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Vibration isolators - brass, wood, etc. - - snake oil or worth while tweeks?


richieb

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Because I can have them easliy made I use brass cones fitted into brass

footers under my CD player and amplifier. They do look nice but I

wonder how much effect they actually have. For the hell of of it

I am thinking of using hardwood as isolators or a full piece of

hardwood like a butcher block. Are isolators audiophile snake oil or do

they have merit? I consider "little pebbles" or "tiny little

clock" or the "special" material duplex cover as not only snake

oil but a step up to Mobil 1, as "oily" as it gets!

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I sold a friend my favorite cd player (Nakamichi CDC-200) and was very unhappy with my Denon DCM-444. I ordered spikes for my turntable and ended up using them on the Denon DCM. The difference was night and day. Without any question the Denon Woke up and performed like a different player. Totally accessing more music on the CD's than ever. I have Isolated my turntable, cassette deck, and reel to reel with the spikes. I built a new pair of speakers and added in a plate for adjustable spikes in them also. A DEFINITE MUST ON MY SYSTEM. SMALL ROOM, TOO MUCH BASS!

HarryO

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"...on the measured effectivness..."

I didn't see anything "measured". Look, I can see potential for positive effect if the gear (especially tube gear) is subjected to a lot of vibration from high SPLs and/or subwoofer(s) -- but most of what I read about the cones, bearings, balls, etc., just sounds like BS.

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Mass coupling under some components will work...Mass coupling by putting a cinder block on top of a spesker will not change its resonence.....Nor will placing tippy toes under a Klipschorn inprove it sonicly But could hinder it.....Nor will a large 1000lb turntable improve a 180 gram LP

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From the Mapleshade Audio site:

"Who would have thought three brass footers could transform the sound of each of your stereo componentsyour speakers, CD/DVD player, amp, receiver, turntable, power conditioner? I guarantee exactly that. Expect your music to sound strikingly more live, more gripping. Listening to Kind Of Blue, I hear deep into Miles' soulful, subtle, breathy note-bending. Paul Chambers bass sounds deeper, more articulated, giving it real gut impact. Jimmy Cobbs Gretsch drums are crisper, his Zildjian cymbals sound brassier and ring more brilliantly. Heres the science: Electrical currents, the music signals that drive your speakers, also create unwanted vibrations INSIDE every electronic component and speaker cabinet. A simple experiment I conducted 15 years ago (which you can repeat at home) proves these internal vibesNOT the external room vibrationsare the bad actors distorting the music. Therefore rubber feet, or any other soft isolating, device trap those vibes inside the gear, exacerbating muddied sound."

Pure crap.

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Mass coupling under some components will work...Mass coupling by putting a cinder block on top of a spesker will not change its resonence.....Nor will placing tippy toes under a Klipschorn inprove it sonicly But could hinder it.....Nor will a large 1000lb turntable improve a 180 gram LP

It will reduce alot of the cabinent resonance as more mass reduces cabinent shake. If you were to get some wood clamps and clamp your speakers it would change it too.

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What is the principle of operation - is it isolation or coupling (is it to promote passing vibration or to filter vibration?)

When spikes are placed under components the claim is to isolate, but when put under speakers it is to couple - is this an inconsistancy?

What happens if you position the spikes upsidedown - do they work in reverse? Is the difference the direction of the vibration (from a place where there is more to a place where there is less - like osmosis?)

Why don't pianos use spikes?

Why is the spike of an upright bass and cello (built in - sticks out the bottom) always placed on a soft pad?

Do recording studios put all their gear on spikes?

Should my record storage cabinet be on spikes?

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Like I said before putting a cinder block on top of speaker cabinet will not reduce resonence. The resonence of the cone will still be there. Pianos do use mass coupling in various ways. as part of the cabinet itself & the casting that holds the strings.

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Whether or not it's factual or just plain bunk, I hear absolutely no difference whatsoever with or without the cones. Maybe due in part to my rack having cones and sitting on a concrete floor...who knows! All I do know is these Dayton solid brass cones I use under my amp/preamp and disc player are cool looking; look way better than the stock black pucks my gear used to have for feet (my turntable's next, I think...at least even with low profile cones it'll be easier to dust under it...heh).

post-11084-1381931822623_thumb.jpg

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What is the principle of operation - is it isolation or coupling (is it to promote passing vibration or to filter vibration?)

When spikes are placed under components the claim is to isolate, but when put under speakers it is to couple - is this an inconsistancy?

What happens if you position the spikes upsidedown - do they work in reverse? Is the difference the direction of the vibration (from a place where there is more to a place where there is less - like osmosis?)

Why don't pianos use spikes?

Why is the spike of an upright bass and cello (built in - sticks out the bottom) always placed on a soft pad?

Do recording studios put all their gear on spikes?

Should my record storage cabinet be on spikes?

Pianos are usually on rollers, which are like spikes, if taken off, the legs could be considered long spikes.

The pad for cellos and basses are to prevent sliding and damage to the usually wood floors of auditoriums.

I put a carpet under my drums so the spikes on the bass drum would not damage the floor, isolation had nothing to do with it.

On the other hand I have three leveling feet under my TT which should sound thin and lifeless according to garymd, and there is practically no rumble or thin lifelessness. The purpose of the feet are to make sure the TT is level using a bubble level when placed on furniture on real life flooring.

Recording studios don't put stuff on spikes. Your record storage cabinet should be on spikes (very tall ones) because you live in Houston and global warming (see Manbearpig) is real and you will get flooded.

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