Addis pads - probably the greatest single upgrade ever…in the world!
- Thread starter windhoek
- Start date
ex brickie
Speakers matter
@windhoek can you post a couple of close up pics of the layout of the pads? Are they all Addis pads or anything else added or sandwiched between?I finally got round to installing the sandwich beneath the stands supporting my KLH Model 5s; they now sit between the mana sound frames and the bottom of the stands. I'd tried placing the sandwich between stands and speakers and although it worked, I couldn't help but think that with 4 bumpers per sandwich, the speakers were too light for the sandwich's ideal operating load as the speakers were a little springy to touch. Fwiw, I've simply placed 4 pads between each speaker and the top of their respective stands.
Having moved my couch forward by 6" at the end of last year I thought I'd wait until I'm repositioning the speakers before installing the sandwich and sure enough, that's what I've done today. Anyway, here are a couple of pics:
windhoek
The Phoolosopher
Here's the pics I took earlier:
It's just 4 layers of 3x3 pads with 4 bumpers stuck onto the centre pad, so that there are two layers of pads above the bumpers and two below.
I think I might try using just three bumpers next time as 4 resulted in quite a springy sandwich, maybe just too springy.
Dublin Mike
New Member
Yes straight onto bumpers. Bass instruments (double bass, bass guitar) now sound like musical instruments all the way down to the bottom instead of going out of focus. Also seems to eliminate any static problems. Clarity and detail of individual voices, instruments etc outstanding without losing the feel of the music. I’m not sure if the gizmos under the electronics or the turntable mat has made the difference but I’m not going to muck around to find out. They’re all staying!Brilliant! Are you placing records directly onto the bumpers? Sounds like you've hit the jackpot at any rate
Chris
pfm Member
Is it me or do you get the impression of some residual “oily stickiness” after fiddling around centreing etc. to place the Diall bumpers onto the Addis discs ?In the case at hand of an Addis turntable mat, I don fancy contaminating my discs any more than they already are. In other words has anyone found a good way of cleaning the bumpers to get rid of the feeling without unsticking the bumpers oqr is it just me ?
Dublin Mike
New Member
Sorry have not yet worked out how to post images here. I have used about 40 bumpers spaced evenly around the pad. No scientific reason. I guess far fewer would be okay, especially with 180 g discs. No chance of sagging. Others may be able to experiment to see if less contact points results in better sound. Doubt if my hearing would tell.
Haven’t had any issues with stickiness. No marking at all on the vinyl. I reckon there’s less likelihood of damage with this than plonking a record onto a mat that has been gathering dust all week.
Haven’t had any issues with stickiness. No marking at all on the vinyl. I reckon there’s less likelihood of damage with this than plonking a record onto a mat that has been gathering dust all week.
awkwardbydesign
Officially Awesome
Lid, dear boy, lid.
Chris
pfm Member
Oh dear,
My Linn felt is the original from 1981 so perhaps you can imagine how thin it is but up to nowhad never comeacross anything that improved on it.
I have just cut up a spare sink mat into a rough circle, removing just the centre disc to accomodate the spindle ; it overlaps the platter edge and of course no indent for the record label. Haven’t put any bumpers in place yet. No time
quite amazing how it changes the sound. I have an Achromat somewhere in store and over the years I have tried others too but nothing like this. It seems to extend at both extremes and adds sparkly things like definition, resolution and in a front rowseat at the Village Vanguard right now orwhatever but doesn’t sound OTT. This is not a recommendation but if you have a sink mat doing nothing, it’s not as if a try would not be 100% reversible.
To be continued………
P.S. Just thought, with bumpers in place no need to cater for the record label.
My Linn felt is the original from 1981 so perhaps you can imagine how thin it is but up to nowhad never comeacross anything that improved on it.
I have just cut up a spare sink mat into a rough circle, removing just the centre disc to accomodate the spindle ; it overlaps the platter edge and of course no indent for the record label. Haven’t put any bumpers in place yet. No time
quite amazing how it changes the sound. I have an Achromat somewhere in store and over the years I have tried others too but nothing like this. It seems to extend at both extremes and adds sparkly things like definition, resolution and in a front rowseat at the Village Vanguard right now orwhatever but doesn’t sound OTT. This is not a recommendation but if you have a sink mat doing nothing, it’s not as if a try would not be 100% reversible.
To be continued………
P.S. Just thought, with bumpers in place no need to cater for the record label.
