TT Isolation

EndersShadow

Anybody have any decently cheap plans to isolate a TT? I know about the sandbox idea, but was curious if anyone had physical plans for something like a wall mounted bracket and shelf?

hochpt21

When I was researching this idea...the feedback I received was that wall mounting was the way to go.

That wasn't an option for me, so I ended up trying sorbothane balls, and vibrapods...and using them both. The combo made a significant difference. Prior to using the isolation, the TT would skip if I even walked "heavily" near the TT...now I am able to dance with the kids right next to the thing without skips.

I think I got one set off the bay and one off the zon. They were about $25 per set of four, so that was about $50 total.

As you know there are a number of ways, but that's what I got.......good luck.

dkg999

I use one of the Gingko Cloud platforms, which is not an inexpensive option. Prior to that I had good luck with some vibration control feet from Herbies.

strider

I wall mounted mine using heavy duty shelf brackets from Home Depot bolted directly into the concrete block foundation. On top of the brackets I had a shelf made from 6 pieces of 3/4" MDF laminated together with Liquid Nails construction adhesive. Painted the whole thing with automotive undercoating. Had the TT sitting on brass footers from Mapleshade. Definitely low tech, but it worked fine.

mhardy6647

Even Music Direct has some very reasonably priced wall shelves. And "Music Direct" and "affordably priced" are two phrases rarely found in the same sentence! ;-)
http://www.musicdirect.com/c-540-wall-shelves.aspx
(they have some unreasonably priced options, too!)

There's actually something also to be said for suspending a tt from the ceiling... just sayin'.

Also, the old and very low tech Audio-Technica tt feet are adjustable and do add some value; they're cheap, too (the two sets I have were both freebies). Radio Shack sold them as well under their own brand.

EndersShadow

^Thanks, I checked them out and they seem to be decent.

However looking at what they offer, is there anything wrong with just getting some ghetto big black angle brackets, putting them on the wall, and then getting some decent stone or wood put on top with sorbothane (spell check) pads between them?

I would think that would be a cheaper option.

If I do something like that, is the weight of the pad an important factor? I.E. should I look at something like granite over a butcher block piece?

mhardy6647

Granite's not the best; it's massive but not all that "dead". Something like slate is a better choice, methinks.

FWIW, there are, I think, generally two approaches to maximize strength/nonresonance/sturdiness/resistance to extrernal distortion/whatever... one way requires great mass; the other is a more lithe, limber "use the undesirable perturbation to one's own advantage" approach. That latter tack is sort of like Asian martial arts, isn't it? :-)

In my mind (bizarre place that it is!) it is sort of like architectural solutions to problems. You want to build a big interior space and protect it from the elements. It has to be able to withstand external stress (wind, rain, earthquakes, temperature fluctuations) as well as its own stress (i.e., hold up its own weight, so to speak). Two very different architectural approaches to the same basic problem:

1) the Haiga Sophia in Istanbul (Constantinople)


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Aya_sofya.jpg

2) an R. Buckminster Fuller-style geodesic dome


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Epcot07.jpg


:-)

EndersShadow

So spikes or balls is what your saying lol......

I am thinking that balls on a nice butcher block plank might look quite nice and offset the while of the TT...

nspindel

EndersShadow wrote: »

I am thinking that balls on a nice butcher block plank might look quite nice and offset the while of the TT...

I use this one:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00009OWEE/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Polkersince85

IMO there are two issues to deal with when isolating. One is external vibration and the other is feedback. Mass is your friend on external vibration and make sure the table is out of the line of fire to handle the feedback.

4xoddic

"Totally Bamboo brand countertop sheets are constructed with cross-band laminates that we call Multilam(TM) (patent pending). In early testing, we discovered that this is the ideal way to glue bamboo. This method keeps the sheet both flat and true, as well as lessens the tendency to twist or warp."

http://www.totallybamboo.com/c36/.htm

I am in no way affiliated with Totally Bamboo. However, as my wife nears retirement I will suggest moving to CA to establish "Totally Bamboozled," purveyor of ultra-highend, audiophile grade vibration elimination solutions.

4xoddic

Originally Posted by Polkersince85
. . . make sure the table is out of the line of fire to handle the feedback.
More on that in a minute!

I'm surprised no one has blown up, er brought up, the inner tube solution, as seen here on audiokarma

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/sho...d.php?t=224619

That thread makes ref: Search in the Steve Hoffman audio hardware forum for "inner tube", "Barry Diament" www.stevehoffman.tv , which is likely where I ran across the idea.

I've contemplated the vibrations coming from Ft. Riley's 1st Division firing ranges. At one time, the firing ceased before midnight. The Army placated the local communities by establishing a no-development zone around the Fort. LOL for the limestone formations = Flintstones' Bedrock for this area of KS. The firing is 24/7 to my knowledge. .50 cal machine gun & tanks to be sure. Really starts up around 2230. A coworker @ the Fort reported cracks in the basement of his newly constructed home in a subdivision ~ 3 miles from Ft. here in Manhattan.

This was an interesting search & how I landed @ audiokarma:

http://www.google.com/search?q=turnt...w=1677&bih=747

I believe I'm headed in this direction to build a stand for my HT gear:

http://www.totallybamboo.com/c67/.htm

Bamboo is similar to "hard rock maple" in hardness. It is shredded & then laminated (no formaldehyde used in Totally Bamboo's products). Their laminated has vertical layers in between 2 horizontal layers, for a 1.5" thickness. @ $428.50 + shipping for a 25.5" X 96" slab, it's not as cheap as MDF! I haven't started calling local countertop installers to see IF they've used it (scraps, anyone?).

