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wall rack and different shelf materials under TT

Yesterday I swapped a 3/4"x16"x16" walnut cutting board (very nicely custom made and priced from ebay memeber hardwood-lumber-co, not affiliated) under my Pro-ject Xpression III table with an Ortofon MC-3 turbo, speedbox and tube phono box II. The natural unoiled walnut matches my rack better than maple, even though the maple can run more dense, but just a bit more. I used to have a 1/4"x15"x15" porcelain tile piece under my table and the first impressions follow:

- walnut: more relaxed and little warmer sound, bass a little more subdued like when you put a pillow in a bass drum in the drum kit.

- porcelain: more accurate, a little brighter and a touch more bass slam.

I am going to do further listening with both to see which one wins out. There are the factory isolation cones under my turntable and the wall rack is steel bolted to the house studs. I also just got some Electro-Harmonix golds that I am going to roll into the tube phono box II.

Will keep everyone posted...

BTW, I got a 3/4"x10"x16" maple and cherry cutting board for the kitchen and total was $57 including shipping.
sbrownnw

Showing 5 responses by sbrownnw

sbrownnw OP
712 posts
 
Not sure why this double-posted.

What are others using under their TTs? What are the pros and cons of the two materials I've listed or does it just come down to listening?
sbrownnw OP
712 posts
 
hardwood-lumber-co

The price above was for both boards. Great communication, quick and well packed shipping, nice prices and custom orders allowed.

Wish I was home listening to some vinyl instead of working...
sbrownnw OP
712 posts
 
So, after some more listening this weekend, I think I am going to go back to the porcelain shelf. One thing I notice is that with the volume all the way down the tonearm seems to be doing more (more / louder pickup) with the porcelain shelf. Why is this / what is actually happening here?

I also plan a hybrid eval with some ebony wood disks between the turntable factory isolation cones / feet and the porcelain shelf.

Anyone need a 3/4x16x16 walnut board? If not, I'll use it for a nice cheese board.
sbrownnw OP
712 posts
 
Porcelain back, table leveled and tacking weight double-checked but this time tried some thin weaved leather coasters between the shelf and table. Nice and lively keeping the bass slam but reduced the brightness a little. Looking forward to trying the solid ebony disks next. Cheap tuning is fun, especially when I customized my cabinet rack with a pass through for the DIY wall turntable rack I made. :)
sbrownnw OP
712 posts
 
I think I found the right combo for my setup. 15x15x1/4" porcelain tile with small and thin ebony wood pucks between the feet and the porcelain. The pucks have a small hole in the center to fit the tips of the turntable feet. Sounds great!
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