thebes Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 Passing semis, garage trucks, kids jumping rope? Live near an airport, got a guy next door snores like a freight train? Heck, got a railroad marshaling yard nearby? Got a stereo needle doing the Coocharacha? Bouncing up and down on the platter like a Mexican jumping bean? What you need is a little mass. No I'm not talking about saving your soul here, just keeping vibrations from you turntable. Lots of ways to do that, of course, but here's another one. Hop in your car, head on down to the local Home Despot, grab a cart and aim it towards the gardening section. In there you will find 16 inch square, concrete pavers for the enormous price of $4, that's four, bills. Weight? A glorious 37 pounds. Put it in the cart, remembering to keep you back straight and don't bend the knees, and haul it on home. Now you've got a choice, just plop it under the TT (cardboard underneath so no starching the little lady's Louis the 19th frenchie table. Since concrete is porous, this might absorb errant vibrations form the table itself. Or go my route and slap a few coats of paint on top, and see what happens. My initial impression is that it has added Gravitas to the music. Wagner's much more depressing and I like it that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebes Posted March 9, 2010 Author Share Posted March 9, 2010 Color chosen was to accent and demonstrate installation procedures and in no way reflects my taste in concrete. Looks like a giant square eraser. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hifi jim Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 Good tip thebes! Rock solid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennie Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 Lookin' Good Thebes!!! [Y] Are you going to put one on the other side for balance? [:^)] Dennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 I'm thinking it looks more like a giant flattened marshmallow peep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 Very sweet Thebes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebes Posted March 11, 2010 Author Share Posted March 11, 2010 Thanks guys. I'm really impressed with how cheap you can buy some serious isolation Four bucks for 37 lbs. is gotta be the greatest price to benefit ratio in audiophile history. Now I'm not claiming sonic improvement for this item, simply a way to isolate a component on the cheap. However, on my TT it did have the added benefit of deepening the bass, but that's due to the quirks of my setup which includes such things as wine bungs for feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaiser SET say Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 Nice work Marty, I also got tightened bass when I did the same thing for my Nautilus 804's[] I actually did a double stack using that perforated cabinet shelf liner between the concrete stones[Y] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JL Sargent Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 Concrete musicpad, yes that is nice. What about that old console, tell me that bad boy still works! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 Is that a skunk in that LaScala? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ69 Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 That's a nice budget tip but if you are like me, more money than brains, I use a 4 X 18 X 24 granite surface table. Right around 200 pounds. Works pretty good and no one is ever going to steal it. At least not without a fork lift. Thanx, Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 I'm off to home depot and gonna' get me about 10 of them, paint them real good like and advertise them as audiophile TT dampeners!!! Lemm' see here, what with a nice paint job to fill in the pores, couple rubber $1.09 feets front and back, I should get at least $175 each in certain circles out there. But, alas!!! Thebes has done beat me to it!!! Will it ever end, a day late and ........ $4 short? LOLOL!!! [H] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 I'm off to home depot and gonna' get me about 10 of them, paint them real good like and advertise them as audiophile TT dampeners!!! Lemm' see here, what with a nice paint job to fill in the pores, couple rubber $1.09 feets front and back, I should get at least $175 each in certain circles out there. But, alas!!! Thebes has done beat me to it!!! Will it ever end, a day late and ........ $4 short? LOLOL!!! You can always claim you use a special paint mixture that is designed to soak in to the pourous material in such a way that increases the ability to dampen vibration unlike competitor products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebes Posted March 11, 2010 Author Share Posted March 11, 2010 Ah, Herr Kaiser beat me to this idea. The bottom plate in his picture is that exact same paver. JL the console is a German made Grundig stereo that I'm pretty sure was NOT an export model, but actually sold in Germany and probably shipped home by a military family. Cost me $10 and a broken back to haul it home. In addition to the short wave it has a turntable and reel-to-reel. It operates, but really needs a recap and overhaul, so I seldom turn it on. Don't want to let the magic smoke out. Just think Russ, you could have stacked 5 of these pavers for the amazing sum of $20. Seti and Groom, I guess the real audiophile question is, is it better to fill in those tiny holes with paint, to aid in dampening, or would it be better to leave the holes open to absorb rumble and other bad vibrations from the turntable. I envision a lively debate will ensue when the Thebes-O-Hernia-Magic Pavers hit the marketplace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ69 Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 Just think Russ, you could have stacked 5 of these pavers for the amazing sum of $20. True but I can also lap a cylinder head on my table. Dual use or use it for your Dual TT! Thanx, Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.