Fixing my isolation issue

[andynz]

I’ve moved into a new house and have been having issues with the needle on my turntable jumping when I walk around (wooden floors). 

 

 

I have a Pro-ject 1.2 with an OM10 cartridge. The turntable is sitting on top of an Expedit unit. Photo of setup below… (forgive the Bose!)

 

 

I have reset the tone arm balance and anti-skate weight. I have also added a little extra downforce (17 – recommended is 15). This helped a little, but it still jumps a lot.

 

 

I am going to make a table to sit the turntable on out of granite. I have found some granite that is about an inch thick, now I am just looking for some feet for it. 

 

I have found these on eBay, which of these would be better? Or is there something else I should be looking at?

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/301714372544?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/252073598090?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/151623927030?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

Also, is epoxy the best way to attach the feet to the granite?

 

...or, do i just go with Sorbothane feet like these? http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-SORBOTHANE-SORBO-2in-50mm-VIBRATION-ISOLATION-FEET-PODS-50D-NEW-TURNTABLE-/250901628930?hash=item3a6ae70802

 

Thanks!

 

[allenh]

There's already been a thread about this very subject here:

 

http://boards.vinylcollective.com/topic/115273-how-do-you-reduce-needle-jumping/

 

In summary ideally for wooden floor bounce the feet need to be soft and preferably inert so Neoprene or Sorbothane, alternatively if you don't want to spend money half tennis balls work fine.

 

But if it's particularly bad then your only option is a wall shelf

[andynz]

Thanks, I had read that thread. I can't go the wall mount route at the moment.

 

So, for wood floors Sorbothane feet > brass cone feet?

[allenh]

Yes you need to absorb and dampen the movement and any metal pointed feet is not going to do that as well as something soft and inert. By all means use pointed metal feet on the table itself but the ones under your isolation shelf need to be soft and inert.

 

Also your Granite sheet is a little pointless for this application, a sheet of glass, acrylic, MDF or soft wood would work perfectly well because what you are trying to absorb is actual movement of the surface that the turntable is sitting on rather than tiny vibrations which a normal isolation platform is intended for

 

It does depend how bad your floors are though as quite often wall mounts are the only option for unsprung tables.

[allenh]

You could also just try the half tennis ball trick under the table itself just as a test to see how bad things are.

[smwalsh6]

Is your turntable running through that bose dock?

[Tardcore]

I had pretty good luck with this product:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Shop-Fox-W1322-Anti-Vibration-24-Inch/dp/B000OQTV2I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1441305060&sr=8-1&keywords=neoprene+anti-vibration

 

$12 for a 24x36" sheet.  I cut a few pieces off to size and placed them under a maple block.   You could also use it between the floor and your Expedit.

[andynz]

Is your turntable running through that bose dock?

 

Yeah, with a Project Phono Box before the Bose. 

 

The Bose is a temporary measure, it's good in terms of space. I need to get a decent amp and floor speakers. 

[Cloudsbelow]

that woodford reserves bourbon is good stuff. 

[allenh]

that woodford reserves bourbon is good stuff. 

 

+1 on that one, another fan over this side of the Atlantic, same with the Sailor Jerry Rum

[andynz]

The stuff in the black skull bottle is homemade habanero tequila, that stuff will knock your socks off!

 

On the topic.... going to try the tennis ball trick, if that solves the problem, I will likely make an MDF table with some absorbing feet on it as a more permanent solution.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions!

[andynz]

Update: I went and picked up stuff to make an MDF table with squash ball feet (cut in half). I bought a couple of Dunlop Pro balls.

 

Just to try it out, I put balls under the feet of the turntable. Awesome result; it has taken away all of the skipping, I can literally jump on the floor next to the unit and the needle doesn't skip.

 

I will still make the MDF table as I'm not crazy about precariously balancing the turntable feet on the squash balls.

 

Very happy with the result so far!

 

[allenh]

Update: I went and picked up stuff to make an MDF table with squash ball feet (cut in half). I bought a couple of Dunlop Pro balls.

 

Just to try it out, I put balls under the feet of the turntable. Awesome result; it has taken away all of the skipping, I can literally jump on the floor next to the unit and the needle doesn't skip.

 

I will still make the MDF table as I'm not crazy about precariously balancing the turntable feet on the squash balls.

 

Very happy with the result so far!

 

 

 

Good to hear

 

Any ball that bounces will have an effect it's just a matter of how much bounce.

 

All that's left now is aesthetics.

[andynz]

Success! 

The table is done and I'm really happy with the results both stopping the needle skipping and how it looks. I can stomp around freely now without it affecting the needle at all. (Pics below)

 

Now, this is probably a stupid question, but... does it make a difference which way up I place the balls? Would having them one way up be more effective than the other? Right now you can see i have them facing up (widest part of the ball against the surface of the shelving unit)

 

 

 

 

 

[Tardcore]

My logic may be backwards, but I think you're better off flipping them. My reasoning is that transferring vibration from a small surface to a larger surface area reduces the impact.