Thread: "Isolation" Stands / Platforms Compared

I was getting ready to purchase some Sistrum SP101 platforms for my Marantz mono blocks, and thought I would start a thread with 3 questions to gain insights from fellow Sharksters, and to generally open up Pandora's box and share how my obsessive-compulsive disposition knows no bounds. Feel fee to comment on any or all:

1. To drain or not to drain that is the question. Sistrum and other brands stand for (pun intended) channeling and draining vibrations ....... versus capturing, dampening and dissipating (eg conversion of vibrations into heat). Cork, stillpoints, SRA, constrained layers etc I believe espouse the latter. IS ONE STRATEGY BETTER THAN THE OTHER FOR ANY GIVEN USE OR DO THEY HAVE EQUAL MERITS?

2. I have symposium platforms and devices, ceraballs, stillpoints SS and minis and ultra 5s, naim frame base, SRA, maple butcher blocks with spikes, Air Tight graphite blocks, brass weights, vibrapods, HRS platform for AMGv12, Quadraspire racks, cork platforms, and the list goes on. WHAT DO YOU USE AND WHAT EFFECTS GOOD AND/OR BAD DO THE ISOLATION PRODUCTS BRING TO THE PARTY?(eg X lowers the noise floor but robs a little of the dynamics).

3. HAVE YOU FOUND A PERFECT COMBO (eg, ULTRA 5s UNDER TURNTABLE ON TOP OF SYMPOSIUM ULTRA)?

Also, if anyone has personal experience with Sistrum please comment.

Cheers,
Darrin

Sorry for the late reply - I have been using Sistrum Apprentice XL platforms under my Salon 2s since January. I liked them there so much that last month I put another pair under my Kraft 250 monos - and then promptly caught a cold that blocked my ears for three weeks! So had to wait for my ears to clear before making any conclusions. And also had to learn what differences my new CD player was making. This was followed up by my moving my speakers further out into the room, once I realized the bass was significantly improved by the CDP so I could live with less corner reinforcement and let the speakers have more room to breathe. Then I pulled the stock cord off the new CDP and put a Furutech one on, and realized additional low end oomph as well as a little softening of the treble, or maybe that's just the player breaking in...

So anyway, a lot of change to process once my ears cleared last week. What I can say is that just as they did under the speakers, the Apprentice XLs further improved low-end punch and impact, macro and micro-dynamics, image presentation, clarity and detail. The overall effect is a better illusion of actual musicians in the room, and the price to performance ratio in terms of my overall system is beyond impressive.

I do think the impact was a bit greater under the speakers than the amps, but I'll be keeping both pairs where they are and will start thinking about putting my sources and pre on Sistrum platforms as a next step. Because this Star Sound stuff works, end of story!

Just for thought. I really think the choice for isolation depends on what type of floor construction you have. A support wood framed floor or a hard concrete slab. Then you need to determine what type of floor is under your equipment
; wood flooring, tile, carpet over wood, carpet over tile, carpet over concrete, tile over concrete and tile over wood.

I prefer not to have to look at large interconnects behind my gear so awhile back I swapped out racks for a "credenza" and then placed my components on HRS Isolation platforms. This addresses both of my issues.

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Originally Posted by Dpod4

I love seeing people's setups especially these posts where the audio equipment and actual rooms look amazing too

Huge +1


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So to CPP's thoughtful post, my dedicated audio room is on second floor. Carpet over what I assume is plywood flooring. I am putting Magico speakers on Ultra 5s beveled face facing floor. I have the Marantz monos on Sistrum SP101s and tried like crazy to make sure large spikes went thru carpet and pad. I could have the sistrum spikes facing the floor sit on stillpoints if draining isn't occurring thru the carpet. I have amg v12 table sitting on HRS custom platform that sits on symposium ultra that sits on top bamboo quadraspire rack. Will have my spiral groove sit on top a symposium ultra that will go on top of a reconfigured SRA vr3.0 platform that will sit on top quadraspire rack. Other equipment will sit on stillpoints and cerabase the that sit on svelte symposium that sit on quadraspire, or straight on quadraspire, although for new Marantz sacd player I could reconfigure a SRA vr3.0 for it to sit on. Welcome any thoughts. I feel like I am trying to use what I have in a kluge manner and don't want competing technologies or unnecessary overkill. I also have a zoethecus z block 2 amp stand I could use (pix below) for monoblocks if I could find a matching one.

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