Best Turntable Isolation Materials

[gene]

If you want the best performance no matter what level of quality or price you have invested on your beloved turntable, selecting the right materials for isolation feet and platforms is essential for maximizing your turntable's performance. We'll help you find the BEST ways of isolating your turntable for better performance.

Read: What Are the Best Isolation Materials for Turntables

If you are interested Xavier's turntable setup and calibration services, reach out to him at: captainanalogue@gmail.com

 

[Speedskater]

Two key factors are the weight of the turntable and the frequencies that you want to isolate.

 

[highfigh]

Rega was mentioned, but like many others, has used MDF as their base for a long time. They don't always conceal this by finishing the edges well, either.

Here ya go-

Rockler Bench Cookie Plus Work Grippers, 4-Pack

Lift, grip and protect your work with Rockler's Bench Cookie® Plus Work Grippers — pack of 4 is perfect for most average-sized panels!

www.rockler.com

 

[Troy.]

I use those Air balloons used for shipping. I suppose they do all right

 

[dlaloum]

It all comes down to what you are trying to absorb or dissipate...

The spring constant and the mass, will define the frequency of a systems resonance - so anything with give - you need to make sure that the native resonance will be "out of harms way" (beyond audible frequencies...)
And damping - different materials will damp at different frequencies, and they will refract vibration at different rates and frequencies, resulting in situations were some of it is damped, and some of the energy is emitted at a different frequency - which then has to be tackled seperately!

My solution with a unsprung solid base turntable and a sprung vintage wooden room floor...

Layer 1 - 5 large sorbothane pucks (act as dampers/absorbers at certain frequencies, and springs at others)
Layer 2 - large very massive/heavy concrete paver 60cm x 60cm
Layer 3 - more Sorbothane under feet of rack sitting on paver
Layer 4 - Ikea "Lack" tables stacked to make a rack - paper honeycomb structure tends to damp/absorb high frequency vibrations - it is very light, and needs mass, which is provided by roughly 50kg of equipment (AVR, power amps, phono stage, PC, Power conditioner)
Layer 5 - firm silicone rubber feet replacing the original TT feet, 5 of them pressing against the resonant cheap plywood underside of the TT
Layer 6 - Internal to TT plinth, between plywood underside and MDF/Roswood veneer top - plasticine stuffing and plasticine in "toilet rolls" cut to size, and compressed between plinth and underside - plasticine is providing both mass, springy damping, and it is an excellent absorbant damping material.

Getting there was a saga that took months, experimenting with a wide variety of materials and devices - and using the needle placed on the (immobile) platter to detect vibrations and feedback... mag Lev feet were tried, various materials and sizes of silicone and sorbothan (and other) feet, pucks and domes were tried - and each was measured.

End result was a massive improvement for that specific turntable.

Having said that, my other turntable, with a sprung isolating base, saw only a very marginal improvement... but it wasn't suffering from issues in the first place! (horses for courses)

 

[Stanton]

Some of the same isolation techniques that apply to turntables apply to speakers/racks/etc. The one I have used (literally) for decades is something called Tiptoes; while the company that originally made them is no longer in existence, this article gives you some tips (pun intended) on how to find them. I even combined them with something called Sonic Saucers (by Pangea Audio) to isolate my speakers on a hard/concrete floor (where I used to have carpet).
The best part? Neither of these solutions "break the bank"!

 

[Mikado463]

the weight of my TT (VPI Aries III) with platter is 70 lbs, I utilize a maple butcher block under it, completely satisfied.

 

[davidscott]

the weight of my TT (VPI Aries III) with platter is 70 lbs, I utilize a maple butcher block under it, completely satisfied.

So, what's the size and cost of this butcher block and where did you get it? I have some rubber/cork isolation feet on top of my glass stand on carpet. Pretty decent isolation for my lightweight REGA Planar 3. But always looking to add more. Never had a problem with skipping due to footsteps but then I don't tend to walk around when I listen to music.

