isolation blocks

[karma67]

another little tweak worth doing is sticking these under your turntables feet or between layers of wood. i noticed an improvement in decay straight away.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BVEMLR4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71d8cC4j3ZL._SL1500_.jpg

[mad-moon]

Nice spot Jamie....these will work a treat.....they do cork sandwiched between rubber too....taking up to 50 psi....have you tried them out Jamie??.....ha..Just re-read your post...and of course you have tried them....

https://www.amazon.com/Pack-Anti-Vibration-Rubber-isolation/dp/B01IU6WT5O/ref=pd_cp_60_1?pd_rd_w=psW8O&pf_rd_p=ef4dc990-a9ca-4945-ae0b-f8d549198ed6&pf_rd_r=6Q9QYZJZ2MEGJWWBKZ6C&pd_rd_r=afe3d039-7a17-11e9-8eca-197ff42c4bb5&pd_rd_wg=SKRxt&pd_rd_i=B01IU6WT5O&psc=1&refRID=6Q9QYZJZ2MEGJWWBKZ6C

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91Y-A8NXv7L._SL1500_.jpg

[MikeMusic]

I like the price !
I see others as well. Will punt around Amazon UK.
Wow. All sorts. Food for thought

Are you using 3 or 4 under the turntable ?

[karma67]

i got mine from the amazon.com,they arrived in no time at all.
i use 4,1 under each foot and another 4 between 2 shelves. :cool:

https://i.postimg.cc/jj8xRwv9/IMG-3321.jpg

[Bigman80]

i got mine from the amazon.com,they arrived in no time at all.
i use 4,1 under each foot and another 4 between 2 shelves. :cool:

https://i.postimg.cc/jj8xRwv9/IMG-3321.jpgThere is a suggestion that using pads like this directly under the TT can kill dynamics.

Have you noticed anything like that?

[Macca]

They're not squishy like some isolaters though. I think it is the squishiness that kills 'dynamics'.

[Bigman80]

They're not squishy like some isolaters though. I think it is the squishiness that kills 'dynamics'.Ah, cool. I'll have a look at these then.

[Macca]

If I was still turntabling I would deffo get some to try.

[karma67]

There is a suggestion that using pads like this directly under the TT can kill dynamics.

Have you noticed anything like that?

not in the slightest mate but as macca says they are not squishy,they dont sag until the weight of the sony plinth and you know how heavy that is.

[JohnG]

I am keen to begin with trialing different materials for isolation feet.
I have access to this material in 300mm x 300mm pads, which I was considering to use under the Monoblock Amps. It would potentially have ended up in the TT Isolation Investigations as well.
I see it is used as Sub Plinth Foot and Sub Foot Support in your set up.
How did using this and increasing the positions of use in the support set up, show up as a improvement in your the system.
I recently took my SP10 to a friends to trial out a few different MC's, after a few tracks we tried out different footers, initially by placing the needle on a Non Spinning LP, and having a light knock around the Stand and Sub Plinths and then the TT Plinth.
After swapping out a few different materials and then combining materials, between the TT and the Sub Plinth, a combination of a thin foam as a base, a 10mm Blackwood Billet , another thin foam, a 10mm Blackwood Billet and a Soundcare foot making contact with the TT Plinth, produced a foot that was largely unaffected by the Light Knuckle Knocks on the Stands and Plinths, when compared to some of the earlier ones.
On the first replay, following the last combination of materials foot being put into use, there was a immediate audible difference, Bass was much more clean,taught and cut off very precisely, I am sure there were other benefits offered as well, but maybe not so obvious.
I am curious to learn if a certain type of tweak is beneficial to all, or whether they are room and stand dependent.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Here's my input for what its worth. I've experimented with Sorbothane under my Isonoe footers on my 1210 and they killer dynamics, BUT, I then tried Sorbothane in between the the Isonoe sto sit screw thread and the 1210 itself and this worked a treat. Detail was improved at no loss of dynamics. I also made some ebony footers to sit under the Isonoe feet and things improved marginally again.

