How to isolate turntable from footstep shake or vibration

Ah, another happy Sota user. Hope that sash doesn't break! Very creative though.

@atmasphere, My Sota has always been on a sturdy cabinet. The new one will be on a granite countertop sitting on a cabinet made of 1.5" walnut plywood loaded with over 1000 records on top of a concrete slab. 

Seeing that distortion on the oscilloscope certainly indicates a problem with that Sota or the way it was set up. Could be an interaction with the Sota's suspension tuning and the mass of the tonearm/cartridge with the cartridge compliance. It would not be airborne as that would not quiet down when the Sota was placed on a better rack. 

I have an oscilloscope program so when I get the table I'll have a look and see if there is any unusual distortion at various frequencies. 

A wall rack is a good idea. A rack on a load bearing wall even better. When I was just out of college I put my Sota table on a granite slab that was pried off the front of a building that was being torn down. The slab was placed in a window ledge with rope suspending/anchoring the front of the slab to the top of the window sash. PARTAY!  The cool thing about the Sota tables is that they are reverse sprung - the spring doesn’t compress, it is suspended. Good luck

Wolf, as you probably know better than I, if you actually play guitar, guitar amps are distortion generating machines. The distortion is intentional. This is one reason why overstressed tubes are preferred by the cognoscenti in guitar amplification, unless you disagree. One form that that distortion takes is due to the microphonics of the tubes adding to the other distortion generating characteristics of the circuit. Don’t you think? Speaking for myself, when I hear a really prominent electronic guitar solo, I think I can hear components of the distortion that are due to tube microphonics or are very characteristic of distortion caused by microphonics. I just don’t think there is much effort to avoid microphonics from guitar amplifiers in general. 
Furthermore, I and others have been saying all along that microphonics are more or less of a problem with certain tube types and with tubes used in circuit in different ways. Hi gain tubes that have a large glass envelope tend to have the most problems with microphonics. Small nine pin miniature tubes like mijostyn‘s 6922s are perhaps a bit less prone to microphonics, but Atma-sphere seems to disagree. Tubes used as cathode followers, i.e., to convert voltage into current and add no gain are less prone to microphonics. If one cannot hear a certain kind of distortion or noise in one’s audio system, that does not mean it is totally absent. It just means you can’t hear it. Which often is good enough.

Tube guitar amps provide a range of tone from very clean to smooth, controlled distortion. Microphonic tubes become very obvious in a guitar amp, yet rarely occur. Read a review of any tube guitar amp and you can learn something about them.

I have been using a Sota since 1981 and have had it on everything you can think of playing through ESLs. I have not found anything to be as important as using a dust cover during play attenuating airborne vibration by as much as 20 dB (not sure how accurate the meter was). Like protective earmuffs for your cartridge. And, everyone thinks this is poison (except Mark Dohmann). I guess like guitar amps everyone likes listening to distortion? With subtle differences I guess people prefer sticking with mythology than really listening? Boggles the mind.

@mijostyn  I had a dust cover for my Sota as well. When I added the custom stand and platform the improvement was instantly audible- it was not subtle, and it was also measurable- the latter being done by playing a test tone and cranking up the volume- you could easily see on the oscilloscope how much less 'disturbed' the waveform was prior to the volume control (we had the 'scope on the tape outputs).


We had a modified Empire 208 (which was the platform for what later became our model 208; at the time the 'mods' where a damped platter and an SME5 mounted to it). As you turned up the volume the Empire 'fell apart' sonically compared to the Sota. But when either one was placed on the stand with platform neither one fell apart- at that point the Empire sounded better since it was so much more speed stable (the early Cosmos machines had a stability problem that was later fixed) and had a more massive platter that had more damping. Both machines used the same platter pad as I mentioned earlier and both used the same arm and cartridge.


It was thus very easy to show that the anti-vibration measures were having a profound effect on the system when the volume was cranked up.

Who’s jumping on the floor when you guys listening to your records? 

