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Tarzan
14-04-2010, 16:39
Afternoon peeps, as the title suggests, after having fitted the Isonoes, and been blown away by the performance, has any one gone any further and tried the Sorbothane Boots or indeed the glass Boots sold by Dave Cawley, for use with the Isonoes, worth the expense- thanks for any advice:).

DSJR
14-04-2010, 16:49
Am I correct in saying that the concensus is for the Isonoes as being best of all?

If the surface underneath is massy enough, you might not need any more..

The Vinyl Adventure
14-04-2010, 18:06
I bought some isonoe feet yesterday, set my deck today with them on and plonked it on my quadraspire stand. If the point of these feet is to isolate then I would say they are doing I fine job ... I turned the amp up pretty high with out a record playing and rapped hardly on the quadraspire stand with my fist with my yug hole by the speaker ... I could hear nothing coming through the speaker at all... That's a good thing right??

DSJR
14-04-2010, 20:08
Yep :)

MartinT
14-04-2010, 20:40
Agreed, the Isonoes give amazing isolation from the outside world. I didn't buy the boots but I did buy the glass bases. Don't really need them as the ball-bearing points under the Isonoes sit nicely on my Solid Tech system rack.

Tarzan
15-04-2010, 11:11
Did the glass boots improve the sound in any way Martin?:)

MartinT
15-04-2010, 11:19
Did the glass boots improve the sound in any way Martin?:)

Not that I could hear!

colinB
18-04-2010, 18:19
I bought some isonoe feet yesterday, set my deck today with them on and plonked it on my quadraspire stand. If the point of these feet is to isolate then I would say they are doing I fine job ... I turned the amp up pretty high with out a record playing and rapped hardly on the quadraspire stand with my fist with my yug hole by the speaker ... I could hear nothing coming through the speaker at all... That's a good thing right??

Hi Hamish, do you think its worth getting the feet with the perspex quadraspire unit then? Im thinking of buying bolts and replacing the perspex forks with them just to make the top shelf more ridged.

The Vinyl Adventure
19-04-2010, 10:24
it seems to be fine...
i dont really understand how, if the isonoes isolate the tt completely in the way they seem to, putting it on different stands would make a difference... but, knowing this hobby and all the forces that might or might not be at play... it probably does...
its early days with me getting the tt back and with the cartridge being new, i want to let it settle in before i try working out if different stands make a difference...
i will be trying a few things in a week or so, so i can get back to you if you like... at the moment it doesnt sound wrong or bad... in fact it sounds very good... but that doesnt mean that it wont sound better on something else...

colinB
19-04-2010, 12:28
Sorry Hamish, im so wrapped up in my stuff i over looked the fact you have a new cart. Congratulations, probably the ultimate upgrade.Ofcourse youll have to let it break in before you can tell anything.
Im just obsessed with making the stand a bit more rigid. I just bought some bolts on e bay to replace the isolating forks. Im also thinking of a flat quad shelf and maybe some of the fancy Quad spike shoes which are meant to give stability to the rack ( 80 quid!!!) . Or maybe ill just go and see a therapist.

The Vinyl Adventure
19-04-2010, 16:07
fancy Quad spike shoes

what are they then?... i have been mulling over something a bit more solid to use as a top shelf but drew a blank... my only real isue is as it is at the moment with the music works spikes then top shelf sags slightly under the weight of the tt... fortunatly the design of the isonoes counteracts the slight sag... but if your sat in my listening chair it does look a little bit crap
let me know how you get on

colinB
19-04-2010, 17:54
Interesting you found the sag leveled out with the footers. I think the bolts that arriving tomorrow were someones spare parts. They might purely be cosmetic and produce no tension on the shelf. Ill tell ypu how i get on.
The footers are called qx7s, tiny little things that cost 4 times more than their basic floor skeets. They bite the neck of the floor spike rather than the tip and are meant to create better stability for the rack as well as more energy dissapation. I think ive read a thread by steve toy on them and House of Linn dealers recommend them to Linn speaker owners over the Linn floor skeets. Could be an expensive dud though.
The other thing is the suniko vent shelf on top of the rack. I think that would look great and you would have more chance of supporting the Deck on the chassis rather than the corners as a lot of people are recommending. The shelves cost £200 and have a slightly different threaded collar design which may not be compatable with the music works. Then of course their is the basic quadraspire wood/MDF shelf which go cheap on e bay.
As you can see ive been thinking about this a lot.
If their is one thing im not happy with its the sound loses resolution and dynamics during very busy parts. That might be nothing to do with support and everything to do with the limitations of the stock arm i guess.:scratch:

colinB
19-04-2010, 18:02
Just had a thought about our floppy plastic forks . I read that their isolation purpose is to detach the source from the metal poles, but im not sure thats a big issue, especially for me as i use Partington speaker stands which ring like church bells i comparison!

