Got some wood last night...

madmax

Actually a piece of MDF for under my turntable.

My system has sounded really crappy since I moved it around. Too much mid-bass, center image way to strong with too much midrange and a general confusion of the soundstage. I assumed it was mostly the new position of the speakers. Well, moving them helped a little but it still sounded crappy. So, I started thinking of what else changed and I realized I had put the turntable on a glass shelf. I learned this lesson once before but hadn't given it much thought because I changed so many things at once. I cut a piece of 1" thick MDF the same size as my TT and placed it underneath. The sound really cleaned itself up. I still have a few issues but at least now I'm back to where I used to be so I can stand to listen to it.

Moral: Try sitting your TT on different surfaces, it can make a big difference in sound. Even if it already sounds good you may find a better sound. I'm thinking of trying different materials to see if I can get it better than ever.

madmax

faster100

awesome, i was thinking the same thing for my TT.. maybe one of those DIY sand boxes..

check out the pics of my amp i just posted.. maybe a stained surround like that filled with sand and a inner core made to fit inside and ride on the stand.. like the online instructions say to do

daniel_paul_

do you think the material below is reflecting? If so, an obsorbtive material like homosote would work. Or is it the components under the glass?

madmax

I don't know. It's my understanding that the little vibrations from the needle need to go somewhere. First rule is that you cannot stop a vibration. Try it, get something that vibrates (a small motor or whatever) and mount it to something. Put it on a super heavy shelf or whatever and the whole thing will vibrate. Its very weird. Anyway, I think the idea is the arm is supposed to transfer the enery to the plinth. Now, whatever is transmitted through the springs into the base needs to go somewhere too, otherwise it remains in the plinth and arm and creates a resonance which mucks with the sound. So, it becomes important to transfer a certain amount from the base into something else. Transfer too much or too little and there becomes a resonance problem. (btw, I have no real clue here how close to acurate this all is). Anyway, with my table it is recommended to have something of medium mass. Too light and mid bass becomes a problem, too much mass and the music becomes lifeless. At least this is what has been reported. Anyway, I'm sure there are differences whether the surface is super hard or not too, just not sure what those differences are. I'm thinking like you said possibly a real hard surface may reflect. There are no components under the glass right now. Sorry for the long story, a little bored here...
madmax

dorokusai

I wouldn't use granite or glass as a surface for a turntable or any source for that matter. The wood was a good idea.

madmax

Great point Doro! I have a bunch of other components on glass and some on metal perforated shelves. I think I'll try putting them on some MDF as well. Sometimes with all the thought I put into this stuff my lazyness amazes me.
madmax

DarqueKnight

I'm considering getting a couple of these isolation platforms, one for my turntable and one for my SACD player:

Neuance Audio Isolation Platforms

I'm not having any problems, I'm just curious to see if they help.