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Dealing with an unstable, vibrating wood floor...

Hi everyone, as some of you know, I've been substantially upgrading my hi-fi lately. Currently a CJ amp, just got a Michell Gyro SE, and a JJ 243 pre on the way. I'm admittedly a newbie to audiophilia. Now I need to worry about stablizing the equipment rack. Here's the deal.

I have my rig on a four-shelf rack, a welded steel Sanus on spikes with 3/4" MDF shelves. I live in a 130 year old bulding on the third floor. The hardwood floors have seen better days--some loose slats, and the floor is VERY loose and prone to vibration. I can't even walk across the floor without making the turntable bobble on its suspension a little--the floor flexes slightly under my feet and takes the rack with it. I really, really need to work on stabilizing the rack! I've found that vibration is a significant cause of poor sound from my vinyl rig--pops and ticks, lack of clarity and detail, etc. and forget using a subwoofer, the low frequency waves render my vinyl rig far, far worse than my ho-hum Marantz CD5000!

Some problems--I know I'd be better off with a wall shelf for the Gyro, but you'd be right to guess that my walls about as good as my floor. They can't hold a spice rack much less a shelf with a turntable sitting on it. So I'm stuck with the 'table on top of the rack. I also can't afford to get a Neuance shelf or some such.

I'm wondering if sheer mass would do the trick. Could I put the whole rack on top of, say, a couple inches thick cement flat, then level the rack on it? Or could I have a cement or sand-filled shelf in place of the standard 3/4" MDF shelf my Gyro currently sits on? My main problem is the whole rack is unstable, so that's another reason why I hesitate on a massive shelf for my 'table. Would it pay to put the whole rack on something solid, of great mass?

I don't have a ton of money to work with, but my current situation is unacceptable! If anyone could steer me in the right direction or give me some DIY tips, this newb would be very greatful!

P.S. I have scoured archives, and found some interesting points, but I haven't found a discussion of isolating the rack from a loose floor.
dirtyragamuffin
sol322
426 posts
 
Dirtyragamuffin:

You'll be the best to judge your compromises considering improvements doing the play around.... but I'd say that the windows and the radiators can be dealt with on a for listening time basis kind of treatments (carpets, curtains,etc) that if cosmetic is a restraint you can take off for not listening time.
You can even make metal or wooden "L" brackets to be screwed to the wall (proper size) and even put your rack spikes there instead of thinking just for a shelf you could fix the whole thing to the external wall. it's not easy but i believe doable. Your motivation to improve your sound will tell if you would go this radical or if simpler tricks could be an improvement "good enough" for a time.
Keep us posted
dirtyragamuffin OP
213 posts
 
Actually I got to thinking, ideally what I'd like to do is put the rack up against the wall with the rear spikes removed, and put up at the top rear of the rack--this way the rack would be coupled to the wall by two spikes and to the floor by the other two. The problem again is I have no wall space to do this, though I might be able to free something by literally moving everything in the room around. My main problem with the windows and radiators was that they take up literally almost the entire length of the wall--about 25'! This is why I'd been asking about massive additions to the rack. My apartment really is a dumpy college kid pad (and I, a dumpy college kid (with a nice hi-fi, hee hee)), pseudo-studio style--basically, one room ~25' long by about 12' wide with 10' ceilings, then the bedroom/closets/john in other rooms. The "kitchen" is at one end of the room; the rest is the living room, with a tapestry hanging to divide the area.

Since it sounds like a massive block under the rack won't help much, I'm starting to think that I might just have to live with this situation until I move, however, I will try a couple things when I have time and post the results :)

Thanks again everyone for helping me out. I'd gladly take more advice, if there is any!
caterham1700
271 posts
 
Sounds like it's time for a trip to IKEA.
Tell them Ingmar sent you.

http://members.shaw.ca/mikesae/images/p3i.jpg

http://members.shaw.ca/mikesae/images/ikea.jpg
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
A Sony Biotracer (servo controlled arm) might handle your vibration problem. Several hundred dollars. Check E-Bay.

For several thousand dollars there are active vibration isolation tables (used in industrial labs) that would solve your problem.

The only cost-effective solution is to forego LP's, and use digital discs. They work in autos on pot-holed roads.
msiebers's avatar
msiebers
22 posts
 

I have a thorens TD-125 on top of a five shelf rack, and it used to be very susceptible to footsteps. Just adding mass did not help. Adding sand to the rack did not help at all. I had a wall mount stand for awhile and it worked great, but I didn't like the way it looked. What I use now is a DIY sandbox on the top rack of the stand, and then wedge foam rubber between the wall and the top of the rack so that it is a tight fit with a good amount amount of pressure going against the wall. The extra weight from the sandbox helps put more weight on the wall. This coupling to the wall simulates a wall mount, and really helps reduce impact of footsteps.

Instead of a sand box, you could try a 18" square concrete patio block. You could try this out for under $10.
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