[JohnG]

Looks like Ebony/African Blackwood/Mpingo, all closely related in genus, are offering a positive effect when included as part of a foot.

[karma67]

I am keen to begin with trialing different materials for isolation feet.
I have access to this material in 300mm x 300mm pads, which I was considering to use under the Monoblock Amps. It would potentially have ended up in the TT Isolation Investigations as well.
I see it is used as Sub Plinth Foot and Sub Foot Support in your set up.
How did using this and increasing the positions of use in the support set up, show up as a improvement in your the system.
I recently took my SP10 to a friends to trial out a few different MC's, after a few tracks we tried out different footers, initially by placing the needle on a Non Spinning LP, and having a light knock around the Stand and Sub Plinths and then the TT Plinth.
After swapping out a few different materials and then combining materials, between the TT and the Sub Plinth, a combination of a thin foam as a base, a 10mm Blackwood Billet , another thin foam, a 10mm Blackwood Billet and a Soundcare foot making contact with the TT Plinth, produced a foot that was largely unaffected by the Light Knuckle Knocks on the Stands and Plinths, when compared to some of the earlier ones.
On the first replay, following the last combination of materials foot being put into use, there was a immediate audible difference, Bass was much more clean,taught and cut off very precisely, I am sure there were other benefits offered as well, but maybe not so obvious.
I am curious to learn if a certain type of tweak is beneficial to all, or whether they are room and stand dependent.

well to be honest i made no logical decision to go for these blocks,i read somewhere that a guy had tried them under his turntable and a few others commented they'd done the same with positive results.
so i thought id try them at the price ,cheap enough to give them a go.
i listen to a lot of john williams and julian bream (acoustic guitar) and to me the blocks just add a touch more decay to the strings,likewise with harmonics,so for me they are staying put.

my train of thought is the less micro vibration or resonance that gets through to hinder or mask what the stylus is picking up the better,i should really get a wall mounted shelf but for the moment these blocks are a step forward.

[Macca]

my train of thought is the less micro vibration or resonance that gets through to hinder or mask what the stylus is picking up the betterd.

Yep a stylus is massively sensitive to all that stuff which is why doing pretty much anything to turntable setup will noticeably change the sound albeit not always for the better. I wouldn't bother with the hassle and expense of fitting a wall shelf though unless you have a suspended floor as walls still transmit vibrations.


I still reckon a sand tray has to be the ultimate in isolation. If you think about it, to transmit vibration through sand every single grain has to be set in motion.

[karma67]

im pretty sure its a pot and bean floor,40's or 50's council flat,there is a spring to the floor if you bounce up and down but that could be down to me being a fat c**t !
ive always liked the inner tube method but you have to keep adjusting the air pressure which put me off.the sand tray seems fairly easy to fabricate so thats another option to try
making a wall shelf for me is easy as i work with metal so i may just scratch the itch.

im not sold on the knocking or tapping test for vibration as in reality when a record is playing nothing that severe is happening at that level but im no expert.

[Bigman80]

im pretty sure its a pot and bean floor,40's or 50's council flat,there is a spring to the floor if you bounce up and down but that could be down to me being a fat c**t !
ive always liked the inner tube method but you have to keep adjusting the air pressure which put me off.the sand tray seems fairly easy to fabricate so thats another option to try
making a wall shelf for me is easy as i work with metal so i may just scratch the itch.I have a good old fashioned tongue and groove floor. A wall shelf was the only logical choice. I made a booboo by using ply board for the shelf part but it really did wonders for the turntable.

[Macca]

im not sold on the knocking or tapping test for vibration as in reality when a record is playing nothing that severe is happening at that level but im no expert.

I agree, might as well hit the deck with a cricket bat and say 'Ooh it didn't like that!'. It's not really telling you anything useful.

