# turntable isolation from subwoofer



## CDklktr (Jan 2, 2012)

Hey guys...

I'm more a lurker than contributor...but tried a search and didn't find anything on this subject. I recently had my mid 70's Thorens turntable (TD-160C) fully restored and I want to place it on top of my stereo cabinet to start using it, but am afraid that the bass from the dual subs I have in the same room is going to cause some rumble (or other interference) in the table playback. Back in the day (when turntables reigned), at one point, I had suspended the turntable from the ceiling with springs to not get any vibration from floor speakers affecting the table. What's a guy to do these days? My subs are on a carpet covered floor sitting on a marble tile, so I'd expect no mechanical vibration hitting the table...just from the airwaves (am I being naive on this?). Any thoughts welcome...no prejudice to be had here.

Scott


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## RBTO (Jan 27, 2010)

I seriously doubt you'll have problems. For one thing, records have little deep base (that's one limitation of a phono record), and low frequencies don't couple well through the air so I would be surprised if any reach your turntable to cause the problems you mention. If this were a problem, it would happen at all frequencies and you'd have to put your turntable into a soundproof room. Just don't put your turntable on top of your subwoofer!:bigsmile:

PS: If you do want some isolation for your turntable, place it on a stack of ceramic tiles (12x12 or larger) interleaved with 1/4 inch foam pads ("Foamies" - available at most hobby stores). About 4 of each will do (actually one more "Foamie than tiles, so the bottom and top will be foam pads). You can also get some Sorbothane supports for your turntable which give great isolation.


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## Wardsweb (Apr 2, 2010)

Place a record on your Thorens and place the needle on the record but don't let the record spin. Turn your receiver/pre/amp to your turntable and place the volume about half way. Tap on your table, do you hear it in your speakers? Tap on the stand, do you hear it in your speakers. You are looking for where vibrations may get to your table. Once you know that, you can start to determine what kind of isolation or damping you may need.


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## CDklktr (Jan 2, 2012)

Thanks guys! It's been so long since I've done vinyl that I've lost so much that I knew about it, such as remembering the grooves limiting bass content, and to check for noise with no music playing to see if I even need any kind of damping/isolation, although at minimum something like the Sorbothane supports sounds like a good idea in any case.


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