@slaw.. you're funny, I like how particular you are. Yes, you are right, I do owe you thanks for bringing up the idea of springs. So thanks!
Also for the idea of getting rid of rubber. That's where the wooden balls for rega feet idea stemmed from. I ended up doing that well before the springs and forgot that I got the idea from this thread.. I get them mixed up sometimes.
So, how does it sound?
Here are the changes I've made 'because' of this thread. They may not have been mentioned, but the ideas here got me thinking..
- removed 3/4" teak cutting board on inner tube used as iso platform, replaced with bigger 2" thick maple butcher block on inner tube. Sound became quieter, which, in the past I didn't like. But upon further analysis, the butcher block reduced feedback, which was why it was quieter. Recent upgrades in amps, PCs, SCs and ICs let me hear this difference more clearly.
Then I got rid of my rega rubber feet and used wooden balls in their place. I put a small piece of no slip carpet cushion under each ball to stop the turntable from sliding (a problem since my motor sits on the butcher block). This cleared up the sound. Mids and highs had better definition and more separation from each other and the bass. Oddly, this has resulted in a more coherent sense of music.
And finally, the springs. I replaced the inner tube with 4 springs from Grainger. They are ~9 lb/in rate. I tried three before I drilled counter sink holes, but the instability of three without being counter sunk led to a wobble that looked like the whole thing would fall over. So I never listened to just 3. Also, if I'd have wanted to go with 3, I'd have needed a higher spring rate, as the 3 were far to compressed. Switching to springs has also improved sound clarity and has mostly led to better bass definition. It's cleaner and tighter.
Good stuff!
Not suggested here, but removing the tt motor from the plinth and making a mount to put it on the butcher block made a YUGE improvement in sound too.
