Using Maple Butcher Block Under a Turntable

@blueranger My opinion....

It has been my recent experience that using rubber for turntable damping does not seem to produce the desired results.  Removing the "half inch high damped spike stands" that use rubber may have cleaned up dynamics and the midrange.  At least that has been my experience with a couple of VPI tables.    

That's only my opinion.  YMMV.

Yep it made a difference for sure. Thanks for agreeing. Now I really want to couple directly to the maple bypassing the myrtle Wood blooks. Just need a longer screw spike to raise the AS TT high enough for the belts. 

Butcher block on cork fiber. Great isolation. 

I use a 19.5" x 16.25" x 3.5" maple block on cork/rubber in a SolidSteel WS-5 wall shelf (have also use sorbothane disks under the block). My Clearaudio Ovation sits on top of that. However, when I had it made I had it done as an edge grain. Now I am talking to Butcher Block Acoustics about making me a custom end-grain 3" maple block in the same size.
I am also planning to audition a set of HRS Nimbus feet to see if it improves the system further.

Anyone have thoughts on using maple vs cherry vs walnut for a butcher block base? Maple is harder than the other two (Janka scale for maple 1450, walnut 1010, cherry 950). Cherry would match my system the best. I guess my real question is how important is the relative hardness of maple, or does one just begin to arrive at dimishing returns for a certain hardness? I'm going to put a 40 lb. unsprung TT on it.