 

[Mikado463]

So, what's the size and cost of this butcher block and where did you get it? I have some rubber/cork isolation feet on top of my glass stand on carpet. Pretty decent isolation for my lightweight REGA Planar 3. But always looking to add more. Never had a problem with skipping due to footsteps but then I don't tend to walk around when I listen to music.

I've had it so long I can't remember !

the 4 legs of the rack are filled with sand/lead shot, weight of the entire thing is around 300 lbs, it's carpet over concrete

 

[leo7422g]

It all comes down to what you are trying to absorb or dissipate...

The spring constant and the mass, will define the frequency of a systems resonance - so anything with give - you need to make sure that the native resonance will be "out of harms way" (beyond audible frequencies...)
And damping - different materials will damp at different frequencies, and they will refract vibration at different rates and frequencies, resulting in situations were some of it is damped, and some of the energy is emitted at a different frequency - which then has to be tackled seperately!

My solution with a unsprung solid base turntable and a sprung vintage wooden room floor...

Layer 1 - 5 large sorbothane pucks (act as dampers/absorbers at certain frequencies, and springs at others)
Layer 2 - large very massive/heavy concrete paver 60cm x 60cm
Layer 3 - more Sorbothane under feet of rack sitting on paver
Layer 4 - Ikea "Lack" tables stacked to make a rack - paper honeycomb structure tends to damp/absorb high frequency vibrations - it is very light, and needs mass, which is provided by roughly 50kg of equipment (AVR, power amps, phono stage, PC, Power conditioner)
Layer 5 - firm silicone rubber feet replacing the original TT feet, 5 of them pressing against the resonant cheap plywood underside of the TT
Layer 6 - Internal to TT plinth, between plywood underside and MDF/Roswood veneer top - plasticine stuffing and plasticine in "toilet rolls" cut to size, and compressed between plinth and underside - plasticine is providing both mass, springy damping, and it is an excellent absorbant damping material.

Getting there was a saga that took months, experimenting with a wide variety of materials and devices - and using the needle placed on the (immobile) platter to detect vibrations and feedback... mag Lev feet were tried, various materials for Deep Carpet Cleaning and sizes of silicone and sorbothan (and other) feet, pucks and domes were tried - and each was measured.

End result was a massive improvement for that specific turntable.

Having said that, my other turntable, with a sprung isolating base, saw only a very marginal improvement ... but it wasn't suffering from issues in the first place! (horses for courses)

Great

 

[davidscott]

I've had it so long I can't remember ! View attachment 70368
the 4 legs of the rack are filled with sand/lead shot, weight of the entire thing is around 300 lbs, it's carpet over concrete

Nice

 

[TLS Guy]

If you want the best performance no matter what level of quality or price you have invested on your beloved turntable, selecting the right materials for isolation feet and platforms is essential for maximizing your turntable's performance. We'll help you find the BEST ways of isolating your turntable for better performance.

View attachment 70120

Read: What Are the Best Isolation Materials for Turntables

If you are interested Xavier's turntable setup and calibration services, reach out to him at: captainanalogue@gmail.com

I know this is counter intuitive at first site, but we never had this problem with turntables until they started floating the platters and arms on springs back in the late sixties.

Prior to that turntables like Garrard, Sugden Thorens and Goldring etc. were bolted down hard. We never had an isolation problem back then. My Garrard turntables are still the most immune, although the whole mounting of the three turntables has zero issues of this type. Zero feedback or skipping going across the floor.

That is how it was done in the fifties and most of the sixties, and we never had an isolation issue that I can remember. So I think we have gone on marching down a blind fork in the road for years.

I think the reason behind the rigid mount is correct from an engineering standpoint. That is because the frequencies that cause the trouble are the lower ones. They don't transmit well if at all through rigid surfaces, and as they enter rigid structures their frequency is massively increased as the speed of sound increases massively passing through rigid wooden surfaces, which also has high damping factor as well at those high frequencies.

