Using Maple Butcher Block Under a Turntable

 Pour some maple syrup on your turntable. Then you’ve really got something. But seriously, audiophiles will argue over anything. Some will say that one kind of hardwood sounds better than another. And I have read pro and con arguments around the use of maple under components. In the end, if you’re happy, that’s good.

Of the major food groups Spam is the king of dampers on butcher blocks. Not too soft, not too hard. Just right. And the best part is if Spam doesn’t ring your bell sound wise you can make some sandwiches with it.

You've never read, evidently, any of my old posts about using cans of Mandarin Orange slices in water, DelMonte brand only, as turntable footers.  I did an A/B comparison to Del Monte sauer kraut; Mandarin Orange slices in water won.  $2 per footer; you cannot go wrong. Both my Lenco and my Denon DP80, imbedded in slate slabs, rest on Mandarin Orange slices in water. I suspect maple syrup would result in a warm, colored sound.

This is not necessarily my opinion, but the folks at Mapleshade (most of you know who this is), say that butcher block maple, or any maple that is kiln dried cured (dried in large ovens), is the worst thing you can put under your turntable. He uses maple logs that have been sitting outside for years, to air dry. They claim this to be best. They also say it is the most non-resonant. Remember, this is their opinion.

Special mix concrete isolation platform. More dense than normal concrete but a third of the weight. Works fantastic under everything. Can get them specially designed in any shape thickness or color.