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Turntable placement and isolation

Hello,
I have a Clearaudio Concept turntable which was so far placed on a rack behind the two front floor standing speakers. I am currently changing the layout of my 2 channel system, removed the audio rack from that imaging-sensitive location and placed all electronics on the carpeted floor between/behind the speakers. Each component, except the turntable, is currently placed on a maple plywood (1 inch thick) which sits on the thick carpet. The floor is a wooden suspended floor. I am also trying out HRS platforms for isolating the electronics. I need some help/advise on the turntable placement on the floor. What are your thoughts on putting a turntable on a platform on the carpeted floor? Is this going to seriously degrade the sound? What could be used to isolate the turntable from the carpeted ground such that there are no footfall issues? I would really appreciate your feedback.
Thanks.
indranilsen
wolf_garcia
6,744 posts
 
My Linn Basik/Akito instructions recommend a light but stiff shortish table which I happen to have. They're right, and it worked amazingly well (suspended wood floors). I switched to an "audiophile" table with room for LPs and an extra amp on a shelf (room for my phono preamp also), and it works somewhat less great but still effective enough to leave it...but yeah...a light low table...who knew?
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
Indranilsen, that is the absolute worst thing you could do. Bass is loudest at boundaries, walls and floors. The turntable should be on a heavy platform as far away from the system as you can get it 3-4 feet off the ground. Ideally you would take your turntable and phono amp put them in another room and use balanced interconnects. The best lay out is to use mono amps next to the speakers with very short speaker wires then long balanced interconnects to the low level equipment back near the listening position in a free standing rack, turntable and phono amp in the next room with long balanced interconnects. If you have an IR repeater and a remote control you can put everything in the next room. This is the absolute best if your system doubles for theater work.
indranilsen OP
113 posts
 
@mijostyn- I agree with you on moving the turntable and other electronics to a different room as possibly the best solution but it is going to be a lot of work for me. So it is an option but I am really hoping that something else would work out and I don't have to move everything to the next room....
In the mean time I have tried putting the turntable on a 2 inch thick maple block placed on the carpet and it didn't do anything to stop the footfall issue.
Thanks.
cd318
2,636 posts
 
@wolf_garcia,

"My Linn Basik/Akito instructions recommend a light but stiff shortish table which I happen to have. They're right, and it worked amazingly well (suspended wood floors). I switched to an "audiophile" table with room for LPs and an extra amp on a shelf (room for my phono preamp also), and it works somewhat less great but still effective enough to leave it...but yeah...a light low table...who knew?"


Basically that was my experience too. Vastly better than any wall shelf I tried. And I tried a few.
indranilsen OP
113 posts
 
@wolf_garcia & @cd318- Thanks for your feedback. Could you tell me the dimensions of this audiophile table? A picture would even be better if possible. I am trying to avoid placing any large rack/table between or behind the front loud speakers to enhance the imaging and hence curious about the dimensions.Thanks.
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