Can wood be used as an isolation platform for a turntable?

Pardom my naivety but can wood be used as an isolation platform for a T/T?

If so what type of wood and what dimensions?

I'm just curious as I really don't want to fork out £100 for an isolation platform. I walk buy a lumber yard everyday on the way to work and thought if I could use wood I can just get them to cut me a piece on the cheap. I can paint it and sand it myself no problem.

I thought if using wood because I see a lot of hi fi stands made from wood.

Can anyone offer any advice?

Thanks

Eddie

 

Yes it can.
Usually in conjunction with some other form of isolation like footers or cones.

I prefer native hardwoods.

Dimensions depend on your turntable's footprint.

 

Hi Eddie. Try using a butcher block cutting board used for cooking. They work as well and do not have that "audiophile" markup. Use one 2" thick or greater. Here in the states, maple is the most common wood used.

 

Eddie,

I think you should look at this thread :

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=128515

It really changed my mind about what isolation really is . Barry is spot on imo.

 

Butcher blocks work very well under everything, especially if 3 rollerblocks are used between the component and the wood, and an air or sorbethene based isolation device is used under the wood.

 

I don't mean to hijack your thread, but what about concrete?

 

Or marble. I heard that works well under the TT.

 

Hi Eddie,

First, know that the wood by itself will not isolate anything.
(Someone here asked about concrete, which is actually very effective at storing, then slowly releasing, low frequency energy -- not at all what we want if we're seeking isolation.)

Same with placing the wood atop a set of cones or spikes. Cones and spikes are couplers --the exact opposite of isolators.

Now, there are a few things you can do with that wood to build an isolation platform. You can use butcher block and you can also use a good 1" (25mm) plywood as a "platform" that sits between your turntable and your isolation devices.

Important: Much depends on the turntable itself. If it has a sprung suspension, all you need is a good solid shelf, perhaps wall mounted.
If the turntable does not have any sort of suspension, this is where the platform and isolators might help.

An air bearing can be made with a child's bicycle tire inner tube. The tube is placed on your shelf. The platform is placed atop the tube and the turntable is placed atop the platform.

Use a thin inner tube of the largest diameter that will fit on your shelf or rack. The larger the circle described by the tube, the easier it is to balance the turntable --or any other component-- on top of it.

Inflate the tube ONLY enough to achieve air support. One pump too much and the benefits are lost and you end up with a bloated bass at the least or a skipping stylus at the worst. We're trying to provide the component with a soft, springy base... as soft as possible and as slow a spring as possible.

Also, sometimes it helps to use a small, thin drinking straw under one part of the tube to connect the air space inside the circle with the air outside the circle. Otherwise, if the air inside the circle is trapped, it can add its own resonance to the sound.

This is just one idea. See the thread mentioned by another poster here.
Also, see "Vibration control for better performance".

If you should try any of this, please let us know of your experience.

Hope this helps.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

Yeah, I wondered about marble as well. I was at Home Depot and I picked up a 16"x16" concrete stepping stone for $3 that weighs a solid 30 lbs, and it has actually made a big difference. The build quality of my TT means it can only benefit from so much, but I can jump around my room violently and not have to worry about a thing now. It has also lowered the noise floor a little, since it's no longer sitting on resonant wood. I still get thumping through the speakers if I tap the plinth during playback or open/close my dustcover, but I can live with that. I like finding sensible alternatives to the slabs of granite and such that get the dandy "audiophile" price markup. Since reading Barry's thread on isolation, I've been considering going that route.

 

Turntable?

What kind of turntable do you want to support?

If it's a Rega, they absolutely hate being supported by a big slab of wood. Or concrete. Or anything heavy.

Let us know and you will receive more specific advice.
-Hukk

 

Who are you asking, hukkfinn?

 

I use bamboo butcher blocks under my sources and pre amps.

Haven't gotten around to getting them for my amps, yet.

But I use the bamboo butcher blocks in conjunction with sheets of sorbothane and Mapleshade's IsoBlocks.