FWIW and noting that this thread has taken a side route, here are just two documented sources for tube microphonics;

-Proceedings of the Institute of Radio Engineers, Volume 17, Number 9 September, 1929, MICROPHONIC IMPROVEMENT IN VACUUM TUBES  IRE-1929-09.pdf (worldradiohistory.com).

-Getting the most out of VACUUM TUBES by Robert B. Tomer, 1960,  Getting the Most out of Vacuum Tubes (worldradiohistory.com)

This site has THE HISTORY  RADIO and BROADCAST HISTORY library with thousands of books and magazines (worldradiohistory.com) and this site is an amazing resource.  Its takes some time to figure out how to use the many search features, but once you do, it can answer many of the  questions or technically guide conversations associated with this  technology that is proving to still be relevant as it enters its 2nd century.

@wolf_garcia , I though guitar amps were chosen based on the distortion they produced. How can you tell if a tube is microphonic or not if the amp is distorting it's backside off? Tube guitar amps are desirable because of the distortion they produce! (at least that is how I understand it) Interesting point though. Same for automobile systems although tubes are long gone in those.

@lewm, My understanding is that Upscale Audio and RAM labs do grade their tubes on microphonics and two other parameters. And, what do those tube rubber band damper rings that ARC supplies do? They obviously dampen the glass. Does that decrease microphonics? Are they the reason I can tap on the tubes and not hear it through the system?
I was tapping on the tubes because one of them went bad and I was trying to figure out which one it was. Tapping did not help.

@atmasphere , I have been using a Sota since 1981 and have had it on everything you can think of playing through ESLs. I have not found anything to be as important as using a dust cover during play attenuating airborne vibration by as much as 20 dB (not sure how accurate the meter was). Like protective earmuffs for your cartridge. And, everyone thinks this is poison (except Mark Dohmann). I guess like guitar amps everyone likes listening to distortion? With subtle differences I guess people prefer sticking with mythology than really listening? Boggles the mind. 

I wasn't all that bothered by footfalls in my former house although it had suspended wood floors, and if you jumped by the turntable it wasn't good...my new place is suspended but not under my listening area...that's a slab...and man, nice...you could operate a jack hammer in that room and the table wouldn't notice except for the dust...still...also, the myth of coddling tubes because they're "all" somewhat microphonic is silly...they're not (some are...get rid of those). I've used and still use tube bass amps as well as many tube combo (if you don't know "combo" it means the amp is in the speaker box) guitar amps that make that point over many years, and my current tube pre and power amp also are seemingly immune to microphonic paranoia. Fear not.

Many problems like yours have been fixed by wedging an appropriate sized piece of lumber between the wall and the turntable support.  Easy to try...bet it works for you

Use, 6SL7 is even more microphonic than 6SN7. But not as irreplaceable if ultimate sonics  are the goal. Gain notwithstanding.

Sadly for those who love them as one of the best sounding small signal triodes ever built, the 6SN7 is one of the culprits for being especially microphonic.

Actually @lewm IME the 6SL7 is the more problematic tube compared to a 6SN7.


@mijostyn Just so you know, the tubes in your ARC have to be hand-picked for low microphonics- every tube phono section manufacturer in the world hand-picks their tubes.


Electronics are indeed not as sensitive as a turntable. But they can be sensitive nevertheless which is why many people put platforms beneath their preamps as well as their turntables.

I get a Sota mostly because it has a dynamite suspension and is impervious to anything happening around it.

I had the Sota Cosmos for the same reason. However, I was friends with the guy that ran Sound Anchors (since retired; Sound Anchors has a new owner) and he helped me out with a custom stand. Immediately the Cosmos sounded better. Then I got an improved platform for the turntable and immediately the Cosmos sounded better. The thing about suspension and anti-vibration systems is that they work nicely together. We offer a damping package for the chassis of our preamps as an option; when a preamp with that package is placed in a good anti-vibration platform, the effect of doing so is more profound than if the preamp has no damping package. With analog I don’t think we’ve found how much you can do to improve its sound, on account of the operation being based on microscopic effects!

