Technics SL-1700 feet

Bought mine new back in 1976. The feet are in great shape but I can tell you, everything I've tried under it was an improvement on the factory feet. I wouldn't waste one minute looking for something similar. Best you can use are BDR Cones, but might be hard to find. 

If they are standard like all technics feet then you can upgrade to ISONOE, i've been using them for 7 years on my upgraded SL1210mkII 

And if you want something very special just remove all feet and put your Technics right on the flat and fully udjustable rare Audio-Technica AT616 Pneumatic Insulators.

The original Technics feet must be replaced on any old Technics turntable, no matter which model, those original feet provides ZERO isolation and Technics notorious for bass feedback picket up even by MM cartridge. So the first thing to do it to add ISONOE or AT616 instead of those awful original Technics feet. 

On new Technics the feet are completely different and does not have this problem at all.  

That’s for SL-1200mk2+ turntables. The SL-1700mk2 (and 1600mk2 and 1800mk2) have a proper spring suspension of the TNRC platform supporting the spindle and tonearm while the 1200 has a solid hunk of rubber. That’s also why the 1200 feet are better than the others. Add the 1200 feet to the spring suspension and you have as close to perfect isolation as you can get. 

You might look here:  https://mnpctech.com/turntable-feet-replacement-isolation/

I have no experience (yet) with their products, but just ordered a set of the large feet for my JVC turntable.  I'll report back once I get them.  

The JVC turntable has springy feet and I have springy floors which adds up to a lot of sensitivity to footfalls.  I have the turntable sitting on hockey pucks at the moment, which are much better at managing vibration and sound better than with the stock feet.

If your table is on a solid surface something like the Isonoe feet might be better.

The table is the original SL-1700 but it does have the spring platform.

@john421 just add ISONOE and you will be fine, for higher budget buy AT616 Pneumatic Insulators (very rare) as they can support much higher weight up to 130lbs (can be used under any turntable, including superheavy ones if you will ever upgrade your SL1700)

The spring suspension on the SL-1700 is excellent. The mounting should be to the plinth via aluminum brackets if it’s like the SL-1700mk2 which then suspends the TNRC floating base that carries the spindle and tonearm. Since the spring suspension is already giving you plenty of isolation, you don’t have to spend a fortune on feet. 

Looking at photos 11&12 on pic click https://picclick.com/Technics-SL-1700-Turntable-Plinth-Genuine-item-Cabinet-392013998923.html#&gid=1&pid=11
the suspension is the same design in principle. Drilling and tapping the holes for the old foot mounts to accept the SL-1200mk2 feet should be just as easy as on my SL-1700mk2. Don’t drill all the way, because you need to put a screw in the bottom of each suspension tower to secure it to the plinth. I took regular sheet metal screws, #6 iirc, chucked them into a drill and held a flat file to the heads to make them fit through the suspension tower. It is much easier than it sounds. Really, it is.

Thanks for the suggestions.

rare Audio-Technica AT616

Sorry but  precisely because rare but above all very expensive (2 or 3 times more than the Technics 1700) it is absolutely useless to advise them.

@john421 I advise you if you want to stay in the Audio Technica home to buy the AT 605 feet that are better suited for the weight and cost of your turntable.

Sorry but precisely because rare but above all very expensive (2 or 3 times more than the Technics 1700) it is absolutely useless to advise them.

AT616 can be used not only under turntables, but under a table platform itself, because those feet (like no others) can support up to 60kg (130lbs) and fully adjustable. Raul has been using them under subwoofers! So you can imagine. Expensive, but very effective device for proper isolation of any component in audio system. I have no idea about OP’s budget, the fact that he’s got a relatively cheap turntables is not a target price. Any turntable (from 10kg to 60kg) at any price will benefit on AT616 Pneumatic feet, so it doesn’t matter. Look at the prices for Stillpoints for example.

Isonoe are much cheaper and designed for Technics

Isonoe are not designed for any Technics model, only the SL-1200mk2, which is vastly different and inferior to the spring suspended SL-1700 and SL-1700mk2. 

I am using Isonoe, what are you trying to say, have you ever tried/seen them? They can be screwed in any technics as the direct replacement of the stock feet (which is a junk even on SH-10B3 obsidian plinth). For any other equipment (CD players etc) isonoe designed slightly different feet. Everything explained on their site. 

As a dirt cheap alternative every   machinery shop can custom made a metal cones of any size to put under turntable plinth. 

Also i think original technics parts available online for purists, but technics feet are junk even those designed for top models of their expensive plinth (even for SH-10B7) and 100% junk on SL1700 (and mk2 too) just like on any other technics OLD turntable. 

@chakster

(Technics feet are)

100% junk on SL1700 (and mk2 too) just like on any other technics OLD turntable.