[Wakefield Turntables]

well to be honest i made no logical decision to go for these blocks,i read somewhere that a guy had tried them under his turntable and a few others commented they'd done the same with positive results.
so i thought id try them at the price ,cheap enough to give them a go.
i listen to a lot of john williams and julian bream (acoustic guitar) and to me the blocks just add a touch more decay to the strings,likewise with harmonics,so for me they are staying put.

my train of thought is the less micro vibration or resonance that gets through to hinder or mask what the stylus is picking up the better,i should really get a wall mounted shelf but for the moment these blocks are a step forward.


At the end of the day you've found a decent tweak that works well for you and you've shared with everyone else, that's the spirit of the forum!

[Jimbo]

So many ways of Isolating turntables, I think it is a matter of trial and error. Every material will influence the sound but you can't beat heavy mass built into the turntable to isolate it effictively. However I am sure owners of Rega turntables will disagree!;)

I have tried all sorts of materials, however I have found a combination of Isolation material works best. The different materials and layering of Isolation all cancelling out different levels/ frequencies of vibration. I would put effort into this rather than rely on one particular isolation material.

My own turntable Isolation starts with 4 Vibrapods(sorbathane), then a slab of compact laminate followed by the turntable feet which are cones sitting on ball bearings. The cones are also isolated with a dense foam material from the actual turntable. Finally the turntable has a massive sheet of solid steel bolted to the bottom of the plinth which is made of MDF.
The whole lot sits on a wood table.

The whole combination works very effectively and I can wack up the sound level in my small listening room without any adverse airborne or any other type of vibration affecting the sound in a detrimental way.

[JohnG]

I forgot to include in my earlier post, the Sub Plinth was Maple that was supported by a Kiln Dried Sand Bed.
The sand bed was set up, as a result of working with a CDP Isolation Platform.
The method incorporated had the most positive effect on the CDP.
I believe a very fine grade of sand was used, not sharp sand.
Another way to make a sand bed for a Plinth is to cut open a bicycle inner tube, seal one end, pour in Kiln dried sand, and then seal the open end, this method has been used for to control vibration on Telescopes and Long Telephoto lenses. It will be totally stable, as the moisture level of the sand will be sealed, it will be more user friendly than a bed of sand exposed to the air.
A really skilled type, where Hifi is concerned might be able to take this method a little further.
Slit the inner tube carefully, insert a small funnel, add Kiln Dried Sand, reseal the tube with a puncture repair kit.
Add a little inflation to the tube, or maybe that is taking it a little too far :mental:

[karma67]

I forgot to include in my earlier post, the Sub Plinth was Maple that was supported by a Kiln Dried Sand Bed.
The sand bed was set up, as a result of working with a CDP Isolation Platform.
The method incorporated had the most positive effect on the CDP.
I believe a very fine grade of sand was used, not sharp sand.
Another way to make a sand bed for a Plinth is to cut open a bicycle inner tube, seal one end, pour in Kiln dried sand, and then seal the open end, this method has been used for to control vibration on Telescopes and Long Telephoto lenses. It will be totally stable, as the moisture level of the sand will be sealed, it will be more user friendly than a bed of sand exposed to the air.
A really skilled type, where Hifi is concerned might be able to take this method a little further.
Slit the inner tube carefully, insert a small funnel, add Kiln Dried Sand, reseal the tube with a puncture repair kit.
Add a little inflation to the tube, or maybe that is taking it a little too far :mental:

thats given me food for thought :)

[antonio]

Jamie, have you tried bypassing the feet on your tt with wooden cones? I have my PTtoo on 4 wooden cones, sitting on a bamboo board with sorbothane between the board and the hifi stand. I have recently purchased a Technics SL150 and I am going to try 3 stillpoints (only have 3) and don't have any more cones, between the tt and bamboo board. My theory is to get rid of unwanted vibration in the tt, I may be talking nonsense though. :lol:

[Primalsea]

I think that either coupling or isolation can work but you have to find the correct way to do it. Unfortunately the calculations are quite difficult and I suspect even if you did them mass distribution across a tt is not usually very uniform, so most people just try different things until they find something that works.

