Siting: Making Sure Your Turntable is Sitting Pretty
t first glance, placing a turntable might not seem like much of a challenge, but in reality where and how it is supported can have a significant effect on a record player’s performance. There are two major factors to consider.
A turntable is essentially a precision mechanical measuring device designed to detect tiny levels of vibrational energy. As such, any energy that reaches the stylus/groove interface will be "read" as signal. Most record players take considerable steps to prevent this happening through the structure of the deck itself and the materials from which it is made. However, besides the risk of internally generated noise (from motors, the main bearing, etc.) there are two kinds of external energy that the deck must deal with: structural and airborne feedback. The system is generating vibrational energy in the room -- in the form of music. This energy can find its way back to the record player, through the air or through the structure of the room and what the record deck is sitting on. The easiest way to deal with this is to minimize its impact. Airborne feedback – The simplest way of dealing with airborne energy is to remove the record player from its path. That means avoid placing the deck in corners or at even fractional points along the walls. Likewise, avoid alcoves; these might at first glance appear to offer some shielding or protection, but generally exhibit their own resonant characteristics, concentrating energy around the record player rather than letting it pass. Instead, try to position the player in an acoustic null by placing it three-fifths or two-thirds of the way along a wall. And yes, five-sevenths works too! The other common error is to assume that a dust cover or lid affords protection from airborne energy. It doesn’t. Instead it acts like a sail, increasing the visible profile (or windage) of the deck, channeling the energy that hits it back into the deck itself or the support it is sitting on. The worst-case scenario is playing a deck with a hinged Perspex or acrylic lid in the open position. Just closing the lid results in a noticeable improvement in sound quality; removing it altogether is even better. Structure-borne feedback – What you rest your record player on is a less obvious issue than bombarding it with loud noise, but, if anything, it’s more important to performance. The player’s support must achieve two goals: act to minimize external energy reaching the deck and allow energy generated by the deck itself to be effectively dissipated. Ideally you should also be able to level the support precisely, especially if the turntable itself has no leveling facility. Many people assume that something large, heavy and stable should be ideal, but nothing could be further from the truth. A massive cupboard or storage unit might look solid and immovable, but in reality it simply soaks up energy from the floor and then releases it at its own resonant frequency(s). To make matters worse, it does so extremely inefficiently, ensuring a musically significant time lag between the system generating a crescendo and that energy spike finding its way back into the record player, thus ensuring that it causes maximum musical damage. The result is a sound that is smeared and lacks definition, dynamic range, rhythmic expression or truly black backgrounds behind the performance -- all the things that make records worthwhile as a source. A heavyweight support does exactly the same thing to self-generated energy from the record deck. The mechanical noise produced by the motor and main bearing has to go somewhere. A massive support will simply absorb and recycle it, generally at a damagingly low frequency, further compounding the problem. Wall shelves are often just as bad. People can understand that floorboards vibrate. What is less obvious is that walls do too, even brick walls, so placing your record player on a shelf can result in it simply shaking at the same rate as the wall it’s attached to. So what is the solution? Whatever your record player sits on should ideally be as light, rigid and energy dispersive as possible -- commensurate of course with supporting the player’s weight. That normally isn’t too much of a problem, but as decks increase in price some of them get seriously heavy, which means structural integrity and stability come into play. A 150-pound 'table perched on top of a wobbly rack really is neither safe nor a good idea. In practice, this actually means that the best solution is often one of the more thoughtfully designed dedicated audio racks. This should allow leveling, and it should have a wide, stable stance and a dispersive structure that avoids welded steel frames and brings the deck to a comfortable operational height. Modular racks using aluminum or wooden uprights and wooden shelves are often the most cost effective, although even these can run out as pricey options for a budget ‘table and often lack the stability required for heavyweight turntable designs. They will, however, accommodate most of the system, offering a general upgrade. Looking at the other end of the scale, you can still achieve excellent performance on a budget. The classic cost-conscious support for budget ‘tables is the IKEA Lack side table -- at a price of less than $10! A wider model with a second shelf can be had for $20. Both fulfill the lightweight, rigid and dispersive brief. This is the most basic solution available, but as long as you don’t have some massive beast of a deck, it is also amazingly effective. One way of improving on a basic IKEA table, or of ameliorating the negative impact of a less-than-perfect support, cupboard or shelf is to use a secondary platform. This could be as simple as a chopping block (the sort made out of multiple small wooden cubes is best) supported on three small wooden cones or doorknobs, or it might graduate to an aftermarket shelf and something like Stillpoints feet, adding a leveling facility to the setup. But once again, the beauty of this is that you can start with a simple and surprisingly effective solution, adding extra performance as funds allow. Whatever solution you adopt, what you sit your record player on will have a profound effect on musical performance. Some thought, a little care and some experimentation will generally deliver clearly audible benefits. Just don’t be surprised how good even a budget deck can sound once it’s sitting comfortably.
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