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Designing VPI HRX turntable stand long

I just brought a VPI TNT HRX turntable home, and it won’t fit on anything I have. I thought I would get a 4” maple butcherblock platform (as recommended by Harry Weisfeld, designer, said one post) locally and be able to set up right away on top of one of my stands. Unfortunately, I found I could only order one of these through local lumber yards. Since I was going to have to wait anyway, I looked online for butcherblock and found Timbernation.com (Chris). Scrolling through the products, I saw a sandbox he had made for a customer’s amp, which reminded me of the Big Rock sandbox affair I have used with good results in the past. Hmm, put legs on it and I have a turntable stand at a reasonable cost. I emailed Chris last night and he got back to me today (Sunday). His website indicates that he can build whatever I want, so I am looking for some input into the design.

The physical information:
-the table has a footprint of 25x29
-the chassis (all metal prototype, not the acrylic/metal sandwich current production model) weights 70 lbs.
-the motor/flywheel assembly weighs 34 lbs. and fits inside the footprint
-the vinyl platter weights 17 pounds without perimeter ring and is 13.5” in diameter with the ring
-the metal platter (the original platter) weighs 27 lbs and is 11.5” in diameter
-the outboard SDS is 19x9x4 and is relatively light

Issues:

1. materials: what wood would sound best (maple, cherry, walnut, etc.), how should it be assembled (butcher-block or laid out flat; Chris’ website says there is no such thing as a single block of wood of requisite size), and how thick should it be? I don’t imagine the manner in which the wood is finished will make a difference.

2. sand: how deep should the sand be underneath the wood slab and should the sand go up the sides between the slab and the box it sits in? If not, what should go between the slab and the box?

3. dimensions:
a. the slab has to be at least 25x29, of course, but at least a 1” border around the footprint would make sense, making the slab 27x31;
b. I was thinking the slab should be level with the sandbox, so if the slab is 4” thick and I use 1” of sand, the box would have to be 5” deep;
c. How much space between the slab and the box, one inch, ½ inch?
d. How tall should the stand be? I’m used to a turntable at eyelevel on a wall platform, but that is not going to happen. Ergonomically, 25” seems good for standing upright over the table and changing records, but making it higher would make it even better. However, I don’t want to compromise stability for a couple of extra inches.
e. How thick should the sides and bottom of the box be, the legs and any shelves? (Chris would probably know.)

4. shelves:
a. first, whether to have them at all. Will they affect stability (maybe improving it by cross bracing)? Will they affect sound (by adding vibration carrying elements)?
b. How many?
c. Where placed?
d. It would be nice to have all my turntable paraphernalia in one place, so storage use if shelves are employed: SDS, 2d platter, dustcover (maybe hang from side of stand on pegs?), peripheral ring, center clamps (2 – original screw on and later weight only), setup equipment, stylus force gauge, demagnetizer, stylus cleaners, brushes, etc., the playing LP cover/inner sleeve/outer jacket, LPs in current rotation.

5. miscellaneous:
a. leveling the table with adjustable feet?
b. ???

I would appreciate any input before I finalize the design with Chris.
suttlaw
suttlaw OP
41 posts
 
Many good comments. Thanks.

Rushton: how much does the rack cost and the top separate shelf cost? I couldn’t find the information on the website(s). Thank you for the picture. I checked the VPI website and they said they had a stand with more information later. I emailed them and Sheila, bless her heart, responded on a Sunday to tell me they had been selling the stand for some time but the webmaster had never updated. I’ll pass on the information about it when she gets back to me.

Salectric: Dave, thanks for you heads up, but I admit that your comments worry me. I thought that I had a good answer with a maple platform and now you’ve got me wondering again. I’ll start slow. What did you find that you did like under your components? Also, I hate to sound internet stupid, but what does YMMV stand for?

Psychicanimal: what is Carribean Moca…? And how does it sound?

