2. tech-talk
  3. 1159047391

recommendation for turntable vibration damping

hi!
i recently moved into a new home and just completed a project to install insulation under the floor (in the crawlspace). this was done to save on heating costs, but i figured it would also help to dampen vibration from the floor. the floors themselves are fairly cheap with thin carpet over them. (we are likely to install hardwood floors in about a year or so.)

anyway, after the insulation project was complete, i noticed that if i tapped my foot (as in moderate footstep), i could see my turntable shake. i'm wondering what steps i could take to reduce this vibration.

here are some relevant details:
>> VPI Aries on a Bright Star Air Mass 19, sitting atop a...
>> Finite Elemente "Spider" rack built up about 24" with a preamplifier, CD player, and VPI SDS also on it/weighing it down.

the rack is modular (which has served me well during a few moves) and is lightweight.

i'm wondering what my options are for reducing vibration -- i don't think i can afford a big/heavy rack right now.

is something like a bright star 'big rock' advisable? i would imagine loading it down with sand would really weigh down the rack and, presumably, dampen vibration. (they're not cheap, though...especially for the size i need for an original aries. i don't have an outboard flywheel, but i may get one one day.)

i'm open to any thoughts.

thank you in advance.
ebalog
valve_and_vinyl
19 posts
 
You'll really be happy with a wall mounted turntable. I used to walk with such care- now I can do whatever. Before I had a wall mount, I wouldn't want to get up during playback- not even to answer a phone/door for fear that I would make the needle jump! I felt like once to record had started- I was a prisoner. That's not to mention my active 3yr old who loves to jump around when the music is on. I was constantly trying to keep her from dancing, and I though 'What's wrong with this picture!? She loves music; Just like her dad.' Now it's nice to watch her do her dance routines without worry. :)

The overall fidelity was improved, too. Bass got tighter- highs more silky...
valve_and_vinyl
19 posts
 
I just thought of something-

Why not consider buying TWO target shelves? If you did it right- you could space two shelves apart so that your TT was suspended in the middle gap (each pair of feet resting on 1 shelf). That way you'd have even better isolation, underneath access (for suspension adjustments), and room on either side for a dedicated phono pre and/or misc cleaning and maint gear.

I might do this myself!
sean
6,231 posts
 
Valve & vinyl: Better measure the distance between the TT's footers and the required spacing of the shelves on the wall before making that purchase. It would be a real pain to go through re-installing the new shelving in the manner that you described only to find that it won't work as planned. You don't want to ass-u-me too much on something like this : ) Sean
>
surfgod
229 posts
 
I did it with an old Michael Green AV clamp rack. What I did is discard the middle shelf. In between the top & botton shelf I placed two large hand selected cinderblocks,
some cut 2X4 wood planks under & above the bricks. Using spikes & floor protectors the entire rack was tightened & leveled. You can play a record, jump up & down right next to the table and your TT will not miss a beat. Thats what I called vibration damping
ebalog OP
31 posts
 
Installed the wall-mounted shelf today and it made a huuuuuge difference!

The impact it has was not at all subtle.

I need to preface this next statement by saying that I often do not hear the effect of some "upgrades" that folks rave about. (I'm not saying the improvement isn't there, but many times I just don't experience it.) I'm not a detail/soundstage freak, but did hear a couple things on records on familiar records that I'd never heard before.

This got me more of an improvement than I had hoped. I think I still need to address some of the floor issues (particularly bracing from below), but it's not as serious a concern with the rest of my system as it was with the source.

I was listening to a live recording of Spanish guitar and could hear some "hand slaps" against the body of the guitar that I'd not noticed before. I think previously they were muddled and lost in the vibration of the source.

Thanks for the advice. As mentioned above, I will still plan to sue it as I make improvments. I'm just glad the main issue is taken care of. Having the TT on a compliant floor really sucked all the life out of the system.
More to discover