Sorbothane Feet

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aricml

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Sorbothane Feet
« on: 16 Aug 2023, 01:31 pm »
I've been playing around with the sorbothane isolation calculator in the link at the bottom of this post to see what performance I could get from different shapes and hardnesses as footers for my X-statiks and I was a bit surprised at how narrow the range of peak performance is.  By that calculator it seems like there might be a lot of benefit to being able to choose your hardness and size to match the exact weight of your speakers.  I then wonder about something like Isoacoustics Gaia III footers for example, which get pretty great reviews, but are not necessarily as closely matched to the weight of specific speakers.

Has anyone had experience comparing options like the Gaias to experimenting with different sorbothane feet for their speakers?  Did you notice any differences, or is this getting into that splitting hair territory?

https://www.sorbothane.com/technical-data/design-guide-calculators/load-rating-calculator/

mkane

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Re: Sorbothane Feet
« Reply #1 on: 16 Aug 2023, 02:09 pm »
 They stain everything they touch keep that in mind. We use them under the crossovers.

Bob2

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Re: Sorbothane Feet
« Reply #2 on: 16 Aug 2023, 02:10 pm »
Sorbothane is great stuff but contact will damage some finishes.
I would be careful using on wood floors. Ask me how I know this :?
The Isoacoustic Gia work well though. No experience with other products.
Good luck!

Bob2.

wgraft5

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  • Wayne in Oregon
Re: Sorbothane Feet
« Reply #3 on: 16 Aug 2023, 05:02 pm »
They stain everything they touch keep that in mind. We use them under the crossovers.
You can get the kind that dont stain and are readly availble on amazon.

Also you could use Parchment paper to prevent staining and or sticking.

Wayne in Oregon

kd4ylq

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  • Esse Quam Videri
Re: Sorbothane Feet
« Reply #4 on: 16 Aug 2023, 08:04 pm »
Definitely use parchment paper (or something similar) on the 2 surfaces - the sorbothane will leave marks that are clearly visible after a while if you don't.

mkane

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Re: Sorbothane Feet
« Reply #5 on: 16 Aug 2023, 08:08 pm »
You can get the kind that dont stain and are readly availble on amazon.

Also you could use Parchment paper to prevent staining and or sticking.

Wayne in Oregon

To hell with Amazon

ketchup

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Re: Sorbothane Feet
« Reply #6 on: 17 Aug 2023, 08:28 pm »
Lloyd Walker used to use Glad Cling Wrap, which I assume was to stop discoloration.

https://positive-feedback.com/Issue23/proscenium2.htm



« Last Edit: 17 Aug 2023, 11:19 pm by ketchup »

Bob2

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Re: Sorbothane Feet
« Reply #7 on: 18 Aug 2023, 02:24 pm »
McMaster Carr has Sorbothane in different sizes/ thicknesses,

https://www.mcmaster.com/products/sorbothane/

I use 1/4 thick sheet cut to size between the upper and lower plinths of my tt.
Works great!

richidoo

Re: Sorbothane Feet
« Reply #8 on: 18 Aug 2023, 06:28 pm »
I was a bit surprised at how narrow the range of peak performance is. 

Sorbothane has to be loaded to work well, then it is the best vibration damping material there is. The chart linked in OP is the best guide. It is surprising how much weight they need to work correctly. 3-5 small dots under a heavy CDP is correct. There are 3 different harness to make loading easier.
Products like AudioQuest Q footers are too big for the purpose they are marketed, isolating shelf components that aren't heavy enough for the large Q footers, imo.

ketchup

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Re: Sorbothane Feet
« Reply #9 on: 18 Aug 2023, 08:20 pm »
I've been playing around with the sorbothane isolation calculator in the link at the bottom of this post to see what performance I could get from different shapes and hardnesses as footers for my X-statiks and I was a bit surprised at how narrow the range of peak performance is.  By that calculator it seems like there might be a lot of benefit to being able to choose your hardness and size to match the exact weight of your speakers.  I then wonder about something like Isoacoustics Gaia III footers for example, which get pretty great reviews, but are not necessarily as closely matched to the weight of specific speakers.

Has anyone had experience comparing options like the Gaias to experimenting with different sorbothane feet for their speakers?  Did you notice any differences, or is this getting into that splitting hair territory?

https://www.sorbothane.com/technical-data/design-guide-calculators/load-rating-calculator/

This is just an FYI, but I have been looking at sorbothane pieces from the seller The Vibration Solution, LLC / Isolate IT! on Amazon to get an idea of how much load various shapes can support.  For each shape, they specify a load range for various durometers, and what they state exactly matches the calculator that you linked to.

https://www.amazon.com/sp?ie=UTF8&seller=A1EPE8IE7JPHY4&asin=B019O5BF28&ref_=dp_merchant_link&isAmazonFulfilled=1