Turntable Shelf Advice

scott_01

scott_01

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I'm just about to move to London into Ground Floor Flat with wooden floors. I'm looking for a shelf for my TT.

It'll have to be pretty big as the TT is an SP10MKII with the obsidian base.

Footprint = 51cm x 44 cm

Weight = 25 - 30kg

Any ideas for commercial variants? I rang up Audiofreaks about the Finite Elemente ones but the cheapest is £938.00 and that is a bit much for me TBH.

I know I can make my own but I'd like to avoid that if possible
 
I would have thought that the term 'shelf' meant wall mounted.
 
Displaying a characteristic lack of patience I have purchased one of these:

wall_4.jpg


tws_detail.jpg


60cm x 44cm and 30kg apparently

Took the radical step of going into a dealer and he was very helpful, 'Technosound' in Milton Keynes (AV type place with some hifi left, decent ex dem stuff too).

Cost £219.00

P.S. Always used to want one of those Sony CD players too.
 
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Cheers Rob,

I like the idea of a 'fettled' CD player:)

I'm happy with my modded 840C at the moment though. Think I'll be investigating that John Westlake DAC when it emerges, if all the talk is true it should be pretty special.
 
It is a nice looking shelf isn't it. Just wait until you see the mess I make of the wall when I'm trying to put it up
 
Hi Scott_01

The Stands Unique wall shelf is one of the better made ones available at a good price . I would use a number of wall expansion bolts for this . You will need to check the size of the mounting holes in the back plate and buy bolts to match and then the right size of wall expansion bolt +right size drill bit(masonary). Mount the shelf to a solid brick wall ,outside better than internal wall(however position of system will dictate what is possible). Make sure you use a spirit level when mounting the back plate check every level back and front . You may need to use washers to build up the distance from wall to back of plate to achieve correct level . If this is all correct then you will be able to avoid having to level shelf to much(short thread on spikes adjustment is better than having them screwed out to much(sounds better).
You will need to tighten the bolts regularly over the day as the material in the wall settles . The expansion sleeves tighten against the internal wall material (clean all dust out of holes after drilling). When you can tighten bolts no more and no further adjustment is possible ,then and only then would i put your turntable on the shelf. You don't want to hear a crash in the night. Over the following week or so check bolt tightness and level of shelf to make sure its not moving at all .

I once mounted a shelf to close to the corner of a wall and by tightening the bolts broke the bricks they were mounted into.The wall cracked. So avoid a right angled corner , or mount the shelf way back from the edge if this is best position.

If your top holes are good and well aligned then you might be able to use rawl plugs and coach screws for bottom mounting but i have always used wall expansion for every hole and have yet to haver anything fall of the wall . New house walls are better than old . My house is Edwardian and the walls are a nightmare to drill into .They are like a box of chocolates because you never know what your going to get.

Have fun and take your time,you will only get one shot at this.

Regards D Louth
 
Ok, got the shelf up a few weeks ago but been busy and on holiday until now.

The Stands unique shelf arrived with 5 x expansion bolts and reasonably clear instructions. This isn't rocket science but some clearer pics would have been nice.

D Louth gave some very good advice earlier on in this thread and I fully endorse it with bells on. The house is turn of the century and the construction of the walls varies considerably from surface to surface. I conducted a full and comprehensive 'survey' of the destination wall by rapping it with my knuckles. It seemed okay.

I drilled the mounting holes, probably too big for the bolts. A drill bit 1mm greater than the bolt diameter is probably the most you want to do. I used a 12mm for a 10mm expansion bolt. The expansion bolts were seated and the shelf mounted. I tightened the bolts up ensuring that the rear plate remained vertical.

I then nervously placed my TT on the shelf. It didn't seem too sturdy but it didn't collapse and after taking the precaution of placing a stool underneath, I left it for a few hours. On my return I could see three obvious blisters in the wall as the 25kg TT began to pull the bolts out of the wall. As it turned out some of this particular alcove wall is up to 3in of filler and plaster. The bolts themselves were mangled and instead of extracting them I drove them into the wall and covered with filler. Bollocks

expansion-bolt.jpg


After some mild cursing and a run to calm down I bought 5 new bolts from B+Q and started again the next day. The other alcove has 1 sheet of plasterboard over solid bricks and was more suitable. It's been in place for a few weeks now and (touch wood) no problems. The shelf is as sturdy as the mounting method and I'd recommend it to anyone after something a bit more substantial than the target type shelves out there.

Untitled-4.jpg


I removed the feet from the TT. When they are attached the footprint is huge and stretches even this shelf. I'm using 4 x Stands unique Carbon Fiber spacers instead. Leveling is carried out by the shelf cantilever.

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Really impressed with the mounting bolts. When in B+Q it was only with great effort I refrained from buying a 25mm set and constructing a crazy wall mounted equipment shelf for all my kit.

Oh and the arm is the EPA 100 that Johnnie at audioorigami has serviced, rewired and replaced bearings on. Sounds good to me.
 

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