My turntable levitates : https://solidairaudio.com/product-category/special-offers/
It works very well.

@lewm , I am very simple minded Lou.Insted of buying very elaborate isolation plateforms I would prefer buying equipment that is not affected by the minimal amount of vibration present in a sturdy cabinet. I find it interesting that I see systems with elaborate platforms for the electronics and a turntable that sits on simple feet. I get a Sota mostly because it has a dynamite suspension and is impervious to anything happening around it. The same can be said of several other turntables but not the majority and it is very hard trying to get the message through that heavy plinths do not qualify as a suspension. Turntables are different because it is their job to "measure" vibration. No other component does this and is near as sensitive in this regard. Maybe some tube equipment is susceptible. You and Ralph would be far more knowledgeable on that subject than I am. I only have one tubed unit. But, I have a hard time believing and piece of electronic equipment would be as sensitive as a turntable.  

The old MFA luminescence preamplifier was one of the best sounding single-ended preamplifiers ever designed, and it used 6SN7, 6EM7,and 6SL7 tubes, all of which are octal-based triodes with large glass envelopes. I owned a luminescence that would sing if I turned the music up too loud and it was very obvious what was going on. I was able to tame them after a while. And with dampers. Sadly for those who love them as one of the best sounding small signal triodes ever built, the 6SN7 is one of the culprits for being especially microphonic. In fact, the best and most rare ones are often the most prone to microphonics. It’s a problem you live with, if you love the tube and how it sounds. Another thing to consider is that the level of microphonics for a given tube in a given circuit often is related to the signal gain developed inside the tube. I am beginning to suspect that in your AR preamplifier the 6922 is used as a cathode follower. Cathode followers develop no gain, and that may be why you are having no problem with microphonics even when tapping on the tube. Just a guess.

ARC put tube "prophylactics" (damping rings?) on the tubes. I have no idea if this cuts "microphonics"

:) of course it does! Warren Gehl of ARC came up with that material (he also designed the Sumiko Analog Survival Kit) and it is one of the best materials I've seen for controlling microphonics in low signal tubes.

@atmasphere,  I don't believe in miracles. ARC put tube "prophylactics" (damping rings?) on the tubes. I have no idea if this cuts "microphonics" 
@lewm , I'm not talking about hitting the tubes with a baseball bat, just light tapping. Yes the PH3-SE is a hybrid design. I think it uses a FET front end.  At some point you have to rely on experience. (and people you trust)

The next question is if tubes are microphonic how much energy or input does it take to make them sing and how does this affect sound quality. Will putting a tube phono stage on an isolation base change the degree or level of microphonics and can this be quantified. What about solid state. My preamp is digital. When I get home I'll put a wooden block on it and bang the block with a hammer to see what happens. That is way more energy transferred to the chassis than anything being transmitted by air or through it's feet. Once turntable is set up I'll do the same to the phono stage, the Oppo and the Apple mini to see what kind of noise I can generate. Next, I'll put my cell phone's volume up all the way and put it on speaker phone. Then I'll put the phone directly on each piece of equipment and I'll run a slow frequency sweep through the phone (what ever frequencies the phone will transmit). With the phone in direct contact with each unit that should transfer more energy to the unit than any system can. The the volume on my system turned all the way up we will see if we can hear anything!

If the military can make electronics that are immune to vibration so can the high end audio industry.

Yup! One of the ways the military does it is vibration mitigation solutions- for example EAR makes a bituminous based extensional damping compound that gets used in submarines. When tubes were involved they used isomeric mountings on the tubes sockets to limit vibration transmission to the tubes themselves.


BTW 6922s tend to be more microphonic than the 12Axx family of tubes since they were intended for instrumentation rather than audio. That you have a set that is so low in microphonics that you can't hear it when tapping on them is really unusual- so much that its in the realm of outright miracle.

