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So I added an Ikea bamboo chopping block


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After seeing them in various pics I finally bit the bullet and put an Ikea bamboo chopping block under my RP8. No special feet just put it on the shelf where the table usually sits.

 

The result was an astonishing increase in midrange clarity and general togetherness of vocals and upper frequencies.

 

The table sits on a very thick solid MDF cabinet which I thought was doing a reasonable job of isolating vibrations - I was wrong.

 

Best $20 I've spent!

 

Drew

1318db0b790917b2507768cea597d939.jpg

 

 

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Yeah the Aptitlig. I've been listening to my US original press of Aja and the difference in instrument separation is amazing.

Also interesting is a reduction in motor noise (I used to hear a little on quiet albums in lead in and dead wax and it seems to have gone now.

Dree


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@astormsau It does look good and 'yay' for SQ improvement!:thumb: I recently made and fitted a structural ply isolation board and was left wondering if I'd lost some mid-bass but mine is on sorbothane hemisphere legs. Yours is straight onto the shelf and improved SQ noticeably, while mine and eman's is on sorbothane (or was that 'thorbothane':D). @eman ....did you notice a marked SQ improvement when fitted your board or were you left pondering? I'm thinking I might try mine with the legs off.:unsure:

Edited by stevoz
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My friend had big rubber feet under this and when I heard it at his house I thought it didn't make much difference. I borrowed his board and the first thing I did was remove the feet. I read an article about it not being about isolating the table from the shelf but more giving the turntable a material to dissipate motor vibrations and so forth.

Science aside it's made a huge improvement for me and what's to stop your experimenting :)


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24 minutes ago, astormsau said:

 I read an article about it not being about isolating the table from the shelf but more giving the turntable a material to dissipate motor vibrations and so forth.




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That's more what I was aiming for, as my set up sits on a slab floor so external vibrations aren't really a problem......and my initial thoughts were that it was a bit different and not necessarily in a good way. This was with both my two best carts, a Grace Level II RC and a Denon DL103. Then I put on the Shure M97xE and wow, it sounded tonally fantastic and the entire bass spectrum was strong. Best I'd ever heard that cart. Go figure.......I'm confused.:D

Edited by stevoz
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4 hours ago, stevoz said:

@astormsau It does look good and 'yay' for SQ improvement!:thumb: I recently made and fitted a structural ply isolation board and was left wondering if I'd lost some mid-bass but mine is on sorbothane hemisphere legs. Yours is straight onto the shelf and improved SQ noticeably, while mine and eman's is on sorbothane (or was that 'thorbothane':D). @eman ....did you notice a marked SQ improvement when fitted your board or were you left pondering? I'm thinking I might try mine with the legs off.:unsure:

I had been using 'straw-berry-sane' before the board.  I expect I gave it a run with and without them and went with what I Iiked the sound off.  That's my determining factor.  "Can I hear an improvement" ? ; which is going to be different for all of us I expect.

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11 hours ago, astormsau said:

My friend had big rubber feet under this and when I heard it at his house I thought it didn't make much difference. I borrowed his board and the first thing I did was remove the feet. I read an article about it not being about isolating the table from the shelf but more giving the turntable a material to dissipate motor vibrations and so forth.
 

 

 

Constrained layer damping is a technique that I find works well under turntables, and I think that's what is partly happening when we put rubber between hard pieces like the ikea board and the turntable itself.   I have experimented with sorbothane-like foam rubber, and also layers of polystyrene foam, between heavy plinths and other heavy wood layers.  Lots of very positive results.

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I wall mount with L brackets my ikea chopping board for my turntable. I tried Sorbathane feet under the turntable it didn't improve the sound, I think the bass was less.

 

I then put Karmadon feet under it and  Bass & clarity increased.

http://www.karmadon.net/shop/vibration-damping-support/

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10 minutes ago, TOPSHELF said:

^^^^^^
Their phono stage looks interesting too. Is that another EAR clone?

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Tube rectifier ?  Makes it more of a Little bear copy?.  EAR don't have tube rectifier do they ?

