Tweakers' Asylum

RE: of gels and elastomers (oh my!)

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Paul_A

A

In Reply to: RE: of gels and elastomers (oh my!) posted by bartc on October 10, 2010 at 06:04:57

I use two Rite Aid insoles under a piece of 1/2" black plexiglass under my CD player, preamp and phono pre. The combination works well for me. The insoles have such a large surface area compared to footers that the platform doesn't act like a spring. The plexi is acoustically dead, which is why so many turntable platters are made from it. I am hoping that this support system gives me most of the benefits of a good rack, but of course have no way of knowing if this is true.

Regarding sorbothane: I used some sorbothane balls under my components and they absolutely killed the sound. Norsorex is just another brand name for the same stuff.

Follow Ups:

Sorbothane - Jon L 09:09:12 10/10/10 (0)
"Regarding sorbothane: I used some sorbothane balls under my components and they absolutely killed the sound"

Same here. I haven't met any "soft" footers that do not overly ripen and round the sound. If anything, I prefer the cheap semi-solid PVC/vinyl type footers.
Not quite - bartc 08:14:34 10/10/10 (3)
Norsorex (polynorbonene) is not the same compound as Sorbothane (a urethane elastomer). They are both classed as visco-elastic polymers (elastomers), but only in a gross sense, as they both have that property in common. Insofar as I'm able to ascertain, these are NOT the same compound at all.

And my own testing, as with others, confirms to my statisfaction that their damping effects and memory effects are not the same.

Sorbothane is used extensively for damping and is quite effective. Yes, in your shoe insoles, etc. But Norsorex is used in more critical damping applications, such as vibration control in electron microscopy. This is a "whole nuther ball game", as they say somewhere in mid-America.

Steve H, of Herbie's Audio Labs, claims even better damping properties for his elastomer, whose formula I don't know. He has distinguished for me several times the effects he feels he gets that are superior for audio damping/isolation from his compound than for eitehr Norsorex or Sorbothane. FWIW, I like Herbie's and I like Norsorex. YMMV.

Some people feel (and I'd agree) that isolation can rob audio of dynamics. That is true, IME, in some applications; not true in others. Again, only experimentation will tell what it does in any particular place in your system, but I'd bet it works in some places and in others it doesn't.

If by "plexi" you mean common acrylic sheets, again, some folks swear by it and others swear at it! I think that's more of a "tuning" issue, as acrylic is also a good damping material in sheet form, as in shelving.

The highly vaunted Grand Prix Monaco system (the basic expensive job, not the super expensive souped up job) seems to use both acrylic and sorbothane. So since they find them effective, I can see the value of the combination.

Still, I'm not at all sure it's the be all and end all in every situation!
- I did some research... - Paul_A 17:02:48 10/10/10 (2)
  I used "Sad Balls" which are made from Norsorex, and they robbed my system of dynamics and tonal subtlety. According to the makers of Sad and Happy balls, "Norsorex (the Sad ball) is the trade name for polynorbornene. It also is known as Noene, Sorbothene, and Astrasorb." Apparently I got Sorbothene and Sorbothane mixed up. Their effect was similar to what the old Shunyata power cords did to my amplifier and preamp. Interestingly enough, the Shunyata worked very well on my CD player. The Sad Balls were true to their name and had a uniformly depressing effect on all of my electronics. The acrylic and insole platforms that I have do everything well, so I haven't been tempted to shop around for alternates.
  - Everyone has a version of this story - bartc 06:06:45 10/11/10 (0)
    They tried something that worked for others, only to find that it sucked the life out of their system. Name you poison, it has its fans and detractors.
    I don't doubt your experience at all. That's what YMMV means: Your Mileage May Vary - we all have differing experiences.
    However, this shouldn't taint even your own willingness to try it in another position if the opportunity or need arises!
    All of these things are considered physical "springs": elastomers, gels, natural and artificial rubber, air bladders and actual springs! They work differently in different circumstances, depending upon what you need, and they neither work the same when added to one another nor when added to other substances necessarily. You just gotta try it in your placement and see.
    
    Edits: 10/11/10
  - Not my experience. - Dave Pogue 05:44:48 10/11/10 (0)
    I hate sorbothane, love norsorex. I've gone on to other resonance damping approaches, but the norsorex balls never did what you say they did, in my system at least.

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