Tweaks and things that go bump in the night.

I know there have been discussions on power cords, power conditioners, cables and such.

What I was wondering is if any of you have gone the isolation route.

Specifically, have any of you used StillPoints or Herbie's Audio Lab isolation devices, and sound dampers on your systems/speakers?

Or any other specific isolation products?

And most important which ones do you think worked best.

I'm pretty sold on the Black Diamond Racing Points and Pucks. I have them under most of my components. I also have a Bright Star Audio sandbox under my turntable and one of their mass loading slabs on top of my DAC.

I haven't tried either of the brands you mentioned.

I've played around with rubber tube dampers in my pre-amp, but haven't noticed a significant improvement. Rolling various tubes has a much more pronounced effect.

Like anything, each has to listen to these tweaks to see if they are worth it or not. They can be purchased cheaply or expensively, and some can be made.

There are MANY companies out there, Herbies being one of the more cost effective solutions that most seem to like.

Diamond Raching, Still Points, Vibrapod, Bright Star, Marigo, Mapleshade, "Audio Racks" (many companies), the list is almost endless. DIY offers different things such as varities of wood and stone, bricks, teflon, rubber, nylon, foam, dampening material, and its list is almost endless to try.

I like Mass Loading and Component Isolation for resonance control/de-coupling.

Dan's on the right track, and a lot of it will depend on your room, the racks you use and the components you have.

Dampening/isolation products are a lot like tuning the suspension on a car. You can change the result but you might not like it. Some things can make your system sound more dull.

Personally, that's usually the last thing I screw around with in a system. I'd dial everything in that you can with setup and room acoustics first, then use these options as "fine tuning".

I'd also suggest that you make sure that any of the spendier options you try have a return policy, in case you do not like the effect.

Much like many other aspects of this hobby, I've found that there is no real "magic bullet" when it comes to isolation. The only real exception is the "mass damping" thing--heavy platforms under components (and in some case, heavy, dense things places ON components) can make a BIG difference, especially if your listening room in on a sprung-wood floor.

Different things work better for different applications.

My speakers are ALL sitting on 1.5" OreveonDV spikes. They made a big improvement over the stock old-style POS spikes that ML used to ship with their speakers.

I've got all my components on some sort of stone-like slabs. My TT sits on a 24" x 24" x 1" slab of slate flagstone, which is perched on top of 5 rubber balls (practice lacrosse balls to be exact), which sit on a double-thick shelf in my modified Ikea rack. (The rack has spikes feet, and all the steel-tube supports have been filled with lead shot).

My monoblocks sit on 10" x 24" x2" cast concrete pavers. The pavers are perched on 1.75" OregonDV spikes. The amps sit on the pavers atop Ceramic Isopod cones (they were made in Canada back in the 1990's, but the company is no longer around..).

All my other "active" components sit atop Travertine marble tile, with different cones or feet.

My Krell preamp also sits on Isopods, the Oppo sits on a set of Russel Andrews ceramic cones, the Benchmark sits on a set of 1.75" sorbothane-topped "AV Rizer" footers. The Carver C-400t sits atop a vintage set of ModSquad silver aluminum TipToes with matching TipToe "shoes".

When I hook my laptop to the 2-channel rig, It sits on a marble slab, atop 4 PWX Postballs (I use 2 Postballs in the rear of the laptop when I'm actually working on it, for air circulation).

My speaker cables and ICs between the pre and amps are all run atop big ceramic telegraph insulators (the "original" cable lifters!).

Almost everything I've tried over the years with regards to isolation has had SOME sort of effect. Some things were VERY noticeable (the Isopods were the most audible difference of any footer I've used), some were VERY subtle (the Russ Andrews cones), some made things noticeably tighter (the OregonDV spikes) and some things actually made things sound worse (AudioQuest and Moster Sorbothane footers I used back in the day, in different configurations, under CD players, Preamps, Turntables--no matter what I put those footers under, it seems to make the bass sound loose, and the soundstage was noticeably smeared). Those big ceramic Isopod cones seem to work best under HEAVY components like amps and that Krell preamp, but not so much under lighter components like CD players, DACs, etc. (although they DID work well under the Meridian 208 I used to have, but then again that CD player was something like 28lbs...)

