What are good turntable acoustic damping materials

Hi Faradayblue,

What portions of the Thorens do you wish to damp?

Best Regards,

Barry Kohan

Discalimer: I am a amnufacturer of vibration control products.

The TD 160 Super (1980s vintage) included damping material from the manufacturer. The internal sheet metal surfaces are covered in felt sheet. My question is whether newer materials perform better at damping/absorbing vibrations.

Suspension tables may not respond favorably to additional dampening. IMO, based on listening tests my LP12 didn't like a non-felt mat or the use of a clamp. Dampening the motor housing may provide some benefit but I have yet to try it but plan to. Geez, I'm probably going to take a hit on this, but those tables that over-use lead don't get my toe tapping in spite of some benefits such as a blacker background. There is an eBay seller that has a number of dampening devices for a Linn that seem interesting. I'd love to read an Audiogon review of his products. I'm also anxious to read what Bright Star Audio has to say. I've got an open mind on this topic.

Faradayblue, tread very carefully in "improving" the TD160 Super, as it incorporated many of the tweaks - damping materials and so forth - that were being used at the time. Over-damping will kill the dynamics of the 'table, lead sheet being especially dangerous in this regard. You should set up the 'table first and live with it for a while before attempting any mods, as only in this way will you know whether something is an actual improvement or not. Have you upgraded the tonearm (what is it, by the way?) or cartridge (ditto) yet? These are safer improvements until you get a handle on the 'table's strengths, so you can make wise decisions when you are ready to tackle the issue of changing the design somewhat. Here's a good source of info on mods popular at the time, complete with articles and so forth: http://www.theanalogdept.com/thorens_td_160_dept_.htm. An excellent website with reams of material.

The tonearm that came with the tt is manufactured by Mission Electronics. I know very little about this arm, please see my other thread on this subject. I'll leave it on for now. It also came with quite a heavy rubber after market mat, a "Unitronics Strobo-Mat". Regarding cartridges and cables, I'll initially swap the Benz Micro Silver and the Cardas Golden Cross from my TD 166 Mk II. I'll take your advise and listen to the table as is, for now.