Totally Bamboo carries cutting boards, the Big Kahuna @ 18" x 24" x 2¼" is the biggest, $190.

There are also sources for planks, 5/8" the thickest, & plywood. A DIY laminate could be made with layer(s) of a dissimilar material sandwiched = vibrations forced to change wavelengths (stick a pencil in a glass of water for a visual representation, sorry I was certified to teach Physics).

I will be ENVIOUS of any Polkie who beats me to implementation of this pipe dream.

sucks2beme

If only Dodd would start making these again.

dorokusai

Bright Star Audio.

They have a clearance section on their homepage as well that changes monthly.

4xoddic

^^^^^ Bright Star Audio ^^^^^ Woodland Hills CA

BIG ROCK 2 REFERENCE

19.5" x 17" x 2.75"

$600.00. Shipping in the continental United States is $38.85

Looks like BSA has beat me on "moving to CA to establish "Totally Bamboozled," purveyor of ultra-highend, audiophile grade vibration elimination solutions."

Moderately Priced Vibration Isolation Device Shootout At The Enjoy the Music.com Corral December 2003

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/1203/isolationshootout.htm

dorokusai

It was a suggestion and I have yet to buy that product from anyone but Audiogon....USED. I picked up mine for $200. Good luck with your project.

sucks2beme

Keep in mind that a link to stuff like that can lead to ideas, not that we would spend
$600 for any of it. Or even better, buy it used like Doro said. If you got 600 clams
and want a sharp looking toy, ok. Most of us just want results.
A lot of the old timers here have solved this problem over and over.
And on a budget.

pitdogg2

what ever you decide on I have one word you need to remember....Sorbothane sphere's
i have used them under my CD player for years I could body slam someone and no skippy.

4xoddic

My last post was mostly /sarchasm. IS THERE A SARCHASM EMOTICON?

a read of "Moderately Priced Vibration Isolation Device Shootout " will show that Bright Star Audio was mentioned extensively in the December 2003 article. The BIG ROCK 2 @ $600 has evolved from products then described as "moderately priced."

I find it encouraging that entrepreneurs like BSA escaped General/Lab/Physical Science classes with something to draw upon later in life.

A brief look @ BSA's pricier products shows they rely heavily on the transmission of waves through dissimilar materials, with some laminates encapsulated in glass (wood trim optional, no mention of cost). I could not find any "clearance section" on the website, nor with a Google: "clearance" site:brightstaraudio.com nor aitsafe.com (their products pages); reminds me of buying Daystar* suspension products on www some years back.

*I've used urethane shock bushing halves to raise my amp off glass shelving. Likely, corralling a stainless steel ball bearing within such a bushing would mimic some isolation devices I've recently seen.

I thought the bamboo countertop material ~ price prohibitive; until I realized 96" / 2 = 48" or ~ 2.5 BIG ROCK 2 @ $600 ~ $1500.

There are some types of bamboo flooring which are 100% bamboo (planks). A laminate of 3 planks, with 2 layers of a dissimilar material (sorbothane insole material see: Isolate It!: Sorbothane Vibration Damping Sheet Stock 50 Duro (1/10 x 12 x 12in)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LYGHGM/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=1535523722&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B004LY8UTY&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=09HDYBXHVRYK0GAEWS6Q

could be used to butter both sides of the middle bamboo plank. I would not be surprised that 12" X 12" tiles of "solid" bamboo flooring are available. As are sheets of cork, which is also used successfully for vibration dampening.

The reference above to the Gingko Cloud also rang bells for me. Here's a ~ $700 GC solution video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpYyTEYy0cA

Caution: routing out dishes for racquetballs in "solid" bamboo is likely much more difficult than acrylic. The Totally Bamboo "how-to" has a comment re: sawing thru w/carbide blades, as in have extra blades.

I am somewhat at a loss re: incorporation of acrylic & glass in vibration dampening products.

http://www.sorbothane.com/blog/vibration-damping/

As for results, I think the audiokarma link w/inner tube = what I had expected someone to post early on. Please note: it takes me quite some time to compose my thoughts & I often assume (oldtimers' comments go here) posters excel in reading for comprehension./sarchasm

EndersShadow

pitdogg2 wrote: »

what ever you decide on I have one word you need to remember....Sorbothane sphere's
i have used them under my CD player for years I could body slam someone and no skippy.

Yeah, I think I would be using some of those.

The only issue I see with 2 angle brackets is that I cant control any side to side movement if there is any.

strider

EndersShadow wrote: »

Yeah, I think I would be using some of those.

The only issue I see with 2 angle brackets is that I cant control any side to side movement if there is any.

I found threaded inserts, also at Home Depot, that were spiked on one end. The brackets had holes in them, the inserts were fine thread on one end and coarse wood screw type thread on the other. Used nuts/lock washers to lock the threaded inserts to the brackets. Set the shelf right on the spike end, never had a problem with movement.

mhardy6647

It's too bad that sarchasm isn't a word (yet); it'd be a good one! ;-)

There are a lot of deep sarchasms in the Rocky Mountains of modern audiophilicity, I'd opine...

tonyb

Could always lock that TT in a closet....that's isolation enough isn't it ?

Polkersince85

Float it in a pool of mercury.