I cast some silicone blocks and put them under the feet of my Garrard 401 that’s in a slate plinth. They’re soft-ish but not squidgy and they do isolate the tt from vibrations in the unit. Even opening and closing the doors of the unit don’t seem to effect playing at all.

[Mikeandvan]

Just ordered 4 of these, my flat is above a busy restaurant and there is an air conditioner unit on the side of my kitchen/living room wall, this emits some serious and I mean serious vibration.

[Ammonite Audio]

Just ordered 4 of these, my flat is above a busy restaurant and there is an air conditioner unit on the side of my kitchen/living room wall, this emits some serious and I mean serious vibration.

You should report that to your local council’s Environmental Health department and they should investigate and take action since something is clearly not right. Usually the problem with these things is noise impacting on nearby properties, but if the vibration is that bad, then noise is most likely unacceptable too.

[Mikeandvan]

You should report that to your local council’s Environmental Health department and they should investigate and take action since something is clearly not right. Usually the problem with these things is noise impacting on nearby properties, but if the vibration is that bad, then noise is most likely unacceptable too.

I thought about it, but I doubt there's anything the restaurant is doing that is illegal, mind you I did stuff an old shirt inbetween the extractors fluke and my wall, it helped a lot, another thing now is the smell due to overflowing bins, they'll do anything to save money. The thing with the council is that no immediate action can be taken, you have to keep a 'nuisance' diary and that is a chore in itself!

[Flo]

A cheap trick copied from several commercial designs, I have several sets of cones with adjustable\removable spikes. Take three, remove spikes on two and replace with a piece of rubber or cork. Place a trio of cones under kit, two blunt one spike. The spike acts as a ground point a la Goldmund or vertex, and with fine tuning of placement and material can be very efficacious.
I swear by Stillpoints , the old component stands are superb under Kuzma pipebomb ,good value s\h

[Flo]

Ps don’t mix and match diff approaches, Mixing muddles things. Elastomer style isolation to me is thick an slow, spikes just focus the prob. Air is great but can be pricey, I still have seismic sinks I made from shopper bike inner tubes and Mdf, i also like wooden blocks , very big in Japan, along with putting kit on floor.

[walpurgis]

A cheap trick copied from several commercial designs, I have several sets of cones with adjustable\removable spikes. Take three, remove spikes on two and replace with a piece of rubber or cork. Place a trio of cones under kit, two blunt one spike. The spike acts as a ground point a la Goldmund or vertex, and with fine tuning of placement and material can be very efficacious.
I swear by Stillpoints , the old component stands are superb under Kuzma pipebomb ,good value s\h

Surely a single hard point with two compliant contacts converts general vibratory lateral oscillation, as with three compliances, into arc movement to and fro radial to the axis created by the hard point? Is there a benefit?

[AJSki2fly]

Yep a stylus is massively sensitive to all that stuff which is why doing pretty much anything to turntable setup will noticeably change the sound albeit not always for the better. I wouldn't bother with the hassle and expense of fitting a wall shelf though unless you have a suspended floor as walls still transmit vibrations.


I still reckon a sand tray has to be the ultimate in isolation. If you think about it, to transmit vibration through sand every single grain has to be set in motion.

Well I think Martin you may be onto a very good solution there, I think I will be going to buy some kiln dried sand and the right size inner tube to fill with it to go under a platform. :thumbsup:

[Flo]

The tripod thing has been used by vertex for years,not sure of science but it has an effect , sandboxes again bright star been doing expensive versions for years.