Mijostyn, if everything boiled down to your personal experience, the world would be a simpler place to live, for sure. Tubes ARE microphonic, regardless of my or Ralph’s opinion. FYI, you may pay extra for quiet tubes from certain vendors, but what you’re paying for is lower than average levels of electronic noise, a good idea in a phono stage, but that spec says nothing about microphonics of that particular sample, which is a separate issue not usually measured by vendors, because microphonics will vary from one installation to another, even from one tube socket to another. 9-pin miniature triodes like your 6922s have a lesser tendency to be noticeably microphonic, compared to, say, octal base triodes like 6SN7 or 6SL7, so you’ve lucked out with your unit. But know that tubes can also become more microphonic as they age. Also, since the 6922 has modest gain factor, I am guessing your phono is a hybrid design, using transistors in combination with the 6922. This is another reason you might feel immune to the problem.

Couple^^^

Slab of PU foam or SorboThane between a cookie flagstones or marble pastry slabs 

I questioned the need for a SRA platform on my preamp and was assured by several that it was absolutely necessary. And when I asked if I also needed Stillpoints, I was definitively told that using them also would defeat the function of the platform. That it was designed for the stock rubber feet.
SRA has a military division which makes, among other things, vibration treatment for nuclear submarines. Thus, the Ohio and Virginia Class names for their platforms.
And about my preamp, if an electron microscope uses a vibration devise, why not a preamp?

I found the easiest fix for my customers was a wall mounted shelf (like the one from Project) on a load bearing wall. Worked every time. Hopefully there’s such a wall behind where you have your equipment set up!

@atmasphere and @lewm , I can tap on the 6922's in an ARC PH3SE and hear absolutely nothing with the volume turned up. I'm sure if I tap hard enough I could get an audible result. But tapping on the tube would have a lot more energy then you would get with air bourn vibration. I use super quiet tubes. My instinct is if a unit is sensitive to tube microphonics perhaps you might consider another unit. My only current experience in regards to tubes is my phono stage. So it is limited. But, having to spend money on effective vibration elimination would bother me. I would prefer spending the money on a better phono stage that was not so effected. 
The cabinet my system is in is also extremely rigid, more so than anything you can purchase. My system is immensely powerful using a total of 4000 watts, two 8 foot ESLs and four 12" subwoofers (soon to be 8) and the only device I feel the need to isolate is the turntable which comes so equipped. As I previously mentioned I can put the phono stage and turntable right on top of a subwoofer with no ill effect I can hear. You never want to trust what anybody "hears" and I certainly can not say this applies to every phono stage or preamp as I have only tested one. 
However, If lewm and atmasphere insist there are electronics so effected I am sure this is true. But, If the military can make electronics that are immune to vibration so can the high end audio industry. As far as I can tell none of the electronics I have excepting the turntable are sensitive to air bourn vibration. In the cabinet they are in structural vibration is not an issue. Maybe people should spend the money on a solid cabinet instead of isolation devices. 
@melm , I never have to change my balls. Perhaps you need a turntable that has no balls, something like one of those Audio Technica direct drive tables:-)

Thick slab of Sorbothane foam sandwiched between two marble slabs

FWIW I have a VPI TNT sitting on 4 hand balls, per the last of the VPI TNT suspension designs. It sits in a sandbox on a table, itself on a suspended floor. When I start hearing sound of walking on the floor, I know it’s time to change the handballs, about every 6 years. With new ones it’s quiet. I have a subwoofer that causes no problems whatever--and no high pass filter.

Since you probably have a different set-up, why am I relating this. Because it works so well that if I had a different TT I would get 3 or 4 flat pieces of wood, drill them out so that handballs could sit on them comfortably. Think Ginko.. And sit my TT right on them. Only other thing to do is to shim for level.  If the plinth didn't have sufficient weight, I would place it on a heavy cutting board and place the board on the balls.

Chakster, after I added a Velodyne 15” sub, my Altecs sounded much crisper at the low end and in the midrange, with improved stage imaging. 

