Speaker proximity to record player

Is this little DIY project a bad idea? The draw is 100% level and strong with no play in the draw slides (doesnt move around at full extension) but im worried about the proximity to the speaker and whether it will affect the sound. Ive only just plugged it in and its too late to spin a record now. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

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I think that's going to be a problem. The combination of proximity to the speakers and the lack of real rigidity of the shelf is likely to not sound so great. But we all make compromises, right?

 

Too close to speakers, a recipe for acoustic feedback. And the less than rigid shelf makes this problem even worse.

 

Yeah really didnt want to do it but it fits the space so well, but the more i look at it now the more i think im going to have to think up another solution.

 

A simple test... turn on the system (with volume off) , lower the tonearm onto a record (with the turntable turned off) turn up the amplifier volume slowly and tap anywhere on the unit the turntable is placed. If you hear a loud thud you have got no isolation. So if you can properly isolate the turntable from the room you are in business.

JG

 

Agreed.

Micro vibrations are the arch-nemesis of turntables. It's critical that they be isolated as much as possible. It frankly all depends on how much time and money you're willing to spend to achieve that. There are products which can help with isolating your turntable but there's also your speakers which should be isolated if you want to put all the chances on your side that you'll experience the best playback experience possible.

Everybody has a different goal. My personal one would be to do the very best possible job within reason because I'm a believer in things I do not quite hear distinctively which could potentially manifest themselves passively in the sound (e.g. muddy sound, less instrument separation, etc). If you wish to concentrate on what you can actually hear, you can do some tests such as tapping the plinth to see what kind of noise/frequency you should be on the lookout for and then play your most bass-heavy records at the max volume you plan on using to see if you can identify that same noise during regular playback. If you don't and that is the extent to which you wanted to troubleshoot the issue, then you're done!

Otherwise, you will have to come up with something else. I believe Pro-Ject has a specialized wall shelf which might be better depending on how well vibrations travel up your walls.

 

yea my walls are no good but my floor is great, would it be an issue having the TT in a room corner? I run a sub and am worried about the bass frequencies, the sub would be on the opposite side of the room and i could always use bass traps around it too.

 

I thought my floor was great as well until I placed my finger on the plinth as a bass-heavy record was spinning. Then, I could feel the vibrations coming through. And again, you might not *hear* the resulting issues distinctively through the speakers but this stuff does present a negative impact on the resulting sound.

Since then, I upgraded to a Prime with better feet and am looking into also getting a maple block for the turntable to rest on. The perfect room is impossible to have unless a house is specifically built with it in mind from the get-go. That's why most of us need to troubleshoot this stuff to optimize the listening experience. It's a process and it sucks but you'll find something that'll work adequately eventually.

As for placing the turntable in a corner, my understanding is bass frequencies gather in corners which is why corner bass traps are so popular and effective in dissipating those frequencies. So in theory, I would have to assume it's not the best idea but there are plenty here with more knowledge and experience than I so I'd expect additional feedback on that suggestion.

 

It's a pretty bad idea but you will quickly find out if it is or isn't once you turn it up. I was was running that same table on a rack in a house I am renovating and I've had to move it around quite a bit to accommodate the work. One night I was playing the records with my speaker further away than what you are showing in that picture and it couldn't take much volume before going to feedback. It's a weird kind of feedback, not like a microphone to an amp but it still sounds pretty ugly.

You could try pushing in the drawer while playing records and only pull it out to change or flip. That might help but you are essentially running a turntable in an echo chamber.

The Pro-ject table does a few things well but dealing with vibrations isn't one of them. It really likes to be very well isolated.

 

Thanks for the comments all. I did play some records today and while yes it has poor isolation (tap test, vibration in plinth) it sounds no worse than it was before. So i have decided to leave it for the moment given how convenient it is, however i will experiment with sorbothane sheets/car sound deadening sheets under sub, speakers and turntable, put a wall on the side of the draw closest to the speaker and possibly upgrade the draw slides to locking ones as a quick fix option.

I do have some other ideas about how to improve it in the future but i wont act on it until i upgrade my turntable. Given my current room im limited to either a draw setup, floor standing table in a corner (2 meters away from subwoofer), floorstanding table in the middle of the floor between the couch and speakers or a floorstanding table behind the couch and running longer cables. The last option is probably the best given its 5 meters away from speakers but it does stuff up the room a bit which would be worth it once i upgrade my table. My floor is a concrete slab (with lino covering) which makes up the foundation of the house. If i ended up with a floor standing table it would be made from 30 sheets of 30mm stacked plywood with a layer of dynamat every 5 sheets and some sort of isolation feet (maybe spikes), surely cant do any better than that. Opinions there?

 

Just a suggestion, The turntable in the corner is a bad idea. The better place for your turntable is on top of the shelf. In the drawer isn't good because enclosed spaces tend to amplify bass, or bass resonant peaks, and cause feedback. If the flat screen can be mounted on the wall, then the turntable could be placed on top of the shelf, middle above the riser. This offers the most stable place and your records will sound better.

 

A good suggestion which i would do but i have a window and a brick pillar in the way of the wall mounts on the TV. I could further raise the tv off the existing riser by putting blocks under the feet and then make a mini riser to extend the table surface over the center speaker which would create enough room for the TT and it wouldnt impead the TV because th tv is further raised up.

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I did the same thing when I was maybe 16. I built my own rack from a heavy desk and needed the top for a speaker. I used pretty much exactly the same drawer slides that yo have chosen for my shelf and it was situated just about the same way. No issues for me then. I used that stand for about 10 years. It served me well and then went on to another owner.

The main things that will create acoustic feedback are going to be the glass doors and any other light, large surface on the stand that can resonate with music being played. Those vibrations will find their way back into the turntable. So the best course of action will be to ignore the speakers and the table and concentrate on the panels around the stand. The drawers and their contents and cause this, so a soft shelf liner in the drawer bottoms will help to keep CDs, remotes, whatever is in there, from rattling and getting into the heavier structure of the stand. Just a folded towel should work; no one will see it. The glass on the doors may need either some wedges of paper or wood shimming them solidly to the door frames or a bead of glue, even a few spots around the glass edges to keep it solid. The TV will also potentially vibrate sympathetically a bit and transfer that energy into the stand top through its feet. So some soft round pads between the feet and the stand might help there also. That, and if the stand has a back that also needs some attention to tightening, should cover most of the offending surfaces.
-Bill