Maple platforms

IME, MDF rings at certain frequencies so by itself doesn't work very well for 'table stand. I think you're on the right track with trying to isolate the MDF from the Rega.

I've built my own equipment and turntable stands using maple and walnut but they also incorporate sandboxes as shelves. I'm also building a pair of speakers using maple and walnut. However, maple directly under my turntable did not work well at all for me. It smeared notes badly and killed dynamics. Granite shelves in the sandbox worked much better for me. Similar experience with arm boards I made from maple and one from birch ply. I agree with the other posters that much denser, exotic woods work much better. Cocobolo, for example, is excellent.

Dgarretson, swap out that maple with some jatoba, cocobolo or other really dense hardwood and I think you'll forget all about maple under your table. Even worse is spikes into maple.

Oopps. I forgot that I still have the old pictures up. That turntable is now siting on granite instead of the maple butcher block.

BTW, I did used hard maple for those butcher blocks.

Piedpiper,

I should disclose that my experience with spikes was with my Gavia. When I first received my Gavia last year I sited the 'table on the maple with the spikes directly into the maple. The sound was dull and lifeless to the point I was starting to wonder what I'd just purchased. So then I tried a little experiment with some sheets of aluminum and steel on top of the maple. That brought back the leading edge dynamics, but the music was still kind of muddy and lifeless. To make it short, I kept experimenting until I got to the granite shelf. That has really brought out the detail, punch, and bass. I'm not sure that granite alone would work as well if not sitting on the sand. And it could be that a thick aluminum shelf, like Thom uses, or a block of some dense exotic wood might be even better.

In defense of maple, the suspended Basis tables I've owned didn't seem to mind what they sat on.

Dgarretson,

Thanks for the compliment. I understand what you're saying about proper isolation and I agree that many 'tables will benefit from sandboxes, or springs. Even with the springs and sandbox, you may get a noticeable improvement by replacing the maple with either more dense wood, or granite, or even aluminum. Several people I've talked with have made that move and been very pleased with the results. I tried it myself and I have to agree with them. But then again, I've never used a VPI so it may be like the Basis tables and not really care what it's siting on.

I'm on concrete floors so I'm not concerned with the floor issue. No. If I tap on my stand I do get sounds through with the stylus in the groove. But what does that really mean? I don't need to rap on my stands while the music is playing. I let the drummers do that. :)

Cows and coyotes. That's the local traffic in my neighborhood.