Which turntable in the $1000-1500 is the best for foot traffic isolation?

Baron1

Active Member
I live in a mobile home (I don't think I;m trailer trash though)with train tracks right behind me. I feel like I'm in an earthquake when a train goes by.

I would like to know what table would give me the best isolation?
Tables like Rega and Music Hall and Project all say that they should be well isolated. Being in a mobile home makes it worse.

Should I be looking at suspension tables or solid plinth designs?

I am currently using a Sansui FR3060 which has a little suspension but not enough. I upped my tracking to 2.5-3.0 grams so the needle doesn't dance.
It is the original Sansui SC-36 cartridge. (The table was a NOS I got about 2 years ago).

I would really like to know what I should look at. Don't worry about telling me buy a 50lb slab of rock or an inner tube. I have the turntable on a solid audio rack.

I used to have an old Thorens TD160mkii I think, but it was in a basement with a concrete floor. I don't have that luxury now.

I was looking at Rega and Music Hall/Project, but they don't have suspension and need good isolation.

I am also looking at older tables as well. Micro Seiki, Ariston, Denon and a couple of others.

What do you people think would be my best bet?

Thanks,
Dan
 
Have a look into the Technics SL-1600 MKI and MKII as well as the SL-1700 MKI and MKII.

Very capable of standing up to floor bounce of a playful Husky.

My Technics SL-1700 MKI has a Denon DL-301 MKI lomc cartridge and sounding quite nice.

Have a look at for for sale section of CAM, they appear for sale from time to time. :music:

http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/classifieds/31-turntables/
http://www.vinylengine.com/library/technics/sl-1600.shtml
http://www.vinylengine.com/library/technics/sl-1700.shtml
 
Last edited:
Thanks Balifly, I will check them out.
Any other suggestions?
By the way, am I right in assuming the Rega, Music Hall/Projects needs more isolation than suspension tables?
 
SOTA Sapphire has the best isolation for your needs. You can jump up and down, dance and pound the plinth with your fist and the record will not skip a beat.
 
My LP12 is pretty good for isolation, I have an old Systemdek trancription table simular to the Linn with 3 point suspension..also pretty dead.
 
So I guess the three I mentioned wouldn't be any good for me? The Rega, Music Hall / Project?
Should I look at Thorens again?
 
The turntable that sits on a wall-mounted shelf will be the best isolated one.
 
The turntable that sits on a wall-mounted shelf will be the best isolated one.
Maybe not so much when a train is shaking the whole place. I had a friend who lived in a similar location and it was pretty tough when a train came through. I'd go with something suspended. Best table I've owned from that standpoint is my Ariston RD11S. The key to the suspended designs is getting them set up well, though.
 
I also think a SOTA would be well suited for this, as it uses a hanging spring suspension, and the top plate does not sit on an inherently unstable arrangement. Actually Marc Morin has a nice modification to the AR XA suspension where he mass loads the top plate with down riggers that shifts the center of gravity and minimizes side to side movement of the sub plate.

I had a Townshend Rock III that did a nice job of isolation also, but they are rare and difficult to find. They used an air bladder between two steel plates as the chassis and frame.

Hope this helps. I would also agree tht using a shelf mounted to an inner non-load bearing wall could help. it would lessen the contact between the jacks that are used to level the manufactured home frame on the cement strips or pads.


Regards
Mister Pig
 
I'm happy with the isolation provided by the double plinth design of my Music Hall Ikura. Plus, I think it's an excellent table for the money.
 
If you want vintage, a Dual would be a good choice. If you want a modern turntable, I would recommend a Denon DP300F with a 2M Red. Both will do the job you are seeking very well.
 
Revox B791, tangential tracker

00707_ezhTgcRjWDH_600x450.jpg
 
or try 2 racquetballs cut in half. Fixed plinth turntables are not really designed to cope with sustained external vibrations. The rega does indeed benefit from extreme isolation. If only someone could mass produce a 3 point suspended turntable platform.... I think they would clean up an untapped market :scratch2:
 
You can.not beat a SOTA for this issue. W8th its hung suspension you can tap on plinth with knuckles and zero noise transfers plus foot steps won't affect it. I see other ideas but none IMO are in same league.
 
If you want vintage, a Dual would be a good choice. If you want a modern turntable, I would recommend a Denon DP300F with a 2M Red. Both will do the job you are seeking very well.

I'm not sure about most Duals, but my 510 was the most sensitive tt I've owned. You really had to tip toe around it.
 
Last edited:
I also think a SOTA would be well suited for this, as it uses a hanging spring suspension, and the top plate does not sit on an inherently unstable arrangement. Actually Marc Morin has a nice modification to the AR XA suspension where he mass loads the top plate with down riggers that shifts the center of gravity and minimizes side to side movement of the sub plate.

I had a Townshend Rock III that did a nice job of isolation also, but they are rare and difficult to find. They used an air bladder between two steel plates as the chassis and frame.

Hope this helps. I would also agree tht using a shelf mounted to an inner non-load bearing wall could help. it would lessen the contact between the jacks that are used to level the manufactured home frame on the cement strips or pads.


Regards
Mister Pig

Yes, tuning the suspension could be a big help. Many of the suspensions I have seen have had a resonant frequency far too high.
Personally, I would do something like the "50lb slab of rock or an inner tube", but do it properly - then you could put any turntable on it. Doing it properly means that mass alone (the 50lb of rock) is no use, nor is placing anything on top of a wobbly/bouncy thing. What would work is having some significant mass (such as a paving slab) and suspending it from long springs so that the resonant frequency is about 1Hz. Any turntable placed on that would (should?) be immune from any severe house vibrations.
 
I think the Sota sapphire is the first in the line that has the great suspension but I may be wrong. It is out of my price though. I was actually
looking at the Music Hall Ikura but have yet to see one in person.
I was also looking at a used Ariston online. I would like to keep it around $1-1500.
How are the older Denon's?
 
As some one else mentioned consider a wall shelf, search out Arcorobs DIY wall shelf for $50 or less. Your home situation isn't very stable and before spending serious money on another turntable or Rube Goldberg solutions I'd try a wall shelf which has worked well for many AK members. I have two large Target wall shelves and it would take an A bomb to rattle my turntables but I'm neither close to train tracks or in a mobile home. If the wall shelf doesn't work I doubt any turntable or isolation device will and it's time to consider another source of music, CD player etc.
 
The turntable I have with a 2M Red cartridge is not as sensitive as my ARs have been. You can walk in front of this table playing, and I have rapped on the plinth and the needle does not skip.

The Dual I was thinking about was the 1219 idler drive. The platter is seven and one half pounds, which would really help the turntable with foot traffic. I don't think I've had any issues with foot falls with the last 1219 I had.
 
Back
Top Bottom