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Turntable cones/spikes or shock absorbing feet?

How about both?

I've dorked around with my turntable (SL1210) feet various ways over the two years. Recently I tried something that turned into a real keeper:

I had been using the Parts-Express solid brass Dayton speaker cones as the threads fit the Technics. They were seated directly on a butcher block turntable and were noticeably better than what I'd had before.

What I tried was taking a set of "floor savers"--those flat metal discs with an indentation in the center for protecting floors and shelves from spikes--and placing the cone points on the floor savers, and placed the floor savers on top of a set of weight-matched Vibrapods.

Voila! This made everything better--no tradeoffs. Lower noise floor, better imaging, better dynamics at both ends, better inner detail.

The problem is that it's hard to come across floor savers of sufficient diameter to perch on the suspension doughnut of the Vibrapod.

But there's another way: Herbie's (maker of the Way Excellent TT mats) makes these cone/spike grounding bases, which combine floor savers of various sizes with an underlayer of his dBNeutralizer(tm) pad.

The Vibrapod website also mentions this type of arrangement, but as I said, the challenge is finding a floorsaver big enough to use with Vibrpods.
johnnyb53
artmaltman
769 posts
 
This might be a matter of taste. I have always loved sprung tables, LOVED them. They seem to have more depth, more imaging, more reality, to ME. By putting rubber under yours you have kind of taken a step in that direction. So I'm with you on that.

There are others, from what I've read in various forums, who vastly prefer solid "suspension" under turntables. I think they feel the sound is more precise and focused. I don't get it, but that's life I guess.
johnnyb53 OP
3,510 posts
 
04-28-09: Artmaltman
This might be a matter of taste. I have always loved sprung tables, LOVED them. They seem to have more depth, more imaging, more reality, to ME. By putting rubber under yours you have kind of taken a step in that direction.
No doubt there are different tastes in turntable playback. In my case, I want to retain the speed precision and unwavering torque of a direct drive, but introduce some of that relaxed presentation so characteristic of suspended designs.

So my suggestion may be better for a direct drive like the Technics and maybe other unsuspended designs. Many users equivocate over whether to get the springy Isonoe footers from KABUSA or the Threaded Heavyfeet from Mapleshade. Both or direct screw-in replacements on the Technics. I think the best may be a third way--get the brass heavyfeet to transfer internal vibrations out of the motor/plinth area into the feet, but put the feet on an energy-absorbing polymer to help dissipate the transferred vibrations. That way you keep the slam and bass clarity that cones give you with a lighter, airier presentation than all hard parts.
johnnyb53 OP
3,510 posts
 
Sorry to bump my own thread, but has anyone here used the Soundcare SuperSpikes? For an audiophile product, the baseline product is reasonable ($67.50 for a set of four). You can get a self-adhesive model to go under components, or threaded versions in M6 or M8, or 1/4" or 5/16" threads. Those thread sizes fit most speakers that are supplied with threaded spikes, and M6 is a drop-in replacement for Technics SL12x0 feet. A nice alternative to the more expensive Isonoe Footers or Mapleshade Threaded Heavyfeet.

They are very widely and positively reviewed. The design uses a hardened steel spike clad in a vibration damping zinc foot, terminated in a spike point that goes into a steel receiver, all encased in a scratch-resistant plastic foot. Rated up to about 880 lbs. so I guess they could even be used on Wilsons.

So this strikes me as a bit of a hybrid, and could be made into more of one with a Vibrapod or Foculpod under each foot.
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