Turntable integration quandary - please make suggestions

[dobyblue]

I’m having a hard time deciding how to set-up my new HT room in the house we just moved into, specifically the turntable. The room is the first level of a basement sidesplit, so there are concrete floors throughout which should be easier to work with than the hardwood bouncy floors I’ve just come from.

I have already ripped apart the two long walls (12.7’ x 19’ room) as they had nasty 70’s stucco and the one foundation wall didn’t have any insulation or moisture barrier or anything, so now it has proper 2x4 with R12 insulation and moisture barrier and I’ve also put in Roxall sound absorbing insulation in the other 19’ wall and in all the ceiling area too.

My choices are this, in each case the TV will be wall mounted:

1) Get a longer 2 shelf AV stand and use the top shelf (TV stand) for the centre channel, one with a 9” bottom shelf to accommodate the 7 5/8” high Onkyo 805. Mount the turntable using a VW1 wall mount about belt height just off and up from the side of the stand, so it’s about 1ft to the right of the TV.
2) Get an AV rack with the turntable on the top, then I’d have to buy a stand for my centre channel.

The cost of a good AV rack seems to be around $400, whereas the AV stand along with a VW1 mount can be had together for about $280.

Any suggestions?

[richteer]

If possible, I prefer the stand-alone option. It makes moving stuff around easier that using a wall-mounted shelf.

[zicmubleu]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

I’m having a hard time deciding how to set-up my new HT room in the house we just moved into, specifically the turntable. The room is the first level of a basement sidesplit, so there are concrete floors throughout which should be easier to work with than the hardwood bouncy floors I’ve just come from.

I have already ripped apart the two long walls (12.7’ x 19’ room) as they had nasty 70’s stucco and the one foundation wall didn’t have any insulation or moisture barrier or anything, so now it has proper 2x4 with R12 insulation and moisture barrier and I’ve also put in Roxall sound absorbing insulation in the other 19’ wall and in all the ceiling area too.

My choices are this, in each case the TV will be wall mounted:

1) Get a longer 2 shelf AV stand and use the top shelf (TV stand) for the centre channel, one with a 9” bottom shelf to accommodate the 7 5/8” high Onkyo 805. Mount the turntable using a VW1 wall mount about belt height just off and up from the side of the stand, so it’s about 1ft to the right of the TV.
2) Get an AV rack with the turntable on the top, then I’d have to buy a stand for my centre channel.

The cost of a good AV rack seems to be around $400, whereas the AV stand along with a VW1 mount can be had together for about $280.

Any suggestions?

I like option 1 since it isolates the turntable which in your case is probably a high end one that can benefit from the isolation. Sounds like you will have a nice HT setup when the dust settles.

Steve

[Hammie]

Is there a WAF that needs to be considered?

I personally would prefer to have a stand alone rack for equipment and the center on its own stand. Isolation being the key here.

What are all of the components that will be housed in the rack(s)?

I'm thinking the following setup would look nice:

Left Front Speaker <--> Left 2 or 3-shelf rack <--> Center channel stand <--> Right 2 or 3-shelf stand (matches left rack) <--> Right Front Speaker.

[naturephoto1]

Hi Steve,

Like Rich I prefer a separate rack for the turntable. In my case, I have the turntable on the top shelf with the turntable control box and the power box for the Phono Preamp on the shelf and the Phono Preamp below that. When I move, I will add a shelf and one of my Exact Power EP15A Power conditioners on the bottom shelf. But, I have an unusual set-up.



Rich

[househead]

I just ran into almost the same situation and have the 805 too. I'm in the process of hacking some ikea furniture into an av rack with turntable on top and 805 on bottom (it fits perfectly and lots of airflow). Buy three $7.99 tables and cut legs to desired length. I'll probably fill legs with glue and wood. These diy ikea racks get great reviews.



Here's another:

http://www.zerogain.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10733

I'm using the black/brown. Also happy to save some money.

[dobyblue]

I was thinking that the shelf would be good for isolation (and cheap) if I had wood floors still, but going into a lower level basement room with solid concrete floors I don’t think I’d get any additional sonic benefits from a wall mount, only monetary benefits.

I definitely like the idea of two av racks on either side of the centre-on-a-stand, but the wall is wired already for either a single av rack or a wide TV stand. Unfortunately most of the 60” wide stands (which would allow for three rows of equipment) don’t have shelf height worth a damn and I need at least one inch. The Sanus AFV48 gives me 9” on the bottom shelf, which is 1 ¼” clearance on the Onkyo and loads for everything else…and also gives me a nice top shelf for the centre channel…but centre channel on a stand would definitely be better isolation unless perhaps I got some Aurlex Mopads for underneath the centre, that would work too.

The AV unit will hold:

1) Onkyo TX-SR805
2) PS3
3) Goldring GR-2 turntable and Parasound Zphono pre-amp
4) Toshiba DVD-Recorder
5) Bell ExpressVu satellite HD PVR receiver
6) JVC dual cassette deck
7) Pioneer Elite DV-48 SACD/DVD-A player

I’m not as concerned about putting the turntable on this unit because the centre channel will never be used during vinyl playback, but for aesthetics I’d rather keep the top shelf dedicated to just the centre…in which case I need something dedicated to just the turntable. I’m not abject to three shelves with the TT on the top (4th shelf) as plenty of this equipment can sit on top of each other given how thin some of it is.

Damn it, I wish this was a bit easier! I don’t want to spend $700 just on the bloody racks and stands!!

Thanks for the input though! I'm a little concerned about the LACK line from Ikea just because I've gone through two of their tables before and the material the body is made out of is really very soft at best.

[dobyblue]

Think something like this would do the trick?
http://www.racksandstands.com/Bush-F...03-BU2924.html

Turntable on the top?