Sorbothane expiry?

I have an old Audiophile BASE rack and platforms and the platforms sit on Sorbothane pads.

After more than 15 years the pads are still pliable but does Sorbothane generally degrade with atmospheric exposure or time under compression? If I replace the pads, is all Sorbothane made equal or do I need to look out for something specific ?

I think the main thing with Sorbothane is you have to get the right density for the weight that it’s taking - too low or too high and it acts as a coupler, not an isolator…

No idea how long it lasts though…

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I’m curious to know myself. I’ve got sorbothane’s under a bamboo butchers block where I put my Nova on. I realise the weight rating and placement makes a big difference.

Sorbothane has it’s own website with lots of technical info. It’s pretty resilient against most influences, but for structural longevity they just say that it has a “very long fatigue life” and some such, but I found no hard data

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My footers came with “audio grade” sorbothane pads, although I’m not sure if that’s just marketing bluster.

As the material seems to get a bit of a bad press, I’m experimenting with nitrile cork discs in their place.

Thanks all for the replies - never thought to look for a Sorbothane web site, cheers @Suedkiez

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Don’t believe everything you read. Some people post that it should be avoided, based on the fact they’ve heard it is not a good option in a particular application. :nerd_face:

Naim used it under the PCB’s of early pre- amps and it is definitely used in the CDS2.

The structure of sorbothane is similar to an aero bar, (but obviously not chocolate) with thousands of air filled bubbles. When compressed the bubbles deform, but the air pressure resists deformation, rather like a balloon.

I’ve had sorbothane (non audio grade) pad under my turntable for 20 years and they don’t appear to have deteriorated.

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