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12 minutes ago, TOPSHELF said:

Their phono stage looks interesting too. Is that another EAR clone?
 

 

Sure looks like it.

 

"The mounting wire is vintage paper insulated one made of Chilean copper."

 

And probably wiped down with the tears of baby Jesus.

 

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Tube rectifier ?  Makes it more of a Little bear copy?.  EAR don't have tube rectifier do they ?


I'm not electronically minded to know but it kinda looked like one.....[emoji6]

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19 hours ago, astormsau said:

 

1318db0b790917b2507768cea597d939.jpg

 

 

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A friend was over on the weekend to have a beer and listen to some records.

 

"That turntable looks so cool!"

 

The I found out it was the chopping board on squash balls that was the "cool" part.

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9 minutes ago, TOPSHELF said:

 


I'm not electronically minded to know but it kinda looked like one.....emoji6.png

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I'm not electronic either. Def looks similar (except that tube sticking out sideways). We neeed someone who knows more abour Phono 'copies' in a thread on Hard grass blocks.

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6 hours ago, Raving Lunatic said:

It's unsurprising really. You would perhaps get better results by building a proper plinth to put your turntable in.

 

Why is it unsurprising and what is not proper about the plinth Rega use?

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Interesting. I have been through this with my RP6, exactly the same chopping block. I ran with it for a while, then removed it, and then after reading this I put it back in, but this time I used TWO. One on top of the other, just because I had two of them. Didnt like the sound, just became harder, for want of a better description. I might go back to just one board, or I might just get rid of it again, not sure yet. I am surprised at the improvement the OP has heard, I didnt get that at all myself. Not saying it dosent help, just not sure it does in my situation.

Without the block, I am using a complete IKEA lack, with the top of another LACK on top of the original one with sorbothane in each corner. The TT then sits on that on top of isolation feet.

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It's worth mentioning that Rega design their turntables around the light and rigid as possible principle, what they sit on should ideally follow the same ethos. A light and rigid wall shelf is the proper support but of course a shelf isn't possible all the time.

 

That the original poster and some others prefer the sound of their Regas on a chopping block is good but it will have a sonic signature that is different to what a Rega should have. I went through this years ago with my Planar 2 and P25. Different supports changed the sound of the turntables, it was only with a lightweight wallshelf that either of the turntables had that snap and pace that is the key element of them.

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Hey everyone,

I don't think my table has lost any snap or place I'm just hearing a major increase in clarity. It's almost as though the sound had been muddied by vibrations coming through to the table from the shelf in the past. Id love to wall mount mine but the TV is right behind it so space is a bit of an issue. More thought required. I suppose the best part about playing with $20 chopping block is that if it doesn't suit your taste you can just use it in the kitchen :)

I'm really enjoying reading about everyone's experiences.

Drew




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I recently started a thread about these 3D constrained layer dampening discs and I had some what you might call interesting responces from people who had not tried them. Those that had tried them all agreed that they made a positive difference though.

 

In case you guys are interested this may be another option to consider.

 

http://www.lenwallisaudio.com/products/accessories/tweaks/3d-2-constrained-layer-damping-discs

 

cheers Terry

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1 hour ago, Hergest said:

It's worth mentioning that Rega design their turntables around the light and rigid as possible principle, what they sit on should ideally follow the same ethos. A light and rigid wall shelf is the proper support

 

 

How do you know this?     It seems to me that the ideal target for a commercial turntable design would be a plinth that performs fairly well on most surfaces, simply because you can't predict where a customer might have to place it. 

 

That said, it is a nearly impossible task for the designers to build a plinth the will not be effected by it's placement, hence we find it worthwhile to experiment with different tweaks.

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Hey peeps,

 

Placed mine under my valve phono amp and valve pre. It made an amazing difference to the clarity and precision of the music.

The missus even noticed the difference and I had to convince her I did not buy or change any bits.

'I swear its just the chopping board! :wacko:'

I would love to try it under my turntable but the lack of space would mean having to slightly rearrange the living room which I will hopefully get to do in the next fortnight.

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