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What to do if your record player can only go in the corner?

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Posted on November 3, 2009 at 02:07:01

graciouslee
Audiophile

Posts: 183
Joined: September 29, 2003

I have no other option but to have my turntable stand in the corner of the room opposite from the loudspeakers, so the loudspeakers are firing towards, but not directly at, it. I can't hear any issues when listening to music at normal volumes but I can feel vibrations on the turntable cover (the freestanding cover doesn't stay on the turntable when in use) if I put my hand on it, so I know that soundwaves are definitely hitting the general area.

Is there anything I could do to reduce whatever effects this may be having? I was wondering if putting some sort of absorbtion panels on the walls behind and to the side of the turntable might be beneficial?

Does anyone have any suggestions (besides move the turntable, as this is not an option)? Is there anything I can make myself to helf fix this?

RE: What to do if your record player can only go in the corner?

David Aiken

16:06:56 11/03/09

RE: Is there anything I can do myself to help fix this?

KlausR.

04:50:46 11/03/09

RE: What to do if your record player can only go in the corner?, posted on November 3, 2009 at 16:06:56

David Aiken
Audiophile

Posts: 5108
Location: Brisbane
Joined: September 25, 1999

How do you know that you can't hear any issues when listening to music? You may not "hear" any simply because you've never heard things without the problems present so you simply don't know what to listen for or how to identify an issue if they are there. I'm not saying that you do have problems but I am suggesting that you may not know whether or not there are problems.

I have a friend with a piano in his listening room. He was recording an LP using his computer and playing piano while the record was playing. On later playing back the recording of the LP he was surprised to hear his piano playing in the background.

Moving the turntable is the best option. Corners are going to be a bad choice for a turntable location because room modes are strongest in corners and turntables can be sensitive to low frequency vibration. That's one of the reasons why many phono stages used to have a "rumble filter". If you can't move the turntable, then isolating it from the shelf it's one may help. Note that isolation doesn't mean using hard things like cones. Your turntable may already be isolated. Many designs use springing of some kind to isolate the platter and arm from the chassis so if you have a turntable with that kind of suspension you may not have to do much more. If your turntable has a rigid suspension, then you will more likely benefit from some form of isolation.

There are a number of isolation products made specifically for turntables, and there are also a number of equipment racks which can provide good isolation. Unfortunately "isolation" has become a buzz word and gets used all the time, even with products that couple rather than isolate. The good products can have very beneficial effects but others may have little and the results of the same product can vary depending on your room's construction and the nature of any vibration affecting the turntable.

The only way to work out whether or not you have a problem is to try some of the options that are available and see if they make a difference. Then it's often a matter of finding one which not only makes a difference but a difference that you like. Some experimentation is going to be required but what you're after is going to be a vibration solution, not an acoustics solution.

David Aiken

RE: Is there anything I can do myself to help fix this?, posted on November 3, 2009 at 04:50:46
KlausR. Audiophile Posts: 1867 Joined: November 17, 2004	Yes, stop worrying! "I can't hear any issues when listening to music at normal volumes...". If that is not enough to settle the issue, I don't know. Anyhow, absorbers on the wall won't prevent the sound waves from hitting the turntable. Klaus

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