Tweaks are usually easy, but not this one.
The principle of this tweak is to add an air suspension to the Well Tempered (this was done to a square motor C lassic). This is not the same as an expensive air isolation system (it may be better), nor is this similar to cheap versions of these systems put out by various manufacturers. This is definantly not the same as putting a bicycle inner tube under a component! After following these steps one will have a balanced air suspension horizontally tuned to around 1 Hz horizontally and 5 Hz vertically. One of my collaborators on this indicated that he had read that the infamously expensive Rockport turntables have a suspension tuned to 1 Hz in both dimensions. [There is an isolation device on the market for around $800 that does this, but it would not work well for turntables (Unipivot I believe).]
This sounds good so far, but now for the gory details:
1. Put the table on a flat surface with poster board underneath (a grocery sack works.)
2. Trace an outline of the table.
3. Using two 1 inch half cylinders or spheres (I used half of an industrial ferrite) and balance the table on two of these at the front and the back of the table. Mark the exact balance points on the outline of the table bearing in mind that these points will be connected by a line. Fo this step it would be good to have a typical record and clamp on the table.
4. Repeat the above from the sides. For the square motored classics you will have to have your balancing point in the cutout.
5. Remove the tables and connect the lines from side to side and front to back with a pencil. The intersection point is the center of mass of the table.
6. Now you must acquire 3 toy plastic footballs that can be blown up like a soccer or volley ball. The key here is an oblong inflatable device; spherical balls will just roll around once the table is in place. These toy footballs are typcial in size (about five inches long.) The compliance of the casing will be a factor. My collaborator was of the opinion that rubbery would be better than plasticy (more rigid material.) We used Treds toy footballs. (Please let me know if you find more of these, I am out.)
7. On your tracing locate three points, 180 degrees part, and as far away from the center as possible, while still supporting the table. You do not want the footballs bulging out around the sides of the table.
8. Place and afix trace to where the table will reside.\
9. Precisely place table on the footballs. Remember the point is to be balanced. It would be good to have a second person to verify correct placement. (Does anyone have any ideas how to place the table with absolute precision?) Obviously this is a critical step since if the table is not placed well, the setup will not be truly balanced. Also, it is extremely important to make sure that the surface you are placing the table on is balanced.
10. Balance the table by inflating and deflating the footballs. Here you will realize that you want your inflation nozels accessible.
11. Rigidly mount the motor so it can engage the belt. I used half ferrites. Cones may work well. I tried soft mounting. Rigid was better. Go for rigidity.
12. Play some vinyl.
13. Adjust the level of the footballs much like one does VTA. More air is higher and brighter, less air is lower and darker, and just right is a sweet spot more apparent than any optimum VTA setting.
