Nick Gorham wrote:
Serge Auckland wrote:
max graff wrote:

Hi guys,

i was reading the following article -

http://gallery.audioreview.com/showp...5&limit=recent


someone on here suggests getting rid of the the stock feet of the debut
III with adjustable cones to improve sound quality.

I was wondering how would that affect sound quality? I have pretty
sturdy stand and tiled flooring so vibrations aren't much of a problem.

Any tips?

Cheers

Max


I think this is another case of "different, so must be better". By
that I mean that changing the soft rubber feet for hard cones will
couple the turntable to the support, as there's no other form of
isolation. This will make the turntable behave differently to acoustic
feedback, it will make it more susceptible to feedback, as whatever
the support is will be storing energy, and passing it directly to the
turntable which is now intimately coupled to it. Previously, with the
soft rubber feet, only acoustic energy falling directly on the
turntable (including of course the cover) could give rise to feedback.

Consequently, the turntable system will now sound different, and in
this peculiar world many of us inhabit, any change is seen as an
improvement.
If the turntable had genuinely sounded better with hard cones rather
than rubber feet, don't you suppose the manufacturer might have
supplied it that way?

S.

I would have expected the manufacturer to have supplied the best
solution that would cover the worst case user. It may be that in this
case, a low level of isolation may be sufficient to prevent feedback.
And it may be that a different suspension could be a improvement.

I agree that the manufacturer will supply the best solution that would
cover the worst case user. However, if in this case, a lower level of
isolation may be sufficient, I don't understand why changing to cones
(which have *no* isolation) could be an improvement. At best, there
would be no difference, at worse the lack of isolation will change the
sound. Then it goes back to my original thought that different=better.

My car seat has several adjustments to make it fit me, the same may be
true here.

No really, unless the manufacturer fitted adjustable hardness
suspension, which they didn't.

But you can't know for certain without trying. There are several other
things you can stand a turntable on to see if they make a difference
without spending HiFi prices. Squash balls and wooden cabinet handles
are two you could try and see if you think there is a difference and if
you prefer it (avoiding the "better" word).

Agree absolutely that the suspension makes a difference to the
propensity to feedback and hence coloration. However, as the
manufacturer has done their best to provide isolation in the form of
soft rubber feet, how is changing that an improvement? different=better
again? Your avoidance of the word "better" above is a bit of sophistry
given that if you prefer it, then, for you, it *is* better. My post was
an attempt to be objective, that all changes, *even if you prefer them*
are not necessarily better when evaluated objectively.


Making sure the table is level however is something you need to check
whatever you stand it on.

Hear Hear!

S.