Not a very objective statement. There’s more to the story also. The feet are are designed to work as part of a system. It is the whole system that either accomplishes or fails to accomplish the goal of isolation. This comes with varying degrees of success. The SL-1200mk2 for example is for most intents and purposes, unsuccessful at isolating vibration due to its poor secondary and lack of tertiary isolation (sprung rubber feet and rubber chassis) which lacks diversity of spring rates, compliancy and natural resonance frequencies.

The majority of lower end Technics models do much better with only sprung rubber feet and TNRC chassis, thanks to diversity in the isolation system.

Back to the upper mid range, the SL-1700/1600/1800 mk1 and mk2 variants incorporate highly successful sprung suspension and TNRC chassis on simple rubber feet. If you replace those with the better rubber/sprung feet from the SL-1200mk2, you end up with an isolation system that is so successful in its mission that you couldn’t want for more. That is because it incorporates elements with difffering spring rates, compliancy and natural resonance frequencies. Each on its own cannot be as effective at successfully isolation vibrations as the whole system.

Technics: the science of sound.

@big_greg, how did those feet work out from here,   https://mnpctech.com/turntable-feet-replacement-isolation/

@mads1 I’m very happy with the feet. It’s hard to say how much difference they made because I did a couple of mods to my turntable at the same time, filling much of the inside of the plinth with plastic-clay and adding the feet. The feet that the turntable came with were very springy. The MNPCTECH Feet seem to provide much better isolation.

Before making those two mods I had some serious feedback/vibration issues and they all but went away after the mods.

The Audio Technical audio insulators are the way to go.  They are adjustable and work great.  They also last decades.

N.

Good to hear, Thank you for sharing your feedback! 

I agree with chakster reg. ''standard Technics footers'': worthless.
I substituted those with AT 636 footers under my Obsidian plinth
and SP 10,mk2 . I assume that chakster' s are bigger but not
necessary  better. Anyway both are excellent. 
.

I just ordered some of those MNPCTECH feet as well. They are the aluminum model with the tapered top and made for a Technics SL-1200. I'm putting them on my Yamaha PX-3 that I'm restoring. I already rebuilt the tonearm assembly and now I'm waiting for my tech to recap the power supply and control boards.
Should be a sweet table when I'm finished with it.

BillWojo

@nandric

I substituted those with AT 636 footers under my Obsidian plinth
and SP 10,mk2 . I assume that chakster’ s are bigger but not
necessary better.

Now when i have the manual for both models i can tell you they are completely different internally as i can see on schematic. So the difference is definitely NOT only the size. The bigger AT-616 (support up to 60kg) has different structure compared to smaller AT-636 (support up to 36kg). Not just bigger spring but entirely different design of pneumatic mechanism inside. 

Well my MNPCTECH feet came in today and they are very well constructed, the machining is first class and the rubber is nice and pliable. Once I get the table back together I'm sure they will work fine and it will look even better as well.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/TECHNICS-SL1200-1210-mk2-mk3-mk4-mk5-DJ-Turntable-DOME-Style-FOUR-FEET/3032...
BillWojo

Dear chakster, I am very, very sorry to have insulted your (much
bigger) footers, But your story remind me of this guy who wanted
to impress his friend with his new swimming pool. ''End what is
your impression?'' he asked. ''Well , uch, what should I say; is
the 3x 3 m. not to small"?
The guy was very angry: ''You idiot the pool is 25 m deep''. 
Aka: your footers can support 60 kg each while your TT is 20 (?)
kg. heavy. My SP 10 is even lighter. 

@nandric i don't want to impress anyone, but at least you should know that The AT-616 support from 10 to 60 kg, look here. 

These type of pneumatic footers can be placed not only under any turntable directly (or dac, cd player or whatever ) ... but also under heavy subwoofers if needed, or easily under some big butcher blocks even if you have more than one turntable on such block. 

The weight of turntable often vary because we're all using different plinth of different weight, some slate plinth are too heavy.   

these can placed under table or speakers for $19,  https://mnpctech.com/turntable-feet-replacement-isolation/turntable-vibration-isolation-pads-pack-of-four.html

Great Audio-Technica insulators in comparison @nandric :
AT-636 here
and more expensive AT-616 here

hope it will help to understand their entirely different structure 

Dear chakster , ''better than… relation'' can be endless , The
formula is R( a, b, c,... n). I was very glad to find the AT-636 
in order to substitute for the ''worthless'' original footers under
my Obsidian plinth. I am convinced that the sceptical review 
of the SP-10,mk2 with Obsidian plinth  was caused by those
worthless footers. I forget the price but those were not cheap.
Anyway  I don't need ''better kind''. 

 I am convinced that the sceptical review
of the SP-10,mk2 with Obsidian plinth was caused by those
worthless footers.

yes, stock footers are awful

yeah, they will appear on ebay every once in awhile.

You can PM me for feet if you still need. I have from SL-1600 that will be even better.
Don't go for alternative feet that Technics uses. Keep things original. 

thats a good tip, thank you!