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Big John
pfm Member
I would not put to many bumpers on the Adpads, I have used a Transcriptors/Michell Hydraulic Reference since it was given as a present in 1973, initially on the raised pads 6 gold plated weights around the periphery of the platter to support LP's 3 thinner, shorter aluminium ones to support 45's as in my avatar all 9 topped with foam pads. 25-30 years ago having seen a platter mat with spikes I remembered a conversation with an Ex-Transcriptors employee at Michell Borehamwood he said that David Gamon was originally going to use hard pads, I made 9 pads from carbon impregnated PTFE however I made them to all be the same height. The sound improvement was excellent they are still fitted.
I think that 9 pads & bumpers would suffice.
In relation to my own system under the Rupert stands that my OTA Quad 57's are screwed to I have stuck on the 4 pads 12 mm x 4 mm 3M bumpers which offer more isolation on my suspended wood floor.
I think that 9 pads & bumpers would suffice.
In relation to my own system under the Rupert stands that my OTA Quad 57's are screwed to I have stuck on the 4 pads 12 mm x 4 mm 3M bumpers which offer more isolation on my suspended wood floor.
Chris
pfm Member
Thanks big John. I have just trimmed the edges down to fit inside the platter lip and placed 9 DiALL bumpers ( sort of star of david arrangement nearer the edges and an isosceles triangle in the middle. Not very scientifically. It deffo seems to improve on my felt for deep, deep detail retrieval. And bass is more pronounced but have only heard 1 side.
Chris
pfm Member
Have gone back to my threadbare felt on its own. Just more relaxed . Doubtless down to not having adjusted my arm height and I can’t be bothered to take my Linn out of its cubby hole hiding place to be able to do it properly with the acrylic levelling block. I’m getting a bit too old for this lark.
Big John
pfm Member
I have now fitted 8 Stack Audio Auva 50 feet under the OTA Rupert stands on which my OTA Quad 57's sit, replacing the Addpads & yes there has been a big improvement, the Addpads were a good effective ultra low price solution. I am still using Addpads under everything with a power source in the system except the Hydraulic Reference turntable that tracks vibration via 3 oak cone feet hot glued into the original aluminium screw adjustable feet into the mass of a large paving stone literally wedged between brick walls.
Chris
pfm Member
Ah well, bored again so have just retried my addis pad mat with just 9 bumpers (-as prescribed above ) dotted in more or less symmetrical positions around it but this time I have placed my almost threadbare (40 year old original ) Linn felt mat over it and then the vinyl disc on top, and the spindle still sticks out enough to fit my old Revolver Pig thingy in place. Well, that over-intensiveness I noted originally when vinyl contacted with bumpers has gone and things are definitely smoother without losing the extra detail and added tightness. I am listening to Eden by EBTG, which has always sounded a bit flat and veiled on my Spanish copy and there is an across the board improvement. Now whether a new thicker felt mat would have given me similar results, no idea but Addis are cheaper.
Forgot to add that my Linn is springless, I use Insoles.
Forgot to add that my Linn is springless, I use Insoles.
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karlsushi
pfm Member
New member of the Addis Pads speaker isolation club reporting for duty!
Trying to keep hifi spends down a bit at the minute after a good few years of abuse and thought what the hell, let's give some Addis Pads a try as a low cost bit of fun. Genuinely surprised by the difference under my LS3/5A (clones) which have, until now, always been a bit boomy in this small room, to the extent that I had considered LS3/5As a bit of a lost cause in this room.
Using mine with the Atacama-type gel pads I was using previously, with the pads on top, so each pad consists of: gel pad, 2x Addis Pads, 1 bumper. As per below:
Hooray for Addis Pads
Trying to keep hifi spends down a bit at the minute after a good few years of abuse and thought what the hell, let's give some Addis Pads a try as a low cost bit of fun. Genuinely surprised by the difference under my LS3/5A (clones) which have, until now, always been a bit boomy in this small room, to the extent that I had considered LS3/5As a bit of a lost cause in this room.
Using mine with the Atacama-type gel pads I was using previously, with the pads on top, so each pad consists of: gel pad, 2x Addis Pads, 1 bumper. As per below:
Hooray for Addis Pads
windhoek
The Phoolosopher
New application for me - as reported in this Taica silicone mushrooms for LP12 thread:
"I played some records last night as well as this morning and I'm pleased to say the same tonal character and improved pitch stability I heard yesterday remains. However, the one thing I noticed yesterday that I didn't mention was a loss of attack or involvement. It's like the deck had become a little shy, reserved or perhaps understated in presentation as opposed to delivering the lively, imaginative presentation I'd become used to. I even found myself turning up the volume to try and force some excitement into things, but it just didn't work. It just got louder. I'd hoped that things would improve with some settling in time but I'm afraid it hasn't.
