woofer pumping

I second (third?) the KAB Rumble filter suggestion. Really no sonic compromise I'm able to discern when using it -- no more woofer-pumping, and the 'table is also actually now less vulnerable to footfalls (no more tiptoeing around when listening to vinyl).

Another benefit besides the obvious reduction/elimination of woofer pumping is that your amp (and sub(s) if applicable) will no longer waste a lot of energy and effort trying to reproduce those inaudible low frequencies that cause those woofers to frantically pump away. No point in having your amp struggle to reproduce something you can't hear (and can only 'see').

Got mine here on Audiogon used for around $150 - turned out to be a great investment for me. Any concern I had about adding something into the chain and possibly degrading the delicate phono signal has been far outweighed by the more effortless overall presentation I'm getting when listening to records.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone... I think I may try the KAB rumble filter since it would be a fairly cheap fix if it actually works for me.

No one has mentioned that the probable cause of the woofer pumping is a mis-match between the cartridge and the arm. This will do it every time. It is a arm mass/cartridge compliance issue you should investigate.

There is nothing wrong with using a subsonic filter but it better to fix the underlying problem than to add a band aid, I think. The problem still exists, you are just masking it. Additive is usually subtractive in audio.

FWIW, just a thought.

Good points, Newbee. I hadn't considered that the arm on Jibbonacci's Technics may present a mis-match with the Audio Technica cartridge he's using.

04-26-10: Newbee
No one has mentioned that the probable cause of the woofer pumping is a mis-match between the cartridge and the arm. This will do it every time. It is a arm mass/cartridge compliance issue you should investigate.

BINGO! I have an SL1210 M5G, so I have some experience with this issue. Fortunately, since the Technics arm takes interchangeable headshells, you can change the tonearm's effective mass to match the cartridge compliance by changing to a lighter or heavier headshell. The stock Technics headshell is 7.5g--very light--which works well with high compliance cartridges. I've found that changing to a 12g Sumiko or LP Gear Zupreme headshell raises the effective mass to match well with medium compliance cartridges such as the ones coming from Audio Technica and Denon. I have an AT150MLX and a Denon DL-160 mounted on these heavier shells, and they are both good matches.

According to the charts at the cartridge database, my arm/cartridge resonance comes in at an ideal 10 Hz with this setup on a Technics arm.

Furthermore, proper damping can reduce the amplitude of whatever resonant frequency you wind up with. The KAB fluid damper won't change the resonant frequency, but it will reduce its amplitude, which should make the woofers pump less without rolling off audible bass.