[efhjr]

There's way too much stuff under my VPI Scout, and I want to simplify.

There are double-isoblocks under a maple board (which has been cut to separate the motor). Then there's the Scout, sitting on its own feet. With the board cutout, that's 16 isoblocks. The whole mess sits on top of a very heavy mahogany cabinet.

I'm seriously considering dumpling the maple board and isoblocks and just using four of Herbie's Turntable Feet. I assume I will have to remove the Scout's feet. But will the motor still reach the platter when it sits on Turntable Feet?

Or should I get a new maple board (that isn't cut), and put the Turnable Feet between the board and the Scout? Maybe if I do that I should put some Tenderfoots under the maple?

Anybody else do this with a Scout?

[Photon46]

When I owned a Scout, I experimented with quite a few ways to isolate it. The Scout is extremely sensitive to where it sits if you're going to get the best out of it. I found something like a thick maple block or Ginkgo platform essential. I do think you could use a single, solid maple platform and isolate the motor with a small sheet of vibration damping material without suffering too much ill effect. I also ended up with threaded Black Diamond Racing feet under the block instead of soft squishy footers. I have concrete floors, so that worked for me. Someone with wood floors that vibrate might not get good results with hard feet. The threaded Black Diamond cones let me adjust the platform for a perfect horizontal plane. Some very well informed folks at Audiogon have recommended stiff springs under the maple block as another alternative, but that isn't moving in the "simplify" direction you desire.

[Herbie]

Many of our VPI customers use a small or medium Cone Grounding Base under each of the factory feet and grungebuster Dots under the motor. Regular or Extra-Thick grungebuster Dots do very well under a maple platform also. Simple and effective.

Steve
Herbie's Audio Lab

[efhjr]

Thanks, Steve. I really like the idea of using Cone Grounding Bases under the stock feet.

As for what I put under the motor, I'd prefer to use a single damping sheet cut to size (instead of four Dots). Which thickness sheet will best match the height of the medium Cone Grounding Bases?

And a crazy question: can the grungebuster material be painted? I like my isolation/vibration stuff to be invisible between my black cabinet and black turntable (I use black spray paint), and the thick white grungebuster sheet would certainly not be invisible.

[Herbie]

Extra-Thick grungebuster at 1/8" is closest. The Grounding Base adds about 3/16" to the height of the cone, so an Extra-Thick and regular 1/16" stacked together would be closest of all, but there's plenty of leeway with the platter/pulley.

Grungebuster material generally can't be painted. If black is important though, Soft Fat Dots can be used instead.

Soft Fat Dots
 
Steve
Herbie's Audio Lab

[efhjr]

I've installed the Cone Grounding Bases under the Scout's feet and Soft Fat Dots under the motor. It's now a much cleaner installation, and it does sound better than what I had before. I'm getting better soundstaging and imaging, too.

The cabinet my table sits on is not level -- there's a 15-degree dip, so I had to use some grungebuster Dots I had on hand to level it. Using Herbie's materials under the table instead of the maple block has made a noticeable improvement.