I'm new to hifi and am about to collect a Luxman PD264 however I am obviously going to have to isolate the TT on a platform.
Now I've spent the last 24 hours looking online at platforms and there seems to be an endless list of options from tennis balls, marble, wood, squash balls, sand boxes, inner tubes....help!!!
What would you recommend? It has to look nice, can't be wall mounted and also I'd like to do DIY for the challenge.
Now I've spent the last 24 hours looking online at platforms and there seems to be an endless list of options from tennis balls, marble, wood, squash balls, sand boxes, inner tubes....help!!!
What would you recommend? It has to look nice, can't be wall mounted and also I'd like to do DIY for the challenge.
Try squash balls. Far from ideal but will get you started. Most good solutions are commercial and expensive. One DIY solution may be a "sandbox" as long as it sits on a good hifi rack. If you don't have a good rack consider buying one (used is perfectly fine if available) or building one first, then worry about isolation of the turntable.
I've always been curious about the Luxman tts, the better ones had a vacuum hold down system that was apparent very effective.
I've always been curious about the Luxman tts, the better ones had a vacuum hold down system that was apparent very effective.
Unfortunately most cheap attempts at isolation such as squash balls and the like are more detrimental to the sound than nothing at all. If you really need isolation, the only thing that works really well is a pneumatic isolation table like a Vibraplane.
John
John
not the only answer....
Although I have never had any personal experience with Vibraplanes (which are reportedly excellent), I do have a little "insight" into some existing products out there.
There are few types of products available commercially:
Many products use combinations of products to isolate a component. Remember the whole point is to minimize the possible influences of the environment on the component. Vibrations ultimately must be turned into mechanical energy. If wanting to experiment with a Vibraplane, an inexpensive version can be built using a suitable mass of air and two pieces of good plywood or mdf. Put one piece of board down. Put an inner tube from a bicycle, ATV or get a "donut" seat cushion. put some amount of air into the tube, place the second board on yop of it and then put your TT on top of that (may have to move the TT around on the board to find a spot where the TT will sit and stay level). Push down on the upper shelf. Any "bounce" that exists needs to be adjusted to attain 3-7 Hz before settling to a stop. I did this to my old cd player and it did what I thought it might: reduced glare and increased the apparent dynamics. This is due to a combination of dampening of the chassis of the cd player, and isolation of the cd player from the environment. It costs only a few dollars to try.
I have not kept the inner tube under my cd player as it can be a little awkward. I know the Vibraplane is a lot easier to use, but someone slightly handy could make a "clone" pretty easily. Look for reviews of various isolation feet and other devices and see the comments made in the eviews. You may be able to make something similar, whether feet, cones, or shelves (I have a very nice example of a DIY shelf for my turntable that is extremely light weight).
Although I have never had any personal experience with Vibraplanes (which are reportedly excellent), I do have a little "insight" into some existing products out there.
There are few types of products available commercially:
- isolation feet
- mechanical coupling feet
- heavy mass shelves
- isolated shelving and stands
Many products use combinations of products to isolate a component. Remember the whole point is to minimize the possible influences of the environment on the component. Vibrations ultimately must be turned into mechanical energy. If wanting to experiment with a Vibraplane, an inexpensive version can be built using a suitable mass of air and two pieces of good plywood or mdf. Put one piece of board down. Put an inner tube from a bicycle, ATV or get a "donut" seat cushion. put some amount of air into the tube, place the second board on yop of it and then put your TT on top of that (may have to move the TT around on the board to find a spot where the TT will sit and stay level). Push down on the upper shelf. Any "bounce" that exists needs to be adjusted to attain 3-7 Hz before settling to a stop. I did this to my old cd player and it did what I thought it might: reduced glare and increased the apparent dynamics. This is due to a combination of dampening of the chassis of the cd player, and isolation of the cd player from the environment. It costs only a few dollars to try.
I have not kept the inner tube under my cd player as it can be a little awkward. I know the Vibraplane is a lot easier to use, but someone slightly handy could make a "clone" pretty easily. Look for reviews of various isolation feet and other devices and see the comments made in the eviews. You may be able to make something similar, whether feet, cones, or shelves (I have a very nice example of a DIY shelf for my turntable that is extremely light weight).
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