Racquetball isolation platform perfection


Racquetball isolation platform perfection ... and DIY style to boot ! Thought I'd share with you my experiment that turned out working perfectly in my system.
Basically I copied a Ginko Cloud platform using $5 worth of racquetballs from Wal Mart and some 1/2" Birch plywood. I used a specialty grinding stone from a local tool store that makes a perfect 1.5" concave in the wood. Cinched it up in my drill press and drilled it down about 1.5" in from every corner, and went down about 3/8" deep. It's allows the balls to move back and forth by about a half inch, and when the top platform is added the CD player simply " floats " on top. just like an original Ginko. This EASILY bested several different cones I have in my collection, a set of Isonodes, a set of Symposium Rollerblocks, and a innertube isolation platform.

Total cost ? $15.

The bass is the tightest and most defined I have ever had in my current system. It made amazing amounts of good things happen under my Lexicon RT-20.

Try it for yourself, it was a winner in my system.
timtim

Showing 4 responses by emorrisiv

I was thinking of doing the same thing but was thinking hand balls or squash balls since they are much denser than raquetballs. I was thinking of getting a slap of plexiglass (like gingko uses) and using a hole saw to cut the holes so that the balls would sit stationary. I am glad someone else has tried this and it works. nice
This is fun.

"I *think* that in this case denser would be worse, no? The denser the material, the higher the coupling & the worse the isolation. Racquetballs might be better as they are more full of air - less coupling??"

Could be. I would never claim to be a expert on this subject. Happily it is cheap and easy to experiment with any of these balls, since they all have virtually the same OD and should fit the DIY cloud platform.

Keep the conversation coming.I for one can't learn enough about the couple/Decoupling topic and the hobby in general.

e
LOL!!! most of my gear is from either the 70s or 80s so I guess I'm just a retro kind of guy.Some people also call this old age.
I guess I will just sit back in my mid century Danish chair and sip some more single malt while I rap my knuckles on the table.

e
Way to go Timtim. I have not tried the DYI cloud yet, but I am trying to get the materials to do it. I did pickup a set of the Dmotto bearing stands and they work great,and were not expensive at all. I won them here on audiogon.
Meanwhile I am still searching for the plexiglass. I see that it can be ordered online but I would like to find it local shop. Do you have any photos of your design? I would love to see it.

As for all the arguing, it gets very boring to read.You guys lost me quickly.I really couldn't keep the logical order of the discussion from the boring scientific boasting and the even more boring rants and personal attacks.
This hobby like all hobbies creates children from adults and then loses the fun factor.

My apology to Timtim if I was the impetus for starting the whole mess. I have been intrigued by the Cloud and thought that it could be duplicated in a DIY project and was happy to read someone had done it.Keep up the good work.

e