Best building material for vibration free shelving

Thanks @prof !

@lowrider57 , @geoffkait ,

OK, this is a rare moment in time where we can agree.

@lowrider57 ,

Might I suggest, if you have room enough....below your maple plinth, recess springs into another recessed hole into the wood shelf.

@skyscraper,
There's a vinyl based damping material that is pressure sensitive that I've found to work well in certain situations that's available from www.partsexpress.com that may work for you.

If think you mentioned you have a VPI Classic? That's a lot of weight for those tiny clips to hold up?

Hey @skyscraper,

Have you made a decision yet?

@boxer12,

BTW, I have a 2'x4' sheet of 1/16" quasitropic carbon fiber in my shop that I plan on using in my TT project I bought from Dragon Plate years ago. The motor enclosure and the platter's plinth will be layers of aluminum, carbon fiber and purpleheart. I know, there is a chance with wood...it's contracting/expanding with temperature changes, but I've had this wood curing in my house for years to try and minimize this. We'll see. This is what's fun about DIY?

@boxer12,

I don’t want to, in any way, try to intrude on your rack plans that you’ve obviously spent a lot of time thinking and planning for. Maybe the best way I could give you tips is for isolation on your shelves. There are good ideas here from others on shelf material. Since you have the ability to make your own stuff, you may want to start very inexpensively and gradually go from there. This has benefits in being able to try different cones, materials and evaluating them before shelling out bigger bucks on something that may or may not work. I like to know/hear what the benefits, if any, are with any change I make. Always think about what you may want to do in the future and if possible, try to make your platforms within your rack or on top, interchangeable. This increases the value of them instantly and allows for further experimentation.

You could start inexpensively with MDF and use circles/squares of any material you buy from Dragon Plate as a starting point under your components feet to get an idea of how said material will benefit you.

Example: When I had my VPI Classic 3 on my Symposium Ultra a while back, (I was using Stillpoints SS for the VPI’s feet), I felt the sound was kind of sterile...I put four carbon fiber circles under the Stillpoints and that cured the issue. There are a lot of ways to experiment when you start thinking about it that are more cost effective.

One platform I really like is out of maple, I use 3", and underneath, I use springs slightly recessed into the bottom, ( I like a MDF board under that, that the springs will mate to it’s own recessed holes). On top, I recess the bottom half of a set of Symposium Rollerblock Jrs. flush with the maple’s top. This gives you both horizontal and vertical isolation.

I’m glad I bought my Symposiums years ago. I’ve noticed they have doubled in price now but they are available on the used market and there are other similar options.

Are you committed to a rack for your TT to sit on top of? Or, is it a possibility for the TT to be wall mounted?

Right now, are you envisioning one rack w/ the TT on top? If so, will said rack be located in the center of your speakers?

Hey @boxer12,

What type of floor construction will the rack be sitting on? I think, unless your system will be located in your basement, it will be sitting on a suspended wood floor structure? Right?

I can give you some helpful tips if you want them?

@geoffkait ,@boxer12,

Of note... I don’t use the BDR cones in my system even though I’m a huge proponent of BDR shelves. Just wanted to put that out there.

@boxer12,

I’m not sure of your tt or system, or if you have the equipment to do woodworking, etc....

I do and I found out it’s best to try things for yourself. Dragon Plate products are expensive. But what I’ve found out is they are somewhat of a value product if you have the ability to modify these types of things yourself. If you look closely at my TT support on my virtual page, you’ll see some squares under the springs that my TT platform rests on to the MANA wall shelf This material is no longer available but it is highly integral in handling resonances within my system at any point I’ve used it in. I’ve found that raw carbon fiber is extremely useful in dealing with resonances in my system. Most noticeable is the musical bass. This is a big deal in that along with musical bass...everything else seems to just fall in line. This is just my years of testing.

@geoffkait, @boxer12,


I’m unsure of the make-up of the BDR cones. I’m a huge fan of their shelves. They would never disclose the proprietary innards of those shelves...I have a feeling the cones may not be carbon fiber at all...just guessing.

I just scored a pair of custom made (BDR (stands w/ feet) that were originally made for a pair of Thor amplifiers). They’ll work great in my upcoming wall mount for an additional isolation platform for my Townshend Rock 7. Good things DO come to those that wait!

@boxer12,

Here I am. I’m a big proponent of carbon fiber. I’ve dealt with Dragonplate for years. Never tried their balsa products. I use carbon fiber extensively in my system. Plan on using it in my TT project.

@williewonka ,

That's a great project. Thanks for sharing!

@skyscraper,

I’m sorry for not replying to your earlier question.

I’ve posted a number of times on various threads on my ideas of isolating and /or decoupling which I believe would benefit you to research. If you want, look at my virtual system page. While it is in an ongoing state of testing and not complete, it will give you a visual idea of the direction I’m heading.

Good luck.

I think your question is misguided... You should be asking ..How can I isolate my TT shelf from my built-in's?