Dan ed: My compliments on your DIY work. If I had any abilities like that… I checked the Teres website, but couldn’t find what you referred to. Where do I look? Did you use one or two inches of sand? How much space between the plinth and the sides of the box? Did you consider using a thicker plinth than one inch? Or something other than maple? I wouldn’t do doors or drawers, but I was thinking of one shelf about fifteen inches above the floor (so I could put LPs underneath) and with five inches space so I could put the SDS unit in it. What do up think?

Jphii: nice picture. Definitely considered Teres before the HRX.

Thanks everyone.
rushton's avatar
rushton
2,445 posts
 
Suttlaw: The Walker shelf and stand are very expensive. I posted the information more as a design example that as a purchase recommendation, even though I did purchase the one pictured for my Walker turntable. This is one of those things you'll have to ask Lloyd about directly. A telephone call works best; he's usually the one answering the phone.
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jphii
485 posts
 
Suttlaw,

I'll try to post a picture of what I'm in the process of finishing, and here is a link to Chris Brady's rack also:

Chris's Tube Haven

YMMV= Your Mileage May Vary

Mine is similar to Chris's, but uses red coconut palm, solid surface countertop material, Audiopoints, lead shot, walnut, copper sheet, and some other "secret" stuff. I know it sounds like a cluster&*%k, but wait till you see it.

Disclaimer: I build stuff!
salectric
747 posts
 
Suttlaw, my search for the best sounding stands and platforms for my equipment is still underway. I am using my Galibier on a 3/4" thick maple butcherblock shelf from Bed, Bath and Beyond, which is supported in the corners by the solid oak posts of a DIY stand. (Surprising as it may seem, I prefer that to the 3" thick platform from Timbernation.) My favorite mounting for my power amps is a solid walnut platform resting directly on the carpet. My preamps sound best on a short nesting table made of solid oak. I have not tried most of the (expensive) commercial offerings since I prefer to do things myself where possible. My next project will be a sandbox for the turntable where I can try different materials for the floating shelf.

My reason for posting here was not to say what is best, but rather to issue a caution about assuming that a thick maple BB platform will solve all of your problems.

My experiments to date lead me to two conclusions: First, different shelves and stands can sound dramatically different. Second, two people can reach opposite conclusions about which material sounds best. Ultimately, like most things in home audio, you have to try something yourself and reach your own conclusions.

Dave
dan_ed
2,451 posts
 
Thanks for the compliment, Suttlaw. And thanks to Joe for getting that link to Chris's Tube Heaven up.

I completely agree with Salectric's comments about trial and error when it comes to shelves, stands and racks. I have had commercial products and they were fine, but they seem to always be expensive so if there is a short coming it really nags at me. I did some investigation before deciding on what to build and came to the conclusion that if I used the sandbox approach that I would gain most if not all of the improvements without having to look into other materials and products later. Some posters on the Asylum stated that they had used 3 to 5 inches of sand for boxes supporting heavy, high powered amplifiers and we all agreed that this was probably overkill for preamps and sources, so I settled on 1 to 2 inches and I think in practice that I can very close to an inch and a half.

Now on to the shelves. I like maple because it is fairly dense, cost effective, machines easily and the grain is nice and close so you can get a really smooth finish. Other choices may be birch, except it moves more with changes in humidity, cherry, sycamore (very pretty edge grain and when quatersawn), etc. I settled on making the two lower shelves 1 inch thick for heavier components and 3/4 inch for lighter stuff up high. I don't know why I made them thinner, but I do think that when the shelf is sittin on the sand it doesn't really matter much how thick is. My turntable sits on top but I really didn't notice much difference placing it there. I did hear an improvement when I moved the components to the sandboxes. Joe probably has some very good ideas on shelve material. I've seen the red coconut on his arm board and I can't wait to see the stand.

Again, I think your table will probably sound wonderful no matter what it sits on. The SDS may very well benefit from some dampening. There is a high probability that what I built is not the absolute best solution sonically, but I bet it is pretty close. IMO, this is one area where the law of dimishing returns really kicks in.

Oh, I made the shelves so that there is a 1/4" gap between the side of the shelve and the box. I then used 7/16 weather stripping, but the next thickness down would have worked just as well and would probably have been easier to slide in.
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