Thread: Isolation!

I have decided to settle with the gear I have now & really try to isolate everything to the point of extracting the most from it with the added help of decoupling it from vibration & dispersing the energy from the component. First up I will be using sorbothane & spikes. Bear in mind that I have very good racks that are already damped & isolated so for me this will be interesting to see if any of the results are noticeable readily, I also have access to some pretty pricey Stillpoints too, so that will be interesting as I've heard them under my 520 pre in another set-up & it was a noticeable improvement. Stay tuned as the gear is incoming.

Ha! Gave myself a chuckle last night, I even had the tape measure out, haven't done that for a while. I am really hoping to come across some products that don't cost thousands & that will achieve great results. Give me a week or so & I'll get this thang rollin!

Bud, thanks for the reference.

Originally Posted by sharkmouth

I have decided to settle with the gear I have now & really try to isolate everything to the point of extracting the most from it with the added help of decoupling it from vibration & dispersing the energy from the component. First up I will be using sorbothane & spikes. Bear in mind that I have very good racks that are already damped & isolated so for me this will be interesting to see if any of the results are noticeable readily, I also have access to some pretty pricey Stillpoints too, so that will be interesting as I've heard them under my 520 pre in another set-up & it was a noticeable improvement. Stay tuned as the gear is incoming.

Fantastic! Look forward to your conclusions and thoughts as you get thru this. I just did it myself. I had a good budget but also needed to buy stuff second hand or really drive a hard bargain where I could. Fortunately, I managed to come up with the following which really worked for me: creating 'isolation sandwiches' for each component...isolation directly underneath each component (HRS M3, nimbus/couplers or Stillpoints Ultra 5s) and isolation/damping directly on top of each component (HRS, Artesania dampers, Stillpoints Ultra 5s). On larger units (Velodyne DD18 sub and Gryphon Colosseum amp), I put each on top of an Auralex isolation platform and then placed either Stillpoints Ultra 5s on top or Artesania damper...and then placed 20kg (44lbs) and 30kg (66lbs) of brass weights on top of the dampers, respectively to add dampening after listening carefully. Made a huge difference...just isolated my Transp Ref Power Conditioner last weekend...wow...Ultra 5s underneath. Those things are so expensive and yet addictive. The tonal density increases each time, and the detail/ability to hear each instrument's musical line improves. Just loads of fun to hear more of your music...but with NO changes to the tonal quality of the music. Good luck and just my two cents.

Have witnessed the Ultra 5's in action, they are good, but very pricey. Have some brass mapleshade footers & weights on the way, this may get interesting

These are the first isolation footers that I have used this time around as mentioned from the start of this thread. The difference was noticeable straight away as the definition & detail was raised another notch. My test cd's & songs that I use I am very familiar with & the improvement is easy & immediate for me to hear. These for me are a real bargain as they will stop & absorb vibration to & from the component, for me, underneath the oPPo 95 was the place to put them. The Agora Acoustics MagicHexa retail for around AUD$45 for a set of 4. Heres some detail of the product....


MagicHexa™ is specifically designed and optimised visco-elastic polymer that combines shock absorption, vibration isolation and vibration damping characteristics to create the ideal acoustic damper and absorber. Its specially formulated aerodynamic honeycomb configuration displays 1,000x higher damping coefficient than metal, reducing the transmission of vibration energies into whatever surface the component is sitting on.
Agora Acoustics MagicHexa™ improves your system's performance by eliminating vibrations on micro and macro levels. Just place them underneath your hi-fi and home theater gear. You will experience dramatically increased transparency, dynamic range, imaging and sound stage.
Unlike general type of rubber accessories, MagicHexa™ is not affected by temperature, pressure etc. For the combined use with the existing anti-vibration accessories, MagicHexa™ provides sufficient surface. Use with MagicShoes as a great isolation floor protector.




After the Agora Acoustics products I looked at a companies products that I have had my eye on for some time & also a product that Bud/Bluefox recommends, in this very same thread none the less. I honestly can say I see why. These products are so simple, but when you think in terms of audio, the density, composition & character of a certain material is anything but simple when it comes to the outcome or signature of it's sound.
So enters Mapleshade to the fray, well, bugger me if I aint tickled pink & quite the satisfied punter. Seriously fellow audiophiles, I just don't want to change anything in my system at the moment since putting the footers & weights into the system as well. I put 2, 1/2 lb weights on the oPPo 95 & the one & a half lb weight on the Soulution 520 pre, these come in a set of three for USD $185. Under the pre I put the Original Triplepoint footers, USD$140, set of three.The result was that the soundstage was more dynamic & precise, the players scale & position accuracy were prominent & the lovely sound of brass just begs to be listened, think here like unsweetened syrup with a miniscule loss in high end detail & a natural midrange, it's just so lovely but not adding something that shouldn't be there. Heres what they say




By design, our footers do the opposite. Rigid and massive, they lock the component to the shelf below using single-point contact. That’s the most effective way to drain vibration. Nevertheless, our experiments show that the wrong footer material (or too little mass, or the wrong shape) can reflect distorted vibrations back into the equipment. That’s why improperly designed footers can yield sound that is dulled and lifeless or piercing and shrill. I’ve tested every promising high-tech material: ceramics were too bright; titanium, carbon fiber, stainless steel, aluminum and ebony were relatively dead and smeared. Brass was by far the best: much more dynamic, vibrantly warm and more detailed. By design, our footers do the opposite. Rigid and massive, they lock the component to the shelf below using single-point contact. That’s the most effective way to drain vibration. Nevertheless, our experiments show that the wrong footer material (or too little mass, or the wrong shape) can reflect distorted vibrations back into the equipment. That’s why improperly designed footers can yield sound that is dulled and lifeless or piercing and shrill. I’ve tested every promising high-tech material: ceramics were too bright; titanium, carbon fiber, stainless steel, aluminum and ebony were relatively dead and smeared. Brass was by far the best: much more dynamic, vibrantly warm and more detailed.







