greg@olivej.UUCP (Greg Paley) (01/06/84)
The instructions for my speakers made a suggestion for reducing turntable feedback which I've tried and found so successful that I'd like to share it. All turntables feed back to some degree, regardless of the advertising hype that denies this. Japanese direct drive turntables are particularly prone to this. The solution is to cut a board (I used 3/4 inch plywood - I don't think the material is critical) to fit the bottom of the turntable base, as though making a shelf for it. Get a cheap bicycle inner tube (expensive ones are too thick to be effective). Inflate the tube very lightly, so that it's still quite soft. Drill holes over the surface of the "shelf" to vent it. Place the inner tube on the surface you usually sit your turntable on, the drilled board on that and then set your turntable on this new base. A small spirit level is necessary to judge how to arrange the inner tube under the board so as to level the turntable, since few (if any) turntables have their weight evenly distributed. This won't convert a Sony into a Linn-Sondek. I have found, however, that it has audibly reduced the amount of feedback as well as making the turntable more immune to shocks applied to a table or cabinet used to support it. There are expensive bases one can buy which do the same thing, but they are expensive and I found that for very little money and effort this made a great difference. I've appreciated the advice I've gotten on turntables. I hadn't investigated the Rega Planar models very thoroughly and now intend to do so. Greg Paley Olivetti ATC, Cupertino, Ca. (408) 996-3867 x.353