So what's wrong with the Trampolin?

this was designed for people who would plonk thier deck on a sideboard or put it into an entertainment hutch.

If you have your table on a light rigid stand ala SO, then the normal wisdom seems to be to lose the trampolin.

michael

Michael-
Thanks for the response.
I'm with you on the Entertainment Center thing -- an absolutely absurd notion with ANY TT, especially the wobbly suspension of the LP12.
I'm getting the impression after reading hundreds of posts on this board (not all about the Tramp, mind you!) that there is something else going on support-wise that would make this a questionable choice for my set-up.
Anything intrinsically evil about the Tramp that I'm not aware of?
Thanks!
David

1) The Trampolinn seems to be an easily misunderstood accessory for the LP 12. As I understand it, it was never intended to be marketed as an "upgrade", but more in the vein of an accomodation for users who were not willing or able to use the LP 12 in the fashion that was most frequently recommended, which is close to the way you are using it. It offers some degree of isolation for users putting a Linn on a heavy bookcase, wall unit, etc. and it has individual adjustments for levelling the table which is not normally available on the supplied feet that go into the four extreme corners of the plinth. In sonic and musical terms, the Trampolinn seems to add a layer of haze, although some might find it
"warmer", but it is not as fast or open as a well set up Linn that uses the same generation of baseboard. This gets more complicated if you have an older baseboard of the pressed particle board style. Newer baseboads from Linn are made of a material more like, or possibly identical to, the material used in the Trampolinn, which is said to better the older pressed material.

Finally, you may want to experiment with removing any baseboard on your Linn. As I understand this approach, it will tend to lower the reflected vibrations that are at play in the table. I didn't check your profile, but this approach is probably best considered if you use either of the outboard power supplies and not the Linn Valhalla, as the inboard Valhalla does have active voltages within your table, while a Lingo or an Armegeddon do not. It seems to be popular with listeners with more revealing Naim systems, and was advocated on some occassions by JV when he was still alive. I am not sure if anyone has heard from Julian on this topic since his passing...?

...seems to be a good thing to try with any plinth-based TT, not just the LP12. However, if you remove the base board, the standard screw-fixed rubber feet often sit at an angle, throwing the level off, so the tiny self-adhesive rubber bumps supplied by Mana make a lot of sense. Using these, you can get the deck level, and prevent fingers getting underneath. You can also use the stick-on pads supplied with kitchen units, which go inside the doors to make them stand off a bit when closed. Just ask at any MFI.

Best;

Mark

(an imperfect
forum environment is
better than none)

Thanks, guys!
I've got the older style particle board, so I'll try it at least 3 ways: Tramp, board, no board.
I should probably go through a complete set-up anyway, so I'll do that first and then start trying combinations.
David

I am a huge fan of the Trampolin. My LP-12 is from 1984 and when the Trampolin came out, a salesman at the Linn dealership perpetuated the urban legend about it; he stated that it was designed for situations such as heavy bookcases, etc. He did sell me the new bottom board(which BTW is identical to the Trampolin) which was better sounding than the original.

A year or so later at a Linn-owners event, Steve Daniels and Alex (I especially trust Alex's ears) from Linn U.S. told me the Trampolin was an upgrade. I took one home and installed it myself, but wasn't prepared for the hassle. Installing it requires drilling eight additional holes! As the plinth is hardwood, this is time consuming.

I have chatted with several members of this forum and found that all who disliked the Trampolin had it improperly installed. It does not fit like a standard baseboard with the four feet holding the corners and two screws in the center. It instead has the afore-mentioned eight corner screws plus the two center screws with a little bracket(a total of 10 screws). Also the board itself has thin felt pieces strategically placed between the screws.

After reading all the anti-Trampolin comments on this forum, I got paranoid and invited a friend over and did some comparisons between it and the original baseboard, composite baseboard, and no baseboard. I did all comparisons on an Audiotech stand, an SO, and a record cabinet. In all three instances the Trampolin won every time.

It was when I compared the Trampolin with some of the fastening screws removed that I realised what was going on. With corner screws, the Trampolin sounds worse(the "haze" mentioned above) than the composite baseboard. When each of the screws was replaced and tightened, the sound improved!

Now I'm not saying the Trampolin should be used in every instance. I recently auditioned a forum member's Mana table and the LP-12 sounded better with no baseboard. However, I think I liked the Audiotech stand/Trampolin better and it is cheaper. Also, my floor is suspended hardwood. (though my suspension doesn't bounce from footfalls)

I'm only posting this to state that you must listen for yourself in your environment. When I first installed the Trampolin, I noticed a haze REMOVED from the music; it was more clear. Also, the Linn "tune" was improved.

I can completely understand going baseboardless as removing and reinstalling all 10 screws is a royal PITA when adjusting suspension, etc.

Ron The Mon,
Needle-Freak

Thanks, Ron!
I'll try it several ways and see what works best.
David