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Are You Sorbothane Experienced?

I couldn't find any discussions on user experiences with sorbothane isolation feet, so decided to start one. I recently purchased a set of 4 40mm sorbothane feet for my Music Hall mmf-5 turntable. 
Setup was less than favourably a one-man affair, so it was a rather precarious endeavour.

One thing that adds to the difficulty of what I imagined would be an entirely straightforward installation, is the fact that the sorbothane feet easily distort under the slightest off-centre loading. That means you have to adjust them incessantly  at both top and bottom contact points until you miraculously have all 4 perfectly vertically loaded perpendicular to your turntable's factory feet as well as your shelf. In my case the shelf is by Salamander.

Once you've managed all this and justifiably rather pleased with yourself, guess what? Your turntable may or may not be level as it was prior to the installation. So, level the TT at the shelf rather than at the adjustable feet, as are standard on the MH, because adjusting the feet would upset those super squishy sorbothane isolation pucks. 

The listening verdict: I honestly can't say that I can hear any difference during before & after playback of Jimmy Cliff's Wonderful World, Beautiful People.

I'm curious to learn of your experiences, if any. Cheers!
avdesigns
avdesigns OP
29 posts
 
Auxinput - The isolation "washers" appear to be an economical alternative. Thanks!

gregkohanmim
153 posts
 
avdesigns - You might consider starting a new thread in the analog forum for feedback from members with more experience with your particular turntable - but given that you can't hear any difference with the sorbothane pads, I will say this:

If you want to tweak and try different things, that's great as long as you enjoy it - that's part of the fun - but be careful and realize that upgrades and tweaking can become a slippery slope and I've seen many here spend more in "upgrades" than on the actual device they're trying to upgrade (with cables, isolation platforms, platters, weights, etc. etc.)

The fact that you can't hear ay difference with the new sorbothane is a good sign- shows that you aren't all that susceptible to "wishful thinking" -that's a good thing.

You have a great table for the money, you should enjoy it and if you see a problem and you can fix it?  Go for it - otherwise, don't go chasing your tail unnecessarily - your Music Hall should deliver great results as-is and if you think that you have isolation or resonance problems, chances are, the solutions aren't going to ever be solved by some silver bullet "tweak".

Just my $.02

Greg
lou_setriodes's avatar
lou_setriodes
672 posts
 
Very doubtful you'll find Mod Squad TipToes, I believe they were the original points made in the mid 80's I think.  Many have been made since at much higher prices.  
terry9
2,209 posts
 
Sorbothane is a material like any other, and it must be used in the right place in the right way. That means engineering calculations. The sorbothane website is a good place to start.

IMO, feet are not the right place. Spikes give much better performance in both the TT which form my testbeds - sound is more focussed and precise, while sorbothane feet sound mushy.

Where sorbothane shines is in motor isolation. But again, it's not often used correctly.  According to the website, you need inches of low durometer material to isolate the typical AC TT motor. That describes my DIY units - but not many others. Of course, there are other valid approaches, like SME.

The key here is how much noise is transmitted into the TT plinth from the floor. If you live in a railroad switch yard, you will need as much isolation as you can get. The SME solution is made for you. IMO. If you live on rock, miles from the nearest industry, highway or railway, you probably don't need any isolation at all. The latter is my situation, which is why spikes without any isolation device work for me.

As noted, YMMV.  


roxy54's avatar
roxy54
7,639 posts
 
Sorbothane under components was very first-generation. I used it many years ago, but after trying other metal cones and Starsound devices, I realized how bad it sounded. It is good for damping buzzes in than component cases and things like that.
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