Brass Weights






In ending this post I must confess, I know where I can go to for better results but for the return on investment, at AUD$5k more, I'm not too sure it is warranted. At that price, that is one hell of an upgrade in a component, especially when one enters into the second hand market..........

Since the components sit in the same room with the vibration from the music they create along with all of the thuds and shaking of people walking around, putting things on tables, talking, and doing whatever else, I think it makes sense to isolate each component as much as possible. Placing sorbothane under the feet of each component is the bare minimum you should do. I started this way. Soon I discovered Vibrapod pads and cones for $8 each and I used them on everything. In time I graduated to some of the Golden Sound products for the components that treat the delicate analog signal like the DAC and the pre-amp. I added Synergystic Research Fat Padz to the bottom of my amplifiers. Now that I just installed the Oppo 105, I went really crazy and spent $350 for the Genko stabilizer. The DVD is the ultimate moving part and I want to get the most out of this incredible machine. Does it all work? Is it all worth it? Am I getting better sound? Maybe or maybe not. Sorbothane or my original $8 Vibrapods were probably enough, but I feel good and I think (operative word, "think") everything is happier with my obsessive, expensive tweaking. To quote Descartes, "I think therefore I am."

Today I tried the HRS footers & weight on the dac, it was a definite step up from the mapleshade products mentioned earlier that I was using. The HRS are twice the price though.

Heres the plate for the top of the component to dampen the resonance of the outer casing, mechanical as well as accoustical.









Heres the footers to isolate from all sources below

Not to be outdone were the Stillpoints. They still are the best isolation & dampening products I've used in my system. Under the speakers we all agreed that the Ultra 5's with 4, not 3 were more beneficial as well as 4 Ultra SS's under the preamp & the dac. This combination really did take my system to another level. In AUD$ we're talking rrp of $7600 for the set-up. Seriously though, don't knock it until you have tried it as it really is an eye opener.

Originally Posted by Mike

I'm looking into these:

Sparkz

Mike did you ever look into these?

Lloyd, thanks for the write-up. Great insight of which I agree with & to top it all off you just saved me a half hour in writing it all up. One thing that happened was we removed the HRS nimbus couplers from under the Meitner DAC, replaced them with Ultra SS's & as I was standing directly between the speakers & my friend was outside of the field of the speakers & we both heard the change within 3 seconds flat. It was a holy shit moment like, "did you hear that?"!!! Didn't even make it back to our chairs for a serious listen.

Quiet & spatial, it took a moment to realise it as although each instrument was defined & the background noise was zero or near enough, the more information that was discernable because of this is hard to decipher & realise it for what it is until you get used to it.Your brain needs time to realise you are hearing so much more accuracy & definition from the same material & equipment, but it doesn't make it fatiguing.

Great posts. I would rate my system in terms of dollars spent as a lower middle class system if you will. Composed of a VS 115 ARC amp and LS27 pre, set with good clean power: conditioner, upgraded power cables, dedicated ground and 20 amp Shunyatta wall power plugs. It is vinyl sourced with a decent TT (Project Perspex) and Cartridge (Sumiko Blackbird) to boot. In my opinion the absolute, most impactive items invested in to date have been the Stillpoint Ultra SS's that are placed under the Amp, Pre, and most recently speakers. My next purchase will be a set of Stillpoint Mini's to handle the CD player and power conditioner. The Stillpoint engineers have an interesting point of view that lighter components (under about 25 lbs is my understanding) will work better with these than the more hefty units for beefier components.

Next in the line-up of good investments have been cables (this is really highly ranked in there with the Stillpoints), the latest being Nordost Heimdahl 2,s from the TT to phono pre. I could not believe the difference and how much new music is now extracted!

Finally, and this is still a work in progress, is Tube traps (ARC) and that deserves its own thread about the journey. (stressful, interesting, pleasing and frustrating but I believe important to a well voiced system.)

I must say the Stillpoints standout as the best investment overall but they really have benefited from all the other tweaks. It makes the idea of spending serious money on equipment more palatable when the idea exists that i believe I'm getting the best the sources have to offer first through isolation and tweaks! Let the music play!

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I love my Marigo Labs Mystery Feet!!

Wow, nice system! Do tell?.!.?

larry

Yoh Fro,

I have the Marigo feet as those--they ain't got the red inserts though-- sexy! I also have Stillpoints Ultra's SS's for the Amp--not much between the feets though.

But for the real deal in Isolation I've found the MinusK's to be the go--

Bruce

Does anyone have any experience comparing the stillpoint mini with the Synergystic Research Rollerball mini? The technology on the two seems to be the same.

Donald

These are Marigo Labs latest RHX Mystery Feet.
They have evolved over the past 15 years or so to these latest design.
Hand made from sandwiched carbon fiber layers, they really open up the imaging with pin point resolution!
I sell several cable lines and tweaks, but these are my favorites (under the D-02 and Oppo 105).
Never tried the Stillpoints, however.

Mystery Feet, new | MARIGO AUDIO LAB

Originally Posted by Mike

Yes. I'm going to probably get some ordered in the next month or so.

Guys, you may want to take a look into this thread on a forum in Singapore, DIY Sparkz power filter

Not saying that it doesn't work, but the way it works does result in some head scratching.

Pricing starts at about $3500 and up????????????????
Come on, there is a limit to this hobby.