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Simple & Cheap Way to Cut Turntable Vibrations

This OP is dedicated to Elizabeth, A'gon's paragon of audio economics and sensibility.

I accidentally discovered a way to substantially reduce bass and vibration feedback into my VPI Classic turntable. Oh, I have to thank my wife too. Last week my wife asked me to place padded furniture stickies under the feet of our bed to protect the hardwood floor.

I looked as these cheap gizmos and said to myself, I have a better idea. I place a padded sticky under each foot of my TT. I was amazed by how much it really reduced feedback. I even knocked on the el cheapo IKEA table on which I placed the TT -- no feedback. Trust me, the IKEA table is the worst place to put any audio equipment, especially a TT.

Try it folks and let the rest of us know what you think.
bifwynne
bifwynne OP
2,206 posts
 
@Sbrownnw - will try to comply. Problem is if wife finds out what I did, I'll catch heck. LOL :-)
lewm
13,065 posts
 
A few years ago, I was visiting a waterjet cutter who was cutting slate for me. He does a lot of work (most of his work) for industry. Around his shop were sheets of very stiff and very light black styrofoam, much higher in quality and structural stability that what we find in soft drink containers, for example. The sheets are 3 to 4 inches thick, and are used to ship very heavy yet fragile materials. He gave me lots of it, and I find it is very effective in isolating my Technics SP10; I put a rectangle of it under each of the three footers, between the footers and the shelf. I believe the stuff is quite analogous to a Neuance shelf, now sadly no longer available. I am always looking for stuff like this; there is no need to spend big bucks for good foundations, IMO. (See elsewhere my tt feet made from cans of Mandarin orange slices in water.)
dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
Lew,

I bet you'd get better isolation by using Mandarin orange slices *without* the cans.
lewm
13,065 posts
 
Here's the thing, Doug. If the cans didn't work, I could always eat the contents. For $3 per footer, you can't go wrong. But I confess I in a sense spent a little more than $3; I had some truly "audiophile" Black Diamond Racing carbon fiber tiptoes lying around, so using double-sided tape, I fixed a tiptoe to the bottom of each can. Thus the weight is borne by the tiptoe and it transmits force to the bottom of the can but not the rigid edges of the can. The thin slightly flexible tin that comprises the top and bottom of a can provides a touch of springiness with a resonant frequency probably close to 2-3Hz, certainly less than 5Hz. And energy imparted to the bottom of the can is dissipated in the contents of the can, which being heterogenous and "chaotic" will easily dissipate it. I should probably market this, only instead of calling it "Mandarin orange slices in water with a tiptoe glued to the bottom", I would call it.... well, for that I need a PR guy.
schubert
7,386 posts
 
IKEA tables are like Harbeth speakers, thin so they don't store energy.
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