes in the pillars of my TT stand and filled them with #9 lead shot. Now you can drop a bowling ball next to my speakers and the stylus won't jump. Now if you go to where the floor isn't supported....
Best of luck,
Chris |
I have mine on and acrylic shelf of a Quadraspire Q4 with a Symposium Svelte shelf directly underneath. On a wood floor with carpet it sounds great, and no vibration from footsteps makes it through. |