The Vinyl Adventure
19-04-2010, 19:33
Your getting my thinking too much about it now... ;)

this is one of the corners of my rack

http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww282/hamish_gill/3384bd3d.jpg

you can just about see the wonkyness of the isonoe ... But i'm not sure that's an issue!

Maybe there is nothing wrong with putting it on a rack like this? It just seemed that a lot of people were having success with a very solid foundation... But the isonoes are wibbly wobbly by them selves... So what bad is a wibbly wobbly stand with very good isolation properties... These stand are just like big isonoe feet ... Good at isolation but wibbly wobbly... ???

colinB
19-04-2010, 20:43
That looks pretty good Hamish. Plus you can set the table spot on which is difficult with the boots.
My problem is if the rack can move on a horizontal plane then the stylus can shake around the groove while its tracking. This was a real issue for me in my previous place which had suspended floors and a lot of traffic vibration. My system sounds much better in my new place but the acoustics were terrible before and the speaker allingement far from perfect.
I asked someone at the Stockport shop about it and they told me to buy a TT shelf. It didnt feel like i was talking to the right person though and it didnt seem appropiate to ask at the show because they were focused on promoting their speakers.

colinB
19-04-2010, 20:46
Oh yeah, and im not happy with the sag because i think its putting a inward stress on the bearing point, but that doesnt look like an issue with the isonones.

The Vinyl Adventure
19-04-2010, 21:12
Hmm, see I also have suspended floors, but fortunatly I live on a quiet street so have no issue with external vibrations like that as far as I know... So the only thing that could wobble the stand is the turntables motion, or the music it's self...
I have absolutely no bloody idea what either of those things are doing to I stand that is suposed to be designed to deal with such things???

The Vinyl Adventure
19-04-2010, 21:14
I'd thought about a wall bracket too... But the wall behind my tt is a window...

colinB
19-04-2010, 21:29
I dont have good solid walls for a shelf. Im going to experiment tomorrow and ive fired of an email to Larry at music works. Lets see if i get an interesting response.
I would be happy to sort this out so i can get on with my arm change and PSU to be honest.

The Vinyl Adventure
19-04-2010, 21:38
That's a good idea, of course the response will no doubt be positive as far as what the music works/quadraspire racking does for a turntable but it will be interesting to
get a that point of view... Il post a thread on vinyl engine too see what that brings up...

colinB
19-04-2010, 21:52
That would be great Hamish. Im to scared to go on there!

The Vinyl Adventure
19-04-2010, 21:56
Here you go - http://www.vinylengine.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=202797#202797 hopefuly something might come up

I'm wondering about sitting my racks on some stone on some platfoam like I have my speakers... But I'm not sure that would provide any ferther advantage

The Vinyl Adventure
19-04-2010, 21:58
That would be great Hamish. Im to scared to go on there!

Scared, how come? It's not as freindly as here by a margin but it there's a load of familar faces..

MartinT
19-04-2010, 22:05
But the isonoes are wibbly wobbly by them selves...

Only when they're dangling. Once the deck sits on them they are very stable with superb damping.

MartinT
19-04-2010, 22:07
It's not as freindly as here by a margin

Agreed.

colinB
19-04-2010, 22:12
I find the y dont suffer fools gladly and my TT knowledge could be described as foolhardy.

The Vinyl Adventure
19-04-2010, 22:16
I supose, but there is still some play in them isn't there?
What's your take again on this martin?

The Vinyl Adventure
19-04-2010, 22:17
I find the y dont suffer fools gladly and my TT knowledge could be described as foolhardy.

Stuff that, I couldn't give a crap if they think I'm thick as long as I learn something... You don't know if you don't ask eh?