For example, when the sax first comes in on Freddie Freeloader it should blow your socks off. It's just so full of energy and dynamism. But with the gel bushes in place, it came across as, well, a little shy, reserved or perhaps understated. It was the same when I played it yesterday and the same when I played it this morning. It was also the same with everything I played - everything just sounded a little shy, reserved or perhaps understated. If that's the trade off for pitch stability and a slight reduction of bass bloom, then that's a trade off too far for me.
I was almost resigned to sending out a distress call for help, to undo the modification and restore the deck to its previous state, when I remembered a little something called the Addis pad combo. I already had a set of bumpers affixed to the bottom of the deck so I thought I'd try placing two pads beneath each of the four bumpers and see if that did anything to help with the somewhat limp presentation.
As soon as the needle dropped at the start of Freddie Freeloader the answer was obvious - the Addis pad combo... like a good dose of Viagra, had cured the problem of a flaccid presentation and had given the deck mighty wood and then some!
I've since played a few records and the results are exactly the same - the LP12 magic is back!
So where does that leave things? The gel bushes are staying put and the LP12 is almost certainly going to be my preferred if not sole deck going forward. I might keep the 1210GR, I don't know. It plays 45s at the push of a button so there's that. But even so, I do enjoy what it has to offer so maybe keeping both decks is okay. I guess I'm fortunate to have choices.
As for the gel bushes and that loss of attack, drive and energy, if any of you guys have noticed anything like that since installing the bushes, I reckon placing the Addis pad combo beneath your deck has got to be a must. Fwiw, my deck is on mana and the Addis pad combo always seems to work best between mana and whatever component or speakers. On wooden surfaces, its effects aren't quite as striking.
On the topic of it being a combo, it might well be the silicone bushes are a better compliment to the pads than the EVA bumpers I've been using so maybe things will improve again if I were to remove the bumpers and just sit the corners of the deck on sets of pads. In saying that, my lovely old rosewood plinth is slightly warped so it might not sit properly on pads alone without the compressibility of the bumpers to soak up the small difference in height at the corners. But that's a thought for another day. Today is all about celebrating as I've ended up achieving really good and highly enjoyable results. Result!"
"I played some records last night as well as this morning and I'm pleased to say the same tonal character and improved pitch stability I heard yesterday remains. However, the one thing I noticed yesterday that I didn't mention was a loss of attack or involvement. It's like the deck had become a little shy, reserved or perhaps understated in presentation as opposed to delivering the lively, imaginative presentation I'd become used to. I even found myself turning up the volume to try and force some excitement into things, but it just didn't work. It just got louder. I'd hoped that things would improve with some settling in time but I'm afraid it hasn't.
For example, when the sax first comes in on Freddie Freeloader it should blow your socks off. It's just so full of energy and dynamism. But with the gel bushes in place, it came across as, well, a little shy, reserved or perhaps understated. It was the same when I played it yesterday and the same when I played it this morning. It was also the same with everything I played - everything just sounded a little shy, reserved or perhaps understated. If that's the trade off for pitch stability and a slight reduction of bass bloom, then that's a trade off too far for me.
I was almost resigned to sending out a distress call for help, to undo the modification and restore the deck to its previous state, when I remembered a little something called the Addis pad combo. I already had a set of bumpers affixed to the bottom of the deck so I thought I'd try placing two pads beneath each of the four bumpers and see if that did anything to help with the somewhat limp presentation.
As soon as the needle dropped at the start of Freddie Freeloader the answer was obvious - the Addis pad combo... like a good dose of Viagra, had cured the problem of a flaccid presentation and had given the deck mighty wood and then some!
I've since played a few records and the results are exactly the same - the LP12 magic is back!
So where does that leave things? The gel bushes are staying put and the LP12 is almost certainly going to be my preferred if not sole deck going forward. I might keep the 1210GR, I don't know. It plays 45s at the push of a button so there's that. But even so, I do enjoy what it has to offer so maybe keeping both decks is okay. I guess I'm fortunate to have choices.
As for the gel bushes and that loss of attack, drive and energy, if any of you guys have noticed anything like that since installing the bushes, I reckon placing the Addis pad combo beneath your deck has got to be a must. Fwiw, my deck is on mana and the Addis pad combo always seems to work best between mana and whatever component or speakers. On wooden surfaces, its effects aren't quite as striking.
On the topic of it being a combo, it might well be the silicone bushes are a better compliment to the pads than the EVA bumpers I've been using so maybe things will improve again if I were to remove the bumpers and just sit the corners of the deck on sets of pads. In saying that, my lovely old rosewood plinth is slightly warped so it might not sit properly on pads alone without the compressibility of the bumpers to soak up the small difference in height at the corners. But that's a thought for another day. Today is all about celebrating as I've ended up achieving really good and highly enjoyable results. Result!"