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In Reply to: Re: Using rubber posted by grailer on January 25, 2007 at 10:38:06:
I can't avoid bring up the isolation / dampening discussion :I thought of rubber (thin layer, not a block) as a dampenig material, dampenig being, as I see it, a first stage towards isolation. It would have not been close to the component, and part of an heavier isolation device (think of that thick wooden slab I intended to use as a top sheet).
You seem to think light : do you feel there is something "wrong" with the heavy way?
If I decided to go light, I would then go for a thin (1/2in.) hardwood plate laminated to a foam core layer, laminated to a thick balsa slab (1 1/2in.).
But then, taking in consideration that what I use as a rack is not sturdy as should be, should I use vibrapods or vibracones instead of very rigid studs?
Follow Ups:
Hey, I'm up for discussion - hopefully we'll each learn something.Oh, I agree, rubber does damp. I was unclear. I'm no physicist, but I think the way it does that is to absorb, store, and release vibration. Again, think rubber ball.
I guess most materials work that way.
The heavy mass school says the more mass, the more "sink" for the vibration.
The light & rigid school acknowledges that too and says the less mass, the less storage of vibration. Drop a piece of styrofoam and see what happens.
Both work. Neither is 'right' or 'wrong.' It's up to you in your application to decide what works best for you. For example, George Merrill of Merrill/AR turntable fame, advocated for high-mass 'table stands. Linn likes light & rigid Mana. Both are three-point spring suspended subchassis 'tables.
In my experience, both 'tables sound better on light & rigid platforms. The rigid is particularly important so as not to interact with an already springy suspension.
Then again, Redpoint, Teres, Galibier and non-suspended, high-mass TT designers recommend a giant block of machinist's granite or an active isolation platform like a Vibraplane.
Again, different approach, just as valid and effective. For example, my heavy McCormack DNA amp sounds best to my ears on a DIY Symposium platform - different approach and more akin to mass damped (though it's really constrained-layer) than light & rigid.
In your application, where the rack isn't as sturdy as it should be, I'd think adding yet more compliance via Vibrapods could only make matters worse. The sound would get less focused, less detailed, and muddier. Again, that's just my reasoning - your ears will tell you for sure.
What to do in your situation is a good question. If I were in your shoes, I'd tighten up the rack or no amount of other damping/isolation will work as effectively as it could. Using cables & turnbuckles to cross-brace is a very inexpensive (and light & rigid - ha!) way of doing that. Once that's done, I wouldn't try something heavy to sink the vibration on a lightweight rack - the vibration would have nowhere to go but the shelf. So, I'd again go light & rigid via some sort of DIY Nueance shelf - some balsa/foam/cardboard/veneer concoction.
this makes lots of sense!I have been dealing with new concepts alot during the few days and collected lots of information : I will now let it settle a bit.
*A priori*, I would indeed go for a light and rigid solution, especially, as you mentionned it, because of the flimsy rack and relativly light-weight components (more or less 15lbs).
I will work on this and let you know of the results.
You're welcome and happy to be of service. Let's hope your a posteriori experience validates the reasoning.Please do let us know how you make out, one way or the other.
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