MartinT
19-04-2010, 22:27
I don't really know, Hamish. Mine sits on a sprung rack but with a firm shelf, certainly no flex in it at all. The two levels of isolation (Solid Tech and Isonoe) give me complete freedom from feedback induced effects, even at stonking volume.

I'm afraid I can't really relate to what the Quadraspire is doing.

colinB
19-04-2010, 22:29
Never a truer word said. Im beginning to think the science of audio isnt an exact science anyway and is open to personal interpretation.

colinB
21-04-2010, 09:19
Got the bolts yesterday Hamish and with the forks of , the shelf sag is gone.
It looks a lot better now, £16 in total so im happy.
Im still thinking of the isonoes and ive been reading arguements for and against.

Several people have stated that the record weights/pucks work better with isonoes as opposed to sorbothane footers, and for this reason alone im tempted.

I can buy them 10 mins away from where i work in a DJ store but not sure yet.

Do the isnoes grip the perspex or do they have a tendency to slide around?

MartinT
21-04-2010, 09:27
The Isonoes each sit on three ball bearings. I don't find they slip that easily but then mine sit on wood. I can add to support for Isonoes plus a good record weight. The isolation and additional focus are excellent.

The Vinyl Adventure
21-04-2010, 09:38
Take a photo for me if you can mate, I think I already have the things you are talking about ... Hold on il link Steve toy to this thread he's the quadraspire expert rounds these parts he can prod she a bit of light on what these bits are called and the advantages of various options as he sees it...

The Vinyl Adventure
21-04-2010, 09:39
Il see if he can split this thread into a new one too as we have kinda drifted the hell out of it now...

colinB
21-04-2010, 09:46
It was your posts that kept catching my attention Martin.
To my mind a deck isnt a deck if it doesnt have a posh weight on top and ive got my eye on a clearlight RDC puck from audio seduction.
The idea of coupling the record to the deck with weight makes sense to me so its not entirely empty headed vanity.

So if weights dont sound good with the sorbothane im going to have to go shopping i think. Im enjoying the relaxed presentation of my music at the moment compared to my cd set up so i wouldnt want an edgy sound. I think you described it as " precise and focused" which sounds good i think.

The Vinyl Adventure
21-04-2010, 10:37
I got my weight (and a cd) back from jerry the other day, but left it at the shop, gonna go and fetch it in a bit as I'm begining to notice some slightly wayward dynamics (if that makes sence) I'm hoping the weight will tighten things up a bit as it did in my last set up...
Steve has pointed me to someone who might know a few things about what we are talkin about

colinB
21-04-2010, 10:59
I would have thought the sound would be a bit of balance until the new cart has settled no? Not that id know , my carts have always been second hand

Rare Bird
21-04-2010, 11:00
Am i right in asuming people don't use wall mounted TT shelves anymore?

The Vinyl Adventure
21-04-2010, 11:05
cant do it mate... there is a window behind my rack

...

Steve i cant find the guy you mentioned on here

The Vinyl Adventure
21-04-2010, 11:05
cant do it mate... there is a window behind my rack

...

Steve i cant find the guy you mentioned on here

colinB
21-04-2010, 13:17
Got an email from Larry Hamish, he feels it has no effect on the sound when the shelf bows but some people buy a q7 shelf if the hole in the music works shelf is to big.

Steve Toy
21-04-2010, 17:29
The little QX cross-shaped plastic bits are rather brittle and tend to break easily. I used the QX4s as cable lifts and they were quite effective. They are pretty useless under kit already supported by an acrylic table though.

I confess I've never tried to isolate a Technics deck other than Marco's at Scalford which worked extremely well.
I have also heard a basic spec LP12 on wobbly acrylic QS Ref utterly trounce a fully Naimed LP12
(Armageddon, Prefix, Lyra cart, Aro tonearm etc) on a more rigid QS stand notably for dynamics.

If you are concerned about wobbles that actually only occur in the horizontal plane then keep your turntable rack as low as possible - runt shelf plus two with short rods.

colinB
21-04-2010, 18:02
Thanks Steve, i get your point about shortening the rack to stop the wobbles.
The quad accessory i was talking about was the qx7 metal skeets or floor spikes. Im sure i read a post by you saying how much a difference they made

Steve Toy
21-04-2010, 18:46
I've never tried them.

colinB
21-04-2010, 18:57
Sorry, dont know where i read the review now and im certainly not spending £80 on something that doesnt significantly add to sound quality