Help! Tweaking My Lovan Rack for new Big A**ed Transrotor Turntable!


Folks, some input would be mighty appreciated.

I’ve been using a hand-me-down (though very nice!) Micro Seiki dd-40 turntable for a number of years and finally got the upgrade itch (it helps the upgrade itch when your cartridge is going on 30 years old, and sounding like it!).

I went down the rabbit hole and picked up a Transrotor Fat Bob S turntable, with an Acoustic Solid 12" arm and a Benz Micro Ebony cartridge. All with only about 30 hours of use at a great price. Yay!

Though I have considered getting rid of my old Lovan Classic rack for a new custom jobby, I’m pretty much spent out and I think I’ll have to make do for now, working with the Lovan.

The Fat Bob turntable is 55 lbs of solid aluminum and built like Thor’s hammer.

I figure this will finally get me to fill my Lovan stands for a bit more rigidity - probably with rice. The stand is the old 3 legged triangular shaped bass, which means the thin MDF shelves can feel like they sit sort of precariously on top. But the stand itself feels quite solid.

I want to incorporate a wood platform base, as many do, because I really love the look of a nice wood slab.

At first I thought maybe I’d have 3 spikes drilled in to the bottom corners of the wood base to directly couple it to the rest of the Lovan frame, vs resting it on the top mdf shelf. But I’m not sure that’s really necessary. And I’d like to incorporate some isolation as well, I think. So I’m thinking of just laying it on the top shelf, with something in between.

My first thought is to place a Symposium Segue shelf between the top of the Lovan shelf and the wood base.

Other than that...I’m flummoxed as to all the other choices...roller blocks? Symposium Fat Padz? Vibrapods? Herbie’s Tendersoft footers? Voo-Doo Isopods?  What should I put between the wood platform base and my Lovan shelf?

Any comments of suggestions on the direction I’m going?

Thanks!

(BTW, I’m an resolutely NOT a DIY/Handy-man type, so I’m not trying to go to heroic efforts, wishing this to be as painless as possible).
prof
Not nuts. Just be aware that all these materials sound different, and the theory behind the layers- constrained layer damping- is to combine different materials with different resonance characteristics to arrive at a fairly neutral solution. I’m not sure acrylic is best--I have one remaining shelf from my Grand Prix racks that I bought long ago still in use- all the others were upgraded to carbon fiber, but even in that rarified club of fancy racks, they are not necessarily a favorite among some these days. On the cheap, folks seem to like the sound of maple. Granite- not so sure. I have an HRS platform that is some composite of granite with polymer damping in a billet aluminum frame- there is some know how that goes into this and I couldn’t tell you that it is better or worse than a comparably priced platform. I use it mainly because my turntable- a Kuzma XL-has no platform; it is all separate parts that stand together and weigh around 186 lbs. With the HRS underneath it, another 58+ pounds. The HRS is not really a full blown isolation platform. At least it wasn’t for me- it didn’t isolate footfalls on a wooden floor. For years, I used mass loading of a very heavy mahogany table with thick chunks of sorbothane under the mahogany table legs, and put the HRS and turntable on that, but even with all that mass, it was less than ideal. I now have a Minus K.
But before you get spendy on isolation, research some of the threads here on DIY platforms and sonic characteristics. Some of the industrial racks used for scientific equipment, used, could be a bargain. In fact, Minus K sells a nice welded steel stand with phenolic top-- like the counters in labs that don’t stain-- for under a grand. (It provides no isolation but is just a stand).
Congrats on a high mass table. I really enjoy mine. I mentioned in another thread on isolation that there is a company called Newport that makes isolation device components- depending on weight, that might be a cost effective solution. I’ve not used the Townshends but those were on my radar as well. In effect, you need a stand with a decent platform and isolation. The units that do all of that can get pricey, and might be better found used. I know there are fans of Symposium platforms here, but I’ve never used one and can’t comment on their use or application.
The DIY route is good if you know what you are doing- otherwise, you are buying supplies, and paying someone to cut and possibly, help assemble. 

I used DIY (with contractor help in cutting and assembling) out of such materials as marine grade plywood, mass loaded vinyl, green glue, and those heavy rubber stall mats. This stuff was used mainly for floor support, not turntable isolation as such. It still added up by the time I was done buying the material and paying the contractor (reasonable) to do the cutting and heavy lifting.
Sorry I’m raising more questions than I’m answering, but...
prof---While MDF is cheap and easily obtained, it’s not a very good material for a shelf. Think about it; MDF is sawdust and glue mixed together---somewhat non-resonant, but not very stiff. 13-ply Baltic Birch ply (19mm, or 3/4" thick) is very stiff, a good thing in a table platform. A couple sheets of that with constrained layer damping (such as that offered by ASC as wall damping pads) between them will make a great shelf. Or, check out the isolation platform offered by Symposium Acoustics, specifically for tables. It is a layer of foam between two sheets of stainless steel, with special springs on it’s underside. Economically priced, $349 I believe.
If you are considering Symposium products (any) I would suggest you give Peter a call at Symposium, their products all complement each other and are part of a 'system' of vibration control.  I started with 1 component a long time ago, and now I use Symposium with everything.  They bring out the best in a component's sound.
MDF-foam-MDF is not going to give you constrained layer damping, and MDF is a bad choice for audio in general, IMO.  But there are good materials for sale at Home Depot.  See if they have a cement paver that is large enough to support your TT, for one example.  Check out Adona; they may sell their excellent CLD shelves separately.  Or used.

I would use lead shot, not rice, if not sand, as a filler in your Lovan.


No disrespect but MDF is Medium density fiberboard, most speaker manufactures use it