I apologize for being too harsh, Mijo. Was trying for humor. By the way, my OTL Atma-sphere amps originally used the high current Russian triodes (6C33C) designed for use in their jet fighters on board radar. This was deemed advisable because tubes are immune to nuclear blast emissions whereas SS is not. The US countered with an even higher current triode, the 7241, which until not so long ago was used in our own radar installations, at Andrew’s Air Force Base in MD, for one example. It may still be in use, for all I know. Anyway a few years ago I converted my amplifiers from the 6C 33C to the 7241. They are way more expensive and harder to find, but the sonic benefits seem worth the effort and expense.

As a general rule, I look for the simplest solution as it is also usually the least expensive.

As many others have noted here, set the table on a platform that’s bolted to the wall. It’s worked for me each time, both in my NYC loft (where I held many dance parties with up to 100 pairs of feet pounding the floor) and in my new home in Newburgh NY. before: vibration bad enough to sound like the woofer was going to rocket out of the cabinet. After: completely gone.

SOLID TECH FEET OF SILENCE is a proven solution...their RACK OF SILENCE with the isolation system with TT shelf not only will work for your TT but for your front end equipment as well...Preamp...DAC...etc.

Pleased that you got the problem sorted...

D.J.’s from the past were used ash trays with rubber bands wrapped around them. Not insinuating that you are a DJ or a smoker but surely you get the idea. 

I endorse the use of wall racks.  I used a target rack for years in several different rooms, and holding a Linn Sondek.  Never ever a trace of footfall.

Mijo, Mijo, Mijo. You consistently mistake your own observations and opinions for science and facts. Tubes are microphonic, some more than others, and most tube gear does benefit from isolation and dampening. Not necessarily with spring suspension. Like I said, some guys even isolate, suspend, or dampen their solid-state gear, although the rationale for that is perhaps less obvious. If you ever looked inside a Halcro preamplifier, for one example, you would see that the entire printed circuit board has been sprayed with a rubbery coating to dampen vibration of the individual components. And that is solid state to the utmost.

Shock/vibration isolation of avionics is documented and easily accessed - examples  Microsoft Word - avioinics_iso_revC.doc (vibrationdata.com), and compressed_PC6116_AerospaceandDefenseIsolatorCatalog.pdf (lord.com).  Exactly what shock & vibration performance the avionics has to survive can be classified.

@atmasphere,

in my prior post I should have gone into greater detail, but for the OP, when the floor bounced in the upward direction, the turntable spring went into compression.  But because the spring was not stiff enough the spring fully compressed at which point the 'suspension' essentially bottoms-out and now there is no suspension and the force is transmitted directly to the table. 

In your circumstance, I suspect that the floor is resilient/soft enough that foot fall causes a ripple effect which then has vertical force component and a horizontal force component.   Use of ball bearings to absorb horizontal vibration is well documented; ergo, they worked for you. These vibration reducers originally were developed for audio use - Vistek - Designing with Series 320 Vibration Isolation Bearings (newport.com).

a tube phono stage is not a fly by wire computer, or 4 of them. 

While you might not find all that much about the particulars of the F-22 avionics detail design, you can learn a bit by looking for details on MIL specs for things like conformal coatings, potting, circuit boards damage, damage tolerance. ….

Some of us, who have built, tested and supported advanced systems will have a deep understanding of vibrational impact on both structures, analog and digital..including effects of EMP…

( in a time long ago, i had something to do with the F-22…. just a bit part…Let’s call it a third…. )

Aesthetix and Vandersteen both employ HRS products in or below products  for good reasons.

enjoy the music.

You would think just looking at a tube with it's delicate appearing insides that it would be sensitive to vibration. Is this reality or lay instinct? I use a tube phono stage which uses 6922's. It is not the tiniest bit sensitive to vibration, at least as far as I can hear and I have done some pretty crazy things. I have 25 foot long RCA interconnects from my Krell amplifier days so we put my turntable and phono stage on top of a subwoofer just for fun and to prove that the Sota was impervious to vibration. I had no intension of testing the phono stage. But, tonearm interconnects are only so long so the phono stage went with the turntable.

