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Best building material for vibration free shelving

I am building some built into the wall shelves for my VPI Classic 2 SE turntable, amp, preamp, CD player, and old Burwen TNE 7000A transient noise eliminator (that’s one for you old-timers to remember), as well as my DISH Network receiver box. The shelves must match in appearance the typical looking built-in wood bookshelves already in the room. The shelves will be located directly under my 45" wide flat screen television. They will be wide enough to hold two components side by side, other than the VPI turntable which will have the top shelve to itself due to its extra width. I will be building the shelves high and deep to allow for plenty of air circulation around the components. They will be painted.

My question is, what materials might you suggest building the shelves with to minimize vibration? If they were for books I’d normally build the sides, and top out of 3/4" birch sided plywood, the back out of 1/4 inch luan plywood, and the shelves out of oak to deal with the weight of the books without bending. I will be adding vibration damping feet under each component and am not looking for suggestions along those lines, only material and perhaps design recommendations to reduce vibration.

I was researching this last night online and on site, and saw recommendations to use four thicknesses of 3/4 inch High Density (HD) MDF, also to use granite or marble under the turntable, among other recommendations. I was wondering how birch veneered plywood would work too, as it’s ply’s, I believe, have their grains running in opposite directions. Maybe there’s some way to isolate the uprights from the horizontal shelves to reduce vibration transmission.

What would you think would work best for these built-ins. I’d appreciate any recommendations you have or your experience on this subject. Thank you for any ideas.

Mike


skyscraper
inna
7,132 posts
 
Material for a turntable shelf..
There is no general answer, I believe. I just keep my Nottingham on 3" thick maple platform on the floor with Boston Audio big graphite tuning feet under the platform. I also use Boston Audio graphite record mat. I hear nothing wrong. You could try different woods under your VPI to compare before building shelves. Turntables sound different, what is good for Nottingham might be not so good for VPI.
I have no idea how African Blackwood platform would work with my table, though. It is also a matter of preference. Do you want a very tight sound or a little loose one ? I like it to be slightly bluesy but controlled, definitely not tight and analytical. We are in fact talking about tuning or even fine tuning the sound.

slaw's avatar
slaw
20,429 posts
 
@geoffkait ,@boxer12,

Of note... I don’t use the BDR cones in my system even though I’m a huge proponent of BDR shelves. Just wanted to put that out there.

@boxer12,

I’m not sure of your tt or system, or if you have the equipment to do woodworking, etc....

I do and I found out it’s best to try things for yourself. Dragon Plate products are expensive. But what I’ve found out is they are somewhat of a value product if you have the ability to modify these types of things yourself. If you look closely at my TT support on my virtual page, you’ll see some squares under the springs that my TT platform rests on to the MANA wall shelf This material is no longer available but it is highly integral in handling resonances within my system at any point I’ve used it in. I’ve found that raw carbon fiber is extremely useful in dealing with resonances in my system. Most noticeable is the musical bass. This is a big deal in that along with musical bass...everything else seems to just fall in line. This is just my years of testing.
boxer12
8,654 posts
 
Slaw,
It sounds like we both do the same. I have a small machine shop in my basement along with wood cutting saws, etc. I'm designing a rack to build using aluminum, brass, & ceramic. Probably won't be done for a while, LOL. The platform for the table will be like what bdp24 described except three layers of the .750 12 ply birch instead of two. (My table is very heavy. I made it out of 4" solid aluminum with a 2" solid plinth & 1" marble between them) I'm thinking about trying balsa core (.500 thick) and carbon fiber for the electronics. Currently my electronics are sitting on either corian, walnut, or maple. 
slaw's avatar
slaw
20,429 posts
 
Hey @boxer12,

What type of floor construction will the rack be sitting on? I think, unless your system will be located in your basement, it will be sitting on a suspended wood floor structure? Right?

I can give you some helpful tips if you want them?


boxer12
8,654 posts
 
Slaw,
My listening room is in the basement so it will be sitting on concrete with slate tile. Yes, I would love to hear your suggestions.
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