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Turntable isolation/ footfall


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For the past 30yrs, since I moved into this 117yr old Craftsman house, footfall issues have been ever persistent, even with a wall mount. A few weeks past, while performing some warranty work on my table, I thought to deal with this footfall "thing"; I got 3 IsoAcoustics Orea equipment isolators to replace the so-so feet which come stock on the ClearAudio Performance DC table. There has been some improvement, the bass has tightened up, more importantly, footfall has been reduced nearly 100%. This fix worked for me quite well.

 

I added a 1/4" thick sorbothane wafer to the top of each isolator so as to help retain the isolators to the table.

 

Cheers,

Cody

Performance DC with IsoAcoustics isolation.jpg

IsoAcoustics Orea1.jpg

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graet job and pics. I'm a craftsman guy myself.  all the furniture I make is from 1900-1912 or so.  I love Iso for a less expensive alternative to HRS which to me is the best I've ever used, heard etc...  You done good.  Congrats and enjoy!!! 

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@Oregon

Glad to hear that worked for you 👍🏼I also have a wooden floor joist structure over my old home’s basement, which is very typical ‘round here. Thus, I also struggled with this, and one of the helps was to install 2x4 shoring in the basement under the rack area, but the real solution, for me, was purchasing a SOTA Sapphire table. That solved all my problems, both with ‘foot falls’, and also sonic feedback.

It will be hard for me to move away from the SOTA’s design because of that.

Edited by bkeske
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  • 2 months later...

I've been looking into isolation for my Rega P10. Right now it's on a heavy steel table with a glass top (about 100 lbs) but it is about 1 or 2 feet away from the Quatro CT speaker, and the floor is on the 2nd floor of a wood frame house and. If I have the volume is even slightly raised and I play a bass heavy track I can hear the bass as feedback through the table and I have to race to turn the volume down. I don't really have another spot to place the Rega.

I have read many forum threads (all over the internet, as well as Rega's own recommendations) that isolation under a Rega p10 can kill the lively sound that it is so carefully designed for. Not sure what I should do.

Would granite and Vandershoes under the speakers help with this issue?

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32 minutes ago, ursus13 said:

I've been looking into isolation for my Rega P10. Right now it's on a heavy steel table with a glass top (about 100 lbs) but it is about 1 or 2 feet away from the Quatro CT speaker, and the floor is on the 2nd floor of a wood frame house and. If I have the volume is even slightly raised and I play a bass heavy track I can hear the bass as feedback through the table and I have to race to turn the volume down. I don't really have another spot to place the Rega.

I have read many forum threads (all over the internet, as well as Rega's own recommendations) that isolation under a Rega p10 can kill the lively sound that it is so carefully designed for. Not sure what I should do.

Would granite and Vandershoes under the speakers help with this issue?

No, tympanic floors need a suspension, but the sound of the table will still be what it is set on.  Use a shelf that sounds good and put the suspension under it.  HRS has a low-cost shelf which can have tuned feet under it.  RV

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5 minutes ago, Richard Vandersteen said:

No, tympanic floors need a suspension, but the sound of the table will still be what it is set on.  Use a shelf that sounds good and put the suspension under it.  HRS has a low-cost shelf which can have tuned feet under it.  RV

Thanks for chiming in RV. Just to clarify:

  • The suspended shelf should be directly under the turntable? (Not under the piece of furniture that the turntable in on.)
  • Is granite under the Quatro speakers in my case a good idea?
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  • 2 weeks later...
2 hours ago, DC-93 said:

What about vibrations from the air?

Doesn't low bass effect the turntable cartridge? 

We did an experiment more than 35 years ago where we recorded a cut of a record with the speakers playing at a normal listening level and then recorded the same cut with the speakers muted!  A very noticeable difference could be heard in favor of the silent recording which would encourage moving the table to another room.  Not very practical but who said playing records is practical as I do it for the sound advantage when listening to music is my only activity.  Someday someone will develop an integrated platform and sound isolating cover for the turntable.  My hands are full.  RV

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I’ve never had a footfall problem because I’m in my chair, kicking back, when the music starts. 

When the side is done I get up. 
I’ve never had the urge to walk around while listening in my 11.5 x 15.8 foot room. Where  would I go?  😊

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In the 90’s I visited a store just north of LA in the valley. They had a warehouse and purpose built room. All the gear was on the outside of an airtight room in proper dimensions. You could hear the difference as it was all analog. 

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I'm sure this goes against all best practices for placement of a turntable but I took the route of less mass to the stand similar to the philosophy of Rega for their plinths. I used an Ikea Lack side table and some SVS Soundpath Isolation feet and for less than $80 made a something that works for me.  My Pro-Ject table sits above my sub and between my speaker and rack and I have no feed back or footfall issues. I also have an old home with wood sub floors. I am sure if I moved it somewhere else I may hear a difference but I am very happy with the results.

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@redwoodzz,

That is a clever improvisation. I am an ardent Ikea advocate/user. They make attractive furnishings at a very low cost.

@DC-93, does make a good point, but if the table doesn't interact with the sub, it could work. 

If it were my turntable, I would try to isolate it with either a Townshend or HRS platform.

Bob

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