@mijostyn  In case you are still looking for proof, please take my comments here as such that can be demonstrated **very** easily. What your test above didn't take into account was how much vibration was actually getting from the sub into your phono stage. At any rate its unimportant; the word 'microphonics' exists for a reason; it refers to a sound that an active device like a tube can make when its vibrated. For this reason Ampex iso-merically mounted the circuit boards in their famed 351 vacuum-tube tape electronics, just as we do. So as a tube equipment manufacturer I can tell you that not only are **all** low signal level electronics (like a phono section or line stage) affected by vibration, but when you take steps to prevent it, the electronics will perform better. This is both audible and measurable. And yes, I'm including solid state electronics here- if you think they are immune, you are incorrect, although they are certainly less susceptible than tube electronics. But that is different from immune.

Damping materials, anti-vibration platforms and stands will all help low signal electronics in this regard.

@lewm , as far as F22 avionics are concerned I doubt the government would publish such information. For certain as you suggest the "brain" is oriented to gravity and it knows it's altitude and ground speed. It also knows how to fly the plane. There is no way you can protect the brain from the wild forces applied to it during aggressive maneuvering. The plane is capable of pulling at least 6 G's in any direction, more than any human could stand without a flight suit that supplies counter pressure. That would pull the wings off a 737. This is a lot more force than any coincidental vibration and there is no way to protect the electronics from this. They are just built to take it. I seriously doubt there is any "micro instability" Would you strap yourself into a Mach 2 fighter plane that relied on micro unstable electronics? I wonder what "micro instability" of 20,000 pound thrust vectoring would do?

I am also surprised @mijostyn that you doubt that a vibration platform would help with your phono stage.

What you don't seem to comprehend is that in addition to external vibrations, there are internal vibrations within components that can be drained with a good sub platform. Regardless of a slab or whatever. In these cases, you can get a multi layer platform instead of springs or podiums or whatever. From what I was told, SS is even more susceptible to this than tubes. 

Not so much on a turntable, so I buy the SME lack of need of vibration control. Also, the biggest beneficiary of vibration control is a CD player, even more that turntables for some reason.

Don't ask me, just ask Peter at Symposium Acoustics who has been doing this for 29 years.

Do what I did - move to a residence built on a continuous slab......silent as a tomb. Of course, the motive of the move was not to exorcise demonic vibration hobgoblins from my stereo systems, but it was a factor in my decision to buy this particular town-home that is now mi casa. My Thorens TD 160, 160 Super, and TD-320 have now been rendered impervious to the vagaries of heavy footfalls.....the only worry is that a cat might decide to use one of the 'tables as a trampoline while it's playing.

@lewm, the Russians used tubes in their military avionics until the mid 70s I think. You would think just looking at a tube with it's delicate appearing insides that it would be sensitive to vibration. Is this reality or lay instinct? I use a tube phono stage which uses 6922's. It is not the tiniest bit sensitive to vibration, at least as far as I can hear and I have done some pretty crazy things. I have 25 foot long RCA interconnects from my Krell amplifier days so we put my turntable and phono stage on top of a subwoofer just for fun and to prove that the Sota was impervious to vibration. I had no intension of testing the phono stage. But, tonearm interconnects are only so long so the phono stage went with the turntable. I'll bet you can guess the results. I think the high end was slightly rolled off but my brain would think that anyway because it knows to much about the effect of length on single ended interconnects. Otherwise, everything sounded exactly the same as before I moved the turntable set up. But again this was subjective and only an indicator.  I have never seen any proof that tube electronics are sensitive to vibration. If you have seen some I would love to see it. As far as what people hear?  Subjective evidence is an indicator. It does not rise to the level of proof. Lay instinct is a horrendous trap I think most of us have fallen for at one time or another. I certainly have which is probable the reason I treat these issues more cautiously. I am not about to go out and spend money on an anti vibration platform for my phono stage. I have no reason to.