[JohnG]

Things have evolved in my investigations, where there is now a footer device being used that has a very noticeable effect on the SQ of a TT.
The noticed improvement is in certain cases difficult to fathom, especially when a known and working footer set up is side lined with immediate effect, once this one has been put into service as a footer.
IMHO compared to materials I am familiar with as footers, this device surpasses as a footer all materials in any combination used prior to the discovery of this latest device.
The device now given the go to role as a Footer is the Solid Tech 'feet of silence'.
The effect these have had on Idler Drive and Belt Drive in the systems they have been loaned to has been very well noted for the improvement.
The footers have done extensive periods on loan, and are very much missed when returned.
Placing them under a Loudspeakers Cabinet or Stand has had a very positive effect as well, even though in their present make up, they are not robust enough for certain speakers weights, they can still deliver a noticeable improvement in SQ.
The most obvious effect on a speaker is how the Bass Cleans Up and the sound stage creates the perception that has a greater volume within the room.
It is easy to prejudice this type of device if a solid grounded footing is the desired one.
Having a TT or Speaker that is suspended on Rubber Rings that allow for a lateral movement, is very strange for a period of time.
I would like to think that a more robust type was to become available, it would make a much better match for certain speakers carrying extra weight.

[chrisph]

another little tweak worth doing is sticking these under your turntables feet or between layers of wood. i noticed an improvement in decay straight away.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BVEMLR4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71d8cC4j3ZL._SL1500_.jpg

Karma,
many thanks for sharing this idea. Have just ordered two packs of four. Hopefully a nice cheap upgrade.
Chris

[Made in 1968]

Ive used not the same brand but the same thing under a pair of Yamaha 'HS' Desktop active monitors.. They are common place in Home Keyboard studios..

[chrisph]

Karma,
many thanks for sharing this idea. Have just ordered two packs of four. Hopefully a nice cheap upgrade.
Chris

Well I thought I was ordering two packs of four but actually ordered just two. Doh! May cut them in half and see how that goes rather than order more.

[Mr.Ian]

Thought I had found these cheap at £3.42 each inc vat from airconspares but £8.99 shipping wacks the price up, I will keep looking

[Mr.Ian]

I think I might make my own, Garden Kneelers are made of EVA and cost about £1 each, stick on some ribbed neoprene and hey ho...

[AJSki2fly]

On the first replay, following the last combination of materials foot being put into use, there was a immediate audible difference, Bass was much more clean,taught and cut off very precisely, I am sure there were other benefits offered as well, but maybe not so obvious.
I am curious to learn if a certain type of tweak is beneficial to all, or whether they are room and stand dependent.

Influences will be stand, room dependant(solid or suspended floor etc), the quality of isolation by the turntables feet, the material used in the plinth of the turntable and how well it is decoupled from the platter, and how well the arm is decoupled from the plinth if bolted to it. So many things will impact the isolation of vibrations getting to the stylus this as a whole.

[Mr.Ian]

Cant say i noticed any sound improvement with my diy version. I did find the garden kneeling pads squashed easily but cured that with inverted cork place mats on top. There has been a noticable benefit in cooling though. Several of my devices run warm to hot. The extra gap below has lowered the case temperature. Just putting my hand on the cases i can feel the difference

[SquireC]

I think the important message here is that you don't have to spend squillions of pounds on fancy equipment shelves and (possibly) over engineered adjustable feet and so on.

Everyone's equipment, listening room, mains quality, external environment and traffic vibration, means that you need to fine tune your own system with your own ears.

I like Soundeck's vibration absorbing discs and turntable mat, I also have a slab of granite under my valve amp, use bamboo butchers blocks and boards, and acrylic semispheres I have shipped over from Italy. I just found The Range stores are doing bamboo pastry boards very cheap if anyone wants to try some form of bamboo support. And I use hair clamps to stop cables touching each other and surfaces (A very cheap but easy way to improve system sound).

Experiment. It's very enlightening.

[StingRay]

You can buy these on Amazon.co.uk for £13.49: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B00BVEMLR4/ref=dp_olp_afts?ie=UTF8&condition=all