Ideal material for wall mounted TT shelf


I have a wall mounted shelf made of mdf with specially fabricated brass cantilevered supports(pics on my systems page). The TW AC + BN motor weighing approx 65kg rests on a HRS S1 platform and the whole caboodle rests on the mdf shelf. Mdf is not the best material sonically .
Slate is recommended by some TT manufacturers but is not available locally. Among the other options , plywood, acrylic or granite, what is recommended ?
Many thanks.
128x128sunnyboy1956

Showing 1 response by halcro

Hi Sunnyboy,
I cannot see the brass cantilevered supports on your System Page......however the wall hung shelf is definitely the right direction from your previous floor-mounted rack.
The wall mount should not move unless the wall itself is a stud frame supported directly on the floor joists?
If the wall is masonry or is independently supported from the floor......you're cooking with gas.
Assuming these brass cantilevered supports are correctly fixed into the masonry or timber studs......they will support the weight of granite, or marble together with the weight of your turntable (as you already know) :-)
Metal studs are the weakest structural elements imaginable. Their only function is to support plasterboard sheeting which gives the wall whatever solidity it achieves.
Metal studs are made of pressed metal barely 1mm thick and I wouldn't try supporting my lead-filled shooting stick on one of them?

Now to your question.....MDF is not...in itself....a poor material for the support of your turntable.
Remember that the table is effectively isolated (or de-coupled) from the shelf by the turntable's adjustable mounting cones.
I feel that a stone product like granite or marble is potentially worse in terms of their 'ringing' potential.
If you laminate both sides of the MDF with a veneer of laminate....you effectively create a stress-skin structure which is stiffer than the MDF alone.
If you really wish to throw money away.....you can try natural timber (butchers block) in a variety of species.
By creating a wall-mount for your turntable........you have effectively removed yourself from the sonic peculiarities of floor-mounted racks and shelving materials......and I'd be surprised if you couldn't already hear the differences compared to your old set-up?