I am still thinking about starting simple and DIY, and affixing 2.5” Duro 70 Sorbothane hemispheres to the bottom corners of 2” thick walnut butcher block platforms.
Amp Stand for Heavy Amp on Wood Floor?
- Thread starter Ron Resnick
- Start date
The Duro-70 Sorbothane would have also worked quite well. The shear weight and density of the concrete is so massive a number of materials would have worked well. BTW this process is exactly as concrete countertops are made. After finishing and sealing they take on a very interesting patina. The long shelf I stained with coffee before sealing and it took on a copper hue.
If I were to do it again I would use something different than cork. Reason being it doesn't slide well! I didn't adhere the cork to each of the edges, I left about an inch all around. This way I'm able, With a fulcrum and lever. I can actually lift each corner and get a furniture slider under each corner if I need to move them. And yes you are understanding correctly. Both the Mephisto and Extreme sit on individual 4" platforms and yes they are floor platforms.
Ron, simple, easy and affordable. Butcher Block Acoustics in nearby Monterey Park offers a double solid maple or walnut platform shelf separated by a sheet of sorbothane They also offer beefy brass footer similar to the ones Mapenoll made famous. There is little question as to the efficacy of solid maple and brass. Add in the sorbathane and what a value!
Talk is cheap so I am ordering three for my listening room today - one for the Westminster Rei amplifiers, one for the Quest pre-amplifier and one for the LampizatOr Horizon DAC arriving soon
They will even make the stands to order for fit you big VTL monos!
link to platforms - https://butcherblockacoustics.com/collections/double-b-isolation-platform
Talk is cheap so I am ordering three for my listening room today - one for the Westminster Rei amplifiers, one for the Quest pre-amplifier and one for the LampizatOr Horizon DAC arriving soon
They will even make the stands to order for fit you big VTL monos! link to platforms - https://butcherblockacoustics.com/collections/double-b-isolation-platform
I am looking at Butcher Block also. It there any reason you did not go with the round spring bottom they have?Ron, simple, easy and affordable. Butcher Block Acoustics in nearby Monterey Park offers a double solid maple or walnut platform shelf separated by a sheet of sorbothane They also offer beefy brass footer similar to the ones Mapenoll made famous. There is little question as to the efficacy of solid maple and brass. Add in the sorbathane and what a value!
Talk is cheap so I am ordering three for my listening room today - one for the Westminster Rei amplifiers, one for the Quest pre-amplifier and one for the LampizatOr Horizon DAC arriving soon
link to platforms - https://butcherblockacoustics.com/collections/double-b-isolation-platform
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Will look at end grain, a little more expensive but it really looks nice...BTW still waiting on DHL H is supposed to be here today. I would never ever use DHL if I had to ship, they are MORONIC!!
Turns out I misspelled the name of the brass footer guys. It's Mapleshade not Mapenoll which I believe was a turntable they once made. Check out their brass footer below. They also make platforms.
steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Prior to my CMS racks every one of my components sat on 1.5" thick butcher block. Easy to source as I ordered from a local kitchen cabinet maker few miles from my house. I used maple BTW for the wood choice
I really like butcher block platforms from Butcher Block Acoustics, and I just rest them on cubical hardwood blocks onto the carpet; this provides good mechanical grounding. I then rest my component on HRS Nimbus Couplers and Spacers on top of the maple (or walnut) butcher block. https://photos.imageevent.com/puma_cat/stereopix/websize/Constellation-Tall2A.jpg
FWIW: I have a Mapleshade rack from when I was starting out. I also ordered some plinths, after which began a cascade of negative experiences.
About half of their wooden products I have are *not* flat. Not even close. Wicked crown. And they were crappy about it.
The brass footers are fine, although prices have skyrocketed.
Since I was already into their concept with the rack, when I wanted to expand, I bought their brass hardware, so things would match, but I bought shelves from Butcher Block, longer threaded rod from Grainger, and I drilled the maple shelves myself. Et voila! Expansion.
Butcher Block is excellent to deal with and the wood is dead-flat.
I just got off the phone with Butcher Block. Compared to other shipping sources I have found DHL to be the best even though that is not saying much. My Lucas Audio LDMS, Lampi Pacific, and Horizon all came early and without damage.
Does anybody know what are the best concave dimpled saucers to receive the foot spikes of the VTL Siegfried II? Microstrip, do you use those divet saucer things?
If you are trying to isolate the amp it would be these:
wellfloat-global.com
If you are just trying to protect the floor there are any number of one piece spike cups.
Delta Isolation Base - WELLFLOAT English
wellfloat-global.com
If you are just trying to protect the floor there are any number of one piece spike cups.
