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Are You Sorbothane Experienced?

I couldn't find any discussions on user experiences with sorbothane isolation feet, so decided to start one. I recently purchased a set of 4 40mm sorbothane feet for my Music Hall mmf-5 turntable. 
Setup was less than favourably a one-man affair, so it was a rather precarious endeavour.

One thing that adds to the difficulty of what I imagined would be an entirely straightforward installation, is the fact that the sorbothane feet easily distort under the slightest off-centre loading. That means you have to adjust them incessantly  at both top and bottom contact points until you miraculously have all 4 perfectly vertically loaded perpendicular to your turntable's factory feet as well as your shelf. In my case the shelf is by Salamander.

Once you've managed all this and justifiably rather pleased with yourself, guess what? Your turntable may or may not be level as it was prior to the installation. So, level the TT at the shelf rather than at the adjustable feet, as are standard on the MH, because adjusting the feet would upset those super squishy sorbothane isolation pucks. 

The listening verdict: I honestly can't say that I can hear any difference during before & after playback of Jimmy Cliff's Wonderful World, Beautiful People.

I'm curious to learn of your experiences, if any. Cheers!
avdesigns
terry9
2,341 posts
 
Did you say '40-year-old home'?  I don't recall the exact dates, but it was around that time that aluminum wiring was used instead of copper. This was a terrible idea because aluminum is a little hard to terminate, and poor workmanship resulted in fires.

You might want to consider checking the wiring. Your best audio investment may be in improved wiring - copper or copper, one size heavier than code (code usually specifies 14 AWG for a circuit, so use 12 AWG for audio circuits, and industrial quality sockets). I use a subpanel on the other side of the house, fed by a fat 2 AWG cable, which powers isolation transformers for the audio.

terry9
2,341 posts
 
AV, you said you were frugal, so I mention that in some jurisdictions, it is perfectly legal for a homeowner to do his own wiring. Just make sure that you memorize the relevant sections of the applicable electric code, hire a good electrician to walk you through the first day, and make certain that every circuit is inspected before you energize.

Never work on a live circuit. Check with a multimeter, every time. Don't work alone.

Please follow the law exactly here - no shortcuts. It protects you and yours from a hundred horsepower hidden behind the walls. You will need rubber soled shoes, assorted screwdrivers, pliers, wire stripper, and a decent multimeter, like a less expensive Fluke.

Good luck!!

avdesigns OP
29 posts
 
Terry9 - I'm frugal but also risk averse, so I always hire professionals. The wiring was mostly addressed during the home inspection & was the responsibility of the seller (the original honeowner). But her contractor could not "see" everything, so my contractor uncovered additional issues, which he resolved (more or less). Still other issues remain to be addressed.
dentdog's avatar
dentdog
498 posts
 
Terry9,
I believe you mentioned in another thread that you used a sticky damping material on your Trans-Fi. Could you please elaborate?
Thanks
terry9
2,341 posts
 
@dentdog 
Hello Dent. I used a sticky, jelly stuff known as 'MOONGEL Damper Pads'. It comes in thin strips about 1" x 1.5", and is mainly used to tune drum kits by changing the resonance patterns.

Pieces on the Tomahawk wand above the cartridge, and at several points along the wand, work wonders. A few pieces on the saddle also help. The sound becomes more focussed and precise, but at the expense of some sweetness. This can be corrected electronically by changing the dielectric on RIAA capacitors, especially if you are using teflon, or by a marginal increase in the RIAA values.

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