Thomann Freefloat - review - dj forums

**Marc.S** · 02-01-09, 04:14 PM

Not a new product but a long while ago i was sent these to review and i never got round to it so here it is.

The Thomann Freefloat is an inflatable cushion designed to sit under a turntable, Soecificaly designed for the 1200 series but most turntables will fit perfectly well on these.
The idea behind them is that they reduce vibration and feedback to the stylus.
i took this picture at home to illustrate how you use these but my experience of these is quite extensive from a club i used to resident in.

SET UP::
takes like 20 seconds to inflate, (note - you do not inflate these up full, 2/3 inflation is best) its best to use 2 people to install, 1 person to lift the turntable and one to put them under. although its more than possible with just 1 person.

STABILITY
Suprisingly not to bad. the turntable moves when touched but in a rather fluid motion, and the needle does not jump at all. you have to be pretty rough with it to make it skip. Even pretty fast scratching is skip free. Dont get me wrong your not gonna be beat juggling on these or doing any hardcore dmc style scratching, but these are aimed at mix dj's and for back cueing and dropping the track you should ahve next to no problems.

DO THEY WORK?
In short , YES. the place that we had them installed had the dj booth raised up but by a club designer who knew nothing about sound. and the stage/booth was hollow which resulted in massive feedback when any bass what so ever was introduced. when these were installed they eliminated that issue 100% and you could even boost the bass beyond neccisary with no feedback problems. I was suprised at just how well they work.

CONCLUSION
For what you get they are pretty expensive (£40 a pair) and completley pointless for home use, unless you use massive bass speakers for your desk. but in a club, they really do work and its a small price to pay for what they do. there are many ghetto DIY ideas that do the job, rubber bands on tape rolls being the more popular one, but none that are quite as effective.

**JonAvalon** · 02-01-09, 04:20 PM

darwinplay · 02-08-09, 05:07 PM

thanks for the review marc. simple concept makes sense.

reactive · 02-09-09, 04:23 PM

a ghetto idea also is 4 rubber scuash balls and a heavy lanscaping plate

**JonAvalon** · 02-09-09, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reactive

a ghetto idea also is 4 rubber scuash balls and a heavy lanscaping plate

Hehe, we used to suggest a similar method on here all the time. But using tennis balls cut in half. Worked quite alright.

Reticuli · 02-09-09, 05:54 PM

Always wanted to get a pair of these. A simple invention, and less complicated than tennis ball halves, bubble wrap, tuna fish cans (or ashtrays), and lots and lots of rubber bands.

**JGeffen** · 02-09-09, 05:55 PM

I used those at two gigs and couldn't stand them (although I own the pair...)

ajxizzle · 02-09-09, 11:19 PM

Those look... crazy. It looks like the turntable could fall off. Maybe if I ever dj for a Club I'll cop a pair of these.

SwervDJ · 02-10-09, 01:32 PM

Nice read. Great review Marc

synergist · 02-12-09, 02:56 PM

Hang on... Didn't the Freefloat come out in 2003?

http://www.freefloat.net/content.php...ion_id=3&ID=86

02-01-09, 04:14 PM	#1
Marc.S RIJ Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: 52°25'9N - 1°27'37W Posts: 13,754 Track: spa francorchamps	Thomann Freefloat - review Not a new product but a long while ago i was sent these to review and i never got round to it so here it is. The Thomann Freefloat is an inflatable cushion designed to sit under a turntable, Soecificaly designed for the 1200 series but most turntables will fit perfectly well on these. The idea behind them is that they reduce vibration and feedback to the stylus. i took this picture at home to illustrate how you use these but my experience of these is quite extensive from a club i used to resident in. SET UP:: takes like 20 seconds to inflate, (note - you do not inflate these up full, 2/3 inflation is best) its best to use 2 people to install, 1 person to lift the turntable and one to put them under. although its more than possible with just 1 person. STABILITY Suprisingly not to bad. the turntable moves when touched but in a rather fluid motion, and the needle does not jump at all. you have to be pretty rough with it to make it skip. Even pretty fast scratching is skip free. Dont get me wrong your not gonna be beat juggling on these or doing any hardcore dmc style scratching, but these are aimed at mix dj's and for back cueing and dropping the track you should ahve next to no problems. DO THEY WORK? In short , YES. the place that we had them installed had the dj booth raised up but by a club designer who knew nothing about sound. and the stage/booth was hollow which resulted in massive feedback when any bass what so ever was introduced. when these were installed they eliminated that issue 100% and you could even boost the bass beyond neccisary with no feedback problems. I was suprised at just how well they work. CONCLUSION For what you get they are pretty expensive (£40 a pair) and completley pointless for home use, unless you use massive bass speakers for your desk. but in a club, they really do work and its a small price to pay for what they do. there are many ghetto DIY ideas that do the job, rubber bands on tape rolls being the more popular one, but none that are quite as effective. __________________ Eight Track - Disco Mix

02-08-09, 05:07 PM	#3
darwinplay Club DJ Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Rochester, New York Posts: 895 Track: yarps naeco	thanks for the review marc. simple concept makes sense. __________________ Latest Mix: The Steam .... Comments Are you a fan: Facebook

02-10-09, 01:32 PM	#9
SwervDJ Hardcore Shenanigans Join Date: May 2007 Location: Downtown Los Angeles, CA Posts: 2,560 Track: Zinc - Super Sharp Shooter	Nice read. Great review Marc __________________ Srsly Fresh Gear and Recordings Faderwave Radio - Dj Swerv Wed. Nights @ 8:30 PM West Coastin Time. ************** SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL DJ'S!**

02-12-09, 02:56 PM	#10
synergist Beginner DJ Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Birmingham, UK Posts: 35 Track: Current Value - Faith	Hang on... Didn't the Freefloat come out in 2003? http://www.freefloat.net/content.php...ion_id=3&ID=86 __________________ .


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02-09-09, 04:23 PM	#4
reactive Bedroom DJ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Chicago USA / Guadalajara Mexico Posts: 324 Track: Your Sweat Sven Vath	a ghetto idea also is 4 rubber scuash balls and a heavy lanscaping plate

02-09-09, 05:54 PM	#6
Reticuli Superstar DJ Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Vegas Posts: 2,845 Track: Depends on my mood.	Always wanted to get a pair of these. A simple invention, and less complicated than tennis ball halves, bubble wrap, tuna fish cans (or ashtrays), and lots and lots of rubber bands.

02-09-09, 11:19 PM	#8
ajxizzle Bedroom DJ Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Bay Area, California. Posts: 350 Track: Talib Kweli	Those look... crazy. It looks like the turntable could fall off. Maybe if I ever dj for a Club I'll cop a pair of these.