 

Funny you should mention Rega because that is exactly what I have. A P3 to be exact.

If the wood is out then what is in??

Eddie

 

I hear the Clearaudio Statement has pretty good isolation.

 

Hukk Finn, I am so glad you are here.

 

Hi Eddie,

As I mentioned, wood by itself will accomplish nothing in terms of isolation. It will merely provide a change (not an improvement) based on its own resonant signature.

Wood (I'd use plywood) in combination with something like an air bearing (made of an inner tube) will provide isolation and if done properly, a number of immediate and obvious improvements.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

try several things: marble, wood, Barry's innertube, maybe even a sandbox, etc...and keep the one you like best. depends on your turntable, as Barry implied. I use a sandbox but there is a fine line. Too much sand and the sound deadened, too little and it didn't isolate.

 

I use a marble bread "board" under my TT (they are used for working with dough). You can get them at any cooking specialty store. They come in various sizes. Mine is 18'' X 24" X 3/4". Make great isolation platforms.

HG

 

Does isolating the wood with cork or something like that work? And then coupling the table to the wood? This is what Mapleshade does (i'm not really a supporter of Mapleshade, just curious). I bought those cork pads from Grainger and these sit under my sandbox.

Also, I found the very expensive Stillpoints feet to be incredible. These are the feet for my turntable.

 

Woops sorry, I was asking the original poster, eddiel.

eddiel, as you have a P3, you will suck the life out of it by placing it on heavy things, wood blocks, granite, marble, concrete, or even a glass shelf. I've tried them all and just hated them. Also tried a good light MDF shelf that was on top of a very heavy modern-looking entertainment stand. Terrible. (because of all the mass under the shelf.)

Regas also hate anything mushy, like inner tubes or vibrapods. Tried them too.

This has been covered in other threads but the best support for a P3 is a wall shelf. You can make one yourself with some metal brackets from Home Depot + a thin layer of very light, very rigid wood (or thin MDF). Or, for best results, you can buy one directly from Rega ($150 or so). A shelf must be screwed into your wall studs, not just the drywall.

If that's too much trouble, a very cheap and effective P3 support is the $14 Ikea Lack side table. Get one of the colors, like black. *Not* one of the natural wood tones. If you're REALLY into it, you can order a thin Neuance shelf to put on your Lack table, supported by 3 cones, then put the P3 on the Neuance. Neuance is virtually made for Regas -- very light, very rigid. However, I am not sure if the maker is still in business. Here: http://www.neuanceaudio.com It's possible you could find one used on Audiogon.com too. As for your side table, if possible you should place it close to a load-bearing or outside wall. About 1.5 inches away sounds best.

Cheers,
Hukk

 

I didn't even check to see what eddiel had...definitely a wall shelf or a Lack Table top (worked wonderfully for me on my P5). yep...forget anything heavy.

 

FWIW i tried the Ikea Lack Table under my rega p3 and hated it. The soundstage collapsed and details turned to mush as sound levels increased.

I simply cannot understand why placing an unsprung table like the rega on something light and resonant is a good idea.

I went the mdf board and rubber feet route.

 

Cork won't isolate it. it may damp it but probably not all that effectively. I prefer acrylic 1" slabs for platforms. they are stiff, they don't fluctuate with the weather, they look cool and they don't ring like a bell. they are actually very well self damped.

 

Geez all these options and most not workable. I would love a wall shelf but with me renting this would be out of the question. A Lack would work BUT i don't have the space for it. The only place the P3 can go is on the top of the rack.

What if I just use the top of the lack with some cones?

Actually I noticed some really cheap (£20ish) Rega P3 platers on ebay recently. Would one of those with cones work?

Just want to say thanks to all of you who posted for advice. AS per usual all the suggestions brings up more questions but my knowledge on what is and isn't isolation has drastically improved since joining and it sure does help a lot to have someone in the profession like Barry around - no slight intended against the others who might also be he's the only one I know is


Eddie