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Vibration Control - everything except turntables

Darren

So gentle when he tries to understand.
So.... One of My favourite YouTube channels 'Pursue a Perfect System' posted a system video this week: it features an all TAD system costing over £300K with six huge RELs to boot. (stacked up in three's behind the listener!!)
The system owner was quite interesting and mentioned that one of the mistakes he has made over the years is to ignore the effects of vibration on things like pre-amps and CD players - he doesn't seem to use a turntable.
So it got me wondering...... I might try some vibration control measures. Right now, everything just sits on a Quaddraspire rack.
I cant afford a lot but I don't want something homemade either. I was wondering about feet with ball bearings etc, etc.... But I dont really have any idea. What do you use? Any positive experience/recommendations/links?
 
I’ve got feet with ball bearings supporting acoustimats. Probably makes a little difference. I just put everything on them when I was given it.It wasn’t worse so just left it.Should really take a more focused listen one day.
 
I’ve got feet with ball bearings supporting acoustimats. Probably makes a little difference. I just put everything on them when I was given it.It wasn’t worse so just left it.Should really take a more focused listen one day.
Do a decent session of A/B and let me know how you go Del. You've nothing better to do.
 
The clock in a dac is very slightly microphonic, anything else solid state doesn't give a rats ass about vibration. Even a mc phonostage doesn't care about vibration below levels that would shake a tonearm off the record.

That's why you never see tests that include vibration, because it's not an issue, never has been.
 
Herbie’s Audio Lab has some good and fairly affordable products that are noticeable effective in my view at least.
I still use an old Base table that Naim used to recommend under my CD player.
 
As profile says I’m a stillpoints obsessive, but something that expensive and contentious is not for all I know. Other than HRS I cannot think of better isolation, if that’s what you want. I feel a hifi is sum of all its parts, (inc room) as the Olympic cyclists proved every percent counts. The difference between mmm and omg is that final few percent.

Nice simple one to try, I’ve diy’ed most types, seismic sinks, spikes, sorbothane etc.(even went thru a year of making own power cables, just too see if anything changed). Ball bearings, cork, marble, composite damping,air suspension , etc . You name it I had a go.
The vertex tripod is a interesting effect, a tripod of metal/alloy footers (spike bases) one with spike pointing into kit, second and third has some form of hard rubber at tip instead of metal spike. Usually spikes under tranny or iec, rubber ones forming the tripod. It’s similar to Goldmunds vibration chassis channeling. Results can be very positive, takes tinkering with placement.
I feel most things are a compromise so if on a budget would opt to go for mix of lightweight tables, ie IKEA, and floor mounting on plain boards a la Japanese. With sprinkling of wood blocks , I gather cured cherry wood is considered best. NO SPIKES, no sorbothane.
Spikes and sorbothane shove probs to frequency extremes, and sorbothane has to be exactly right density for weight or it kills music, all materials have a sonic signature, the vertex tripod sounds very different when used on marble (like vertex did in beginning) or veneered chipboard they use now.
Above all do no harm, so if in doubt don’t.
Thought funny when I read Ansuz started using plywood on latest kit chassis as they felt sonic signature of aluminium was detrimental, granted they went ott laminating the wood with titanium and zirconium . Gotta justify those price tags somehow.
 
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The system owner was quite interesting and mentioned that one of the mistakes he has made over the years is to ignore the effects of vibration on things like pre-amps and CD players - he doesn't seem to use a turntable.
So it got me wondering...... I might try some vibration control measures. Right now, everything just sits on a Quaddraspire rack.
I cant afford a lot but I don't want something homemade either. I was wondering about feet with ball bearings etc, etc.... But I dont really have any idea. What do you use? Any positive experience/recommendations/links?

I don't have a lot of experience in vibration control products as I don't have much money to throw on these things after I put all my investment on the gear and cabling. :D In reality, EVERYTHING plays a role. The room, placement of speakers, cables and tweaks in this case, vibration control for equipment and speakers.

I don't have much to share here considering my limited experience. Nevertheless, to cut to the chase, I find vibration control to be most effective when used on digital equipment such as DAC. If you have a better or superior vibration control product, use it on the DAC or CD player. The amplifier will also benefit but to a lesser extent. It's not only with vibration control but electromagnetic and electrostatic interference control as well. In my system, the DAC is supported by Finite Elemente Ceraball footers placed on a rack which is further supported by Finite Elemente Cerabase at the bottom. The DAC also has a Furutech NCF booster and good power cord connected to it. All contribute to a nice improvement to the sound. The effects or differences are lesser (less desirable sound improvement) when used on the amplifier.

Apart from the equipment, I find vibration control on loudspeakers to be VERY effective. After installing a set of Isoacoustics Gaia on my speakers, I'm now a convert. Big positive difference in my system. Isolating or decoupling the speakers from the floor is the key. (I believe all who tried the Townshend podium reported that it is a superior vibration/isolation product to the Isoacoustics Gaia).

In summary, if you want to experiment with vibration control, focus more on the digital end and speakers as that's where you will hear more. I have only read about Isoacoustics Orea and am not sure if there are other better vibration control products in the market.
 
Buy a bamboo chopping board, place rubber/sorbothane hemispheres under it and put on your rack. Then which ever piece of equipment you want to try place on the chopping board supported by either wooden or metal cones, points on the chopping board or you could try these HIFI Audio Speakers Amplifier Chassis Ebony FE Ball Shock Absorber Foot Pad Feet Base Nail Spikes Stands With M8 Screw|Speaker Accessories| - AliExpress
I tried this, can’t say i could tell any difference.
 
It seems against reason but isolating (not spiking)the loudspeakers works wonders, helps cure bass overhang, and stops room singing out of tune with kit, and cleans the sonic picture.
I use stillpoints under a couple of 50mm walnut platforms under Boenicke as swingbase don’t like carpets. Cerabase work well in place of spikes and Ebony footers I enjoyed, more for tonal qualities. I used to used my Lv obx rw sat on veneered chipboard plats to match bases, no spikes.(Kevin’s preference)
 
A bit left field - I added a RA torlyte platform under the mains block which had an unquestionable effect making sounds faster but maybe less euphonic. Jury’s out on whether it’s an improvement or just different. Or worse.
 
I have always found the Soundeck/ Sound Damped Steel products very effective and at only 2-3mm thick very discrete. They do their thing just placed under an items own feet or you could experiment with feet of alternative materials.

https://soundeck.bigcartel.com/product/third-product

I have also used cup and ball bearing items and Black Ravioli pads.
I use something similar. Need to check out its effectiveness.
 
Iso acoustics mini pucks are pretty good and can be had for not much money. They also look the part. They come in a pack of 8 so should be suitable for a couple of components.
 
I’ve still got a Nottingham analogue attractive blue base I retained from a space deck, under my current dac it seems to have a not wholly accurate but pleasingly euphonic sound. More a a analogue tuning tool than isolation, but mr fletcher was a expert on material sciences and those boards are a mix of wood, resin, and plaster of Paris I think designed for each deck, again early models used selected marble, later his own composite. When I bought bardo I ordered their own marble plinth as from experience I’ve learnt that diff stone sounds different, and getting a alternative might have been cheaper but would have altered tuning.
 


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