Not EVERY isolation tweek I've tried worked for the better, but they all have made SOME difference. The current setup that my TT sits on went through about 5 different iterations before I got it all sussed out, and dialed in, using different "hardnesses" for the balls (tennis balls, handballs, hard lacrosse balls, Ceramic balls, and finally "medium" lacrosse balls. In between various balls, I tried bicycle inner tubes, bean bags, sand bags and even those squishy liquid-filled "cold packs" (but at room-temperature of course). It was THAT ongoing experiment of about 3 years of tweeking that finally convinced me that EVERYTHING makes SOME difference in this hobby--not always good, mind you, but just about ANYthing you do when it comes to your setup will have some sonic effect.

And it's not just isolation that makes a difference--cabel routing can make things sound better or worse. Power conditioning is a BIG one. Even location in the room relative to the speakers can make a noticeable difference with some components (particularly TT's). Heck, I'm even convinced that the order in which you power up your components can actually effect the way a system ultimately sounds during any given listening session...

But of course, YMMV. In a quantum world, they tell us that the observer DOES effect the outcome of any given event, and I believe that works on the macro as well as the sub-atomic level. So if you are a skeptic, the same things might not make as much of an improvement for you as they do for someone who is a "true believer". After all, the entire universe is essentially just concentrated clusters of vibrating energy packets, and how those clusters resonate with each other is what "reality" is all about. To deny that quantum effects are real on the macro level is simply living in denial of the fundamental nature of "being"...

In other words, if you want to make an improvement in your system, the first step is to WANT to hear an improvement...

JMAUSGP said:

Specifically, have any of you used StillPoints or Herbie's Audio Lab isolation devices, and sound dampers on your systems/speakers?

Or any other specific isolation products?

And most important which ones do you think worked best.

Click to expand...

I tried the Still points and finite elemente cerapucks under the speakers. I did not like the effects - the bass was not right; the spikes work much better for me.

I do like either of the products under the electronics, though.

I agree with the other member's comments.

From my experience, vibration attenuation can have a profound "cumulative" affect on a system's sound once you determine the appropriate device for each piece of hardware.

Assuming your system is sufficiently revealing, you will clearly hear the effect be it good or bad.

And the difference will vary for every component depending on what device is used. I personally use four (4) different devices / methods in my system. All were chosen after auditioning different options.

The usual advice. Trust your ears and buy from a source that allows for an in home / money back option.

FWIW, I had one "I can't believe the difference" experience worth noting. Installed Mapleshade brass cones under my amp. Without, system sounded slow, imaging soft, transients blurred. With the cones in place, all the above disappeared and the sound was substantially more engaging.

IMHO, this exercise is well worth pursuing and can make audible improvements in the overall sound of the system for minimal dollars.

GG

Herbie's UltraSonic 9's on all small signal tubes, IsoCup's with Lampblack balls under the preamp. I like the Herbie's products a lot. Better detail and openness from every product I've put them on. I don't use them on teh power tubes though that is in the works maybe over Spring Break.

Dreamer said:

But of course, YMMV. In a quantum world, they tell us that the observer DOES effect the outcome of any given event, and I believe that works on the macro as well as the sub-atomic level. So if you are a skeptic, the same things might not make as much of an improvement for you as they do for someone who is a "true believer". After all, the entire universe is essentially just concentrated clusters of vibrating energy packets, and how those clusters resonate with each other is what "reality" is all about. To deny that quantum effects are real on the macro level is simply living in denial of the fundamental nature of "being"...

In other words, if you want to make an improvement in your system, the first step is to WANT to hear an improvement...

Click to expand...

In fact the number of people in your room have an effect on the overall sound of your system. I find that my system sounds best when no one is in the room!!!

I have used several products, vibrapods, BDR cones, and finally ended up with Symposium products being the best so far. I have a double stacked set of rollerblocks on a symposium syvelte shelf under my cdp along with a single set of rollerblocks under my amp , pre and conditioner as well. Someday , I would like to try the ultra shelves from symposium.

Cheers