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Some companies use concrete platforms for their demo to have a local huge impact of "earth mechanical ground". This work ! Concrete is rigid and has no sharp modes.
For my next brand of amplifiers I will get at the end of the year , I asked the manufacturer to make special feet to adapt my cones and bases from Harmonix without the help of platform. As my floor is very rigid, it's better to drain ribs to floor as fast as possible with a no ringing system. REI-168+RF999Z do not ring.
Best
Philippe
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Hi Ron,
HARMONIX RF-999Z. The best I have, the best I tested for 30 years. I still use RF-999M but they are not available anymore.
They blow away all precedent HARMONIX bases.
The picture of the cones under the SiegFried show quite ordinary spikes. Cones are complex parts with critic performance depending of the shape, materials and damping. Real cones could be in development for 1 year, until the goal for draining without adding a resonance that can harden the sound more or less.
HARMONIX REI 168 has more than 3 materials, Goldmund cone 2 + silicone damping (unavailable now), Walker 1 material + lead damping.
Picture : REI-168+RF-999-M under my Front End power unit.
KR
Philippe
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WRT the butcher block thing:
The idea with a platform is to be able to absorb vibration as much as possible and to provide a still place on which the equipment can sit.
To that end, butcher block by itself isn't all that great- it does resonate (pick it up and hit it!). But its easy to fix: get a slab of aluminum or steel that has some mass to it, perhaps 1/4" for steel or 1/2" for aluminum at a minimum. Of course you'll note that the metal on its own is also resonant. But when its bonded (which will take some machining to get a nice flat surface for each part) to the butcher block the two different resonances will rob energy from each other. This will make for a more controlled environment for the equipment.
Empire used this technique back in the 1960s in their later turntables that had 2-piece platters. Although made of the same material, the 2 parts had different resonances; when mated together they resonated far less. My Scully lathe also used an anti-vibration platform and it was made largely of wood but was layered using this same principle. So its not like this idea is new or controversial.
The idea with a platform is to be able to absorb vibration as much as possible and to provide a still place on which the equipment can sit.
To that end, butcher block by itself isn't all that great- it does resonate (pick it up and hit it!). But its easy to fix: get a slab of aluminum or steel that has some mass to it, perhaps 1/4" for steel or 1/2" for aluminum at a minimum. Of course you'll note that the metal on its own is also resonant. But when its bonded (which will take some machining to get a nice flat surface for each part) to the butcher block the two different resonances will rob energy from each other. This will make for a more controlled environment for the equipment.
Empire used this technique back in the 1960s in their later turntables that had 2-piece platters. Although made of the same material, the 2 parts had different resonances; when mated together they resonated far less. My Scully lathe also used an anti-vibration platform and it was made largely of wood but was layered using this same principle. So its not like this idea is new or controversial.
@Atmasphere I wholeheartedly agree with your supplemental guidance re: shelves. Having a constrained layer, glued or not, and multiple materials is a DIY win, I think.
The challenge for a DIY is knowing what the various resonance frequencies are, so it's a bit of a science experiment. Still, the materials (wood, steel, quartz) are relatively cheap for the fun of the project.
While I like the maple shelving, I don't place components right on the shelves. Personally, I like to use some carbon platforms and usually footers too. I want to isolate my gear from my rack. It may be over-kill, but I sometimes use multiple layers for the gear.
I have found @Norman Varney 's EVPs a great addition. I use them under the Daiza platform for the Extreme, instead of the stock footers, and under the MSB gear. I need another set for the pre and SACD player.
And to circle back to OT territory, I added the SRA amp stands some 10 months back, replacing a multi-layered quartz, thin polymer, maple slab sandwich DIY set-up, which was pretty good, and a successful "proof of concept" for an amp isolation solution.
The challenge for a DIY is knowing what the various resonance frequencies are, so it's a bit of a science experiment. Still, the materials (wood, steel, quartz) are relatively cheap for the fun of the project.
While I like the maple shelving, I don't place components right on the shelves. Personally, I like to use some carbon platforms and usually footers too. I want to isolate my gear from my rack. It may be over-kill, but I sometimes use multiple layers for the gear.
I have found @Norman Varney 's EVPs a great addition. I use them under the Daiza platform for the Extreme, instead of the stock footers, and under the MSB gear. I need another set for the pre and SACD player.
And to circle back to OT territory, I added the SRA amp stands some 10 months back, replacing a multi-layered quartz, thin polymer, maple slab sandwich DIY set-up, which was pretty good, and a successful "proof of concept" for an amp isolation solution.
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