My experience with a "VibraPlane" isolation device was that it not only isolated a turntable from the sub-sonic problems mentioned by the OP, but that even the placement of other equipment, like a CD player or DAC produces a surprising improvement in clarity and focus. I understand that they are used with electron microscopes to improve the clarity of the images. There seem to be quite a few used ones for sale on EBay from about $400 to $4000. It works, but they are HEAVY !!

I just suspended my audio rack, not the 70 pounds power amp, from the ceiling with ajustement screws, and a foam insert to the bottom to prevent excess of mouvement.

Mijo, I am rather surprised at your attitude toward isolating "electronics".  Perhaps you eschew the use of tube equipment as absolutely as you prefer spring suspended turntables, but anyone who does use tube equipment will know full well that tubes are sensitive to vibration, because all tubes are at least to some degree microphonic, and many types, especially some of those with larger glass envelopes, can be very microphonic.  Some of the more expensive tube equipment makers (e.g., Allnic) even go to the trouble of isolating tube sockets in an energy-absorbent gel. Without exception, I have found tube preamplifiers (phono and linestages) to benefit from isolation, and tubes benefit from "dampers".  As to transistors, according to Wiki one of their main advantages over tubes is a lack of sensitivity to mechanical vibration. And yet, many do use expensive isolation devices, for good or ill, with transistor gear.  Those persons would tell us what a huge improvement they experienced. Certainly, CD and DVD players do benefit from isolation, for obvious reasons related to the laser reading the disc.

Now, as regards the F22, in order for that airplane to fly, its piloting computer must be oriented in space at all times, so it can "know" how to maintain level flight and issue the correct commands in response to its pilot.  I have no doubt that its piloting computer must be encased in some sort of module that keeps it aware of level flight and is isolated from vibrations, because, like a phonograph stylus, if it is vibrating, even though its component parts are not sensitive to vibration, it might not be able to sense how to create stable flight.  Or perhaps it senses its own micro-instability and corrects for that.

For a long time I had troubles with foot falls regardless of my turntable.

Bought a Sound Anchors equipment stand which helped the sound a lot.


But the foot falls were still a thing.


Then I got anti-vibration platforms to go into the stand, one for the preamp, one for the turntable. This helped the sound a lot.

But the foot falls were still a thing.

Finally I got a set of bearings which were placed beneath the stand on the floor. The bearings I got were Aurios Pro bearings which aren’t made anymore but I’m sure other bearings could be used. This helped the sound a lot.

It also got rid of the foot falls.


My house at the time was about 100 years old with hardwood floors and they were a bit saggy. But I could jump up and down in front of the equipment stand and not hear it. That was the biggest improvement. So I’m going with the idea that the bearings’ ability to relieve side to side energy is what is important controlling footfalls.

When I first treated my table for vibration control, I got a Townshend seismic platform which really improved the sound, but it actually created foot fall problems that didn't exist before because according to Max Townshend, the frequency was very low and the suspended floor vibrations were amplified.

He said to get a wall shelf or tread lightly or go back to inferior sound. I was able to get sign off on the wall shelf by the assumptive close and now have the table on top of the Townshend platform which sits on top of a Project shelf. Nirvana.

A big 2x4 works for me. Every time I think of new speakers, turntable…my wife shows me the 2x4.  My listening room was a work shop originally and the floor is like a big spring -wobbling and shaking. A wall mount took care of that problem. I’m using the Pagoda Wall Mount. 

Get a piece of 2x4 and place it between the back 
of the rack where your turntable sitting (center)
 and the wall .That should take care of footfalls.

mglik, the advantages of isolating a turntable are rather obvious but a preamp? If electronics were sensitive to vibration F22's would be crashing all over the place. For those of you who do not know what an F22 is it is a fighter jet that can not fly without computer control. The pilot tells the computer what he wants to do and the computer does it for him. The control inputs are to complicated for a human. There is no manual option.