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Turntable - On the Wall or to the Floor?

I'm in the process of buying a new analog front end. It was recently recommended to me that I make every effort to put my turntable on a stand that's tied into my "real" wood suspended floor rather than put it on a wall.

I have a 1920 farm house and the floors are loose, wavy, and I can't find a level spot. I once tried my Billy Baggs stand with my old turntable setup and this was scary.

My walls are 2x6 and plaster. I was going to use a Target shelf that's secured to the studs. Doesn't this method also tie the TT to the floor since the studs and floor joists are tied? Any suggestions?
kennythekey
kennythekey OP
593 posts
 
Wow...that is interesting...remove anything attached to the wall accept the TT. Well there goes my favorite painting and my wife's surface mounted curio cabinet on the other side...bye...bye. Seriously, if stuff is just attached to the plaster, like a painting, do you think that's a transfer issue?

In essence the wall becomes the stand. This suggests that audio stands with doors are probably susceptible to the same problem.

Have you done anything to stop the shelves/doors from vibrating and did this help?

Ken
halcro's avatar
halcro
2,664 posts
 
Don't worry about paintings or other items attached to the wall Kenny.
It's important to use strong metal brackets into the studs (or masonry) and then an MDF, plywood or wooden shelf on the metal brackets.
You then simply need spikes between the shelf and turntable as Dolph suggests above.
All these steps should effectively 'decouple' any Structure-Bourne sound transmission from affecting your turntable.
frogman
7,467 posts
 
I would not worry about a picture on the wall, but I would be careful with any built in cabibets or closets. I disagree about spikes/cones serving to decouple the turntable from the shelf. I can induce feedback with the table on spikes much sooner (lower volume), than when placed on a compliant material such as sorbothane pucks. You are correct, the wall becomes the stand. experimentation for best isolation is the key.

Good luck.
kennythekey OP
593 posts
 
I talked to my dealer, and he recommended that I get a slab of slate for my particular turntable. He said that it has excellent dampening qualities and is a good match (synergy) for it. He's experimented with a lot of different materials, so it sounds like it's a good place for me to start and perhaps be done.

He also mentioned that it need not be very thick, and I plan to use it as a substitute for the stock Target shelf. The stock feet that come with my table are Stillpoints.
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