This is a feature of design we have got wrong for over half a century.

 

[KenM10759]

I know this is counter intuitive at first site, but we never had this problem with turntables until they started floating the platters and arms on springs back in the late sixties.

Prior to that turntables like Garrard, Sugden Thorens and Goldring etc. were bolted down hard. We never had an isolation problem back then. My Garrard turntables are still the most immune, although the whole mounting of the three turntables has zero issues of this type. Zero feedback or skipping going across the floor.

That is how it was done in the fifties and most of the sixties, and we never had an isolation issue that I can remember. So I think we have gone on marching down a blind fork in the road for years.

I think the reason behind the rigid mount is correct from an engineering standpoint. That is because the frequencies that cause the trouble are the lower ones. They don't transmit well if at all through rigid surfaces, and as they enter rigid structures their frequency is massively increased as the speed of sound increases massively passing through rigid wooden surfaces, which also has high damping factor as well at those high frequencies.

This is a feature of design we have got wrong for over half a century.

Whenever I see that photo of with the chart of equalizations for various record labels that produced 78rpm records, I'm reminded of why I really resist getting into 78's and quad records.

 

[highfigh]

Some of the same isolation techniques that apply to turntables apply to speakers/racks/etc. The one I have used (literally) for decades is something called Tiptoes; while the company that originally made them is no longer in existence, this article gives you some tips (pun intended) on how to find them. I even combined them with something called Sonic Saucers (by Pangea Audio) to isolate my speakers on a hard/concrete floor (where I used to have carpet).
The best part? Neither of these solutions "break the bank"!

The TipToes- mostly used for speakers, right?

Like these?

Dayton Audio DSS4-SN Satin Nickel Speaker Spike Set 4 Pcs.

Dayton Audio DSS4-SN Satin Nickel Speaker Spike Set 4 Pcs.By rigidly coupling a loudspeaker enclosure to a floor by means of a "spiking" system, it is possible to dramatically improve clarity, stereo imaging, and bass response. This is especially apparent with subwoofer systems. The Dayton Audio...

www.parts-express.com

 

[TLS Guy]

Whenever I see that photo of with the chart of equalizations for various record labels that produced 78rpm records, I'm reminded of why I really resist getting into 78's and quad records.

78 records and Quad records are part of our audio history. 78 RPM records from acoustic to electrical recording where the best technology available at the time. Quad records were loony, but still part of our history.

 

[dlaloum]

78 records and Quad records are part of our audio history. 78 RPM records from acoustic to electrical recording where the best technology available at the time. Quad records were loony, but still part of our history.

Quad records (or rather CD4 records) were very high tech too - requiring the needle to be able to read up to around 40kHz - it led to the development of sophisticated line contact needles and the ultra low tip mass designs ...

It moved the entire industry up a level of performance - not to be sneezed at.

The levels of performance that CD4 led to, are rare in todays market - in fact in terms of cantilevers, the state of the art has gone backwards.... the ultra low tip mass designs that were on all the flagships in the 1980's and 1990's are simply extinct today. (with the exception of the Dynavector Karat)

 

[TLS Guy]

Quad records (or rather CD4 records) were very high tech too - requiring the needle to be able to read up to around 40kHz - it led to the development of sophisticated line contact needles and the ultra low tip mass designs ...

It moved the entire industry up a level of performance - not to be sneezed at.

The levels of performance that CD4 led to, are rare in todays market - in fact in terms of cantilevers, the state of the art has gone backwards.... the ultra low tip mass designs that were on all the flagships in the 1980's and 1990's are simply extinct today. (with the exception of the Dynavector Karat)

Who the Hell told you that BS? Quad sound on LP was two channel sound as obviously you can record more than 2 channels on a vinyl record. So they played tricks with phase which wa an extension of the old Haffler technique. It was phase matrix and did not require an FR to 40K. There was competing systems which made it even more of a mess.