About 6 months ago I put my equipment on bicycle tire tubes as a proof of concept for vibration control. It made a difference, though it was hard to quantify what it improved and what was worse. Overall was a slightly positive addition for about $40.
A couple months ago I started buying 2" thick offcuts of hardwood and attaching spikes to couple the platforms to the concrete under my carpet. I then use a smattering of Isoacoustic pucks (8 minis, 4 Indigo) and an ancient 3 piece ball bearing isolation product I got for cheap. I definitely noticed a difference. Put my amp, Step-down power transformer, Power Isolator, laptop, and DAC on various platforms, spiked or not spiked, with Isoacoustic pucks. Sound was tight and clear, though I did feel I noticed some bloat at certain frequencies, but the upside was the rest of the spectrum was very nice, a definite improvement.
Last week I decided to hunt down some acrylic as a proof of concept for a non-resonant material. Was looking to hear what the different wood platforms sounded like, and needed to hear the wood what the wood sounded like by eliminating it. (and still have the extra clarity that comes with vibration control) I found a local supplier that sells 4'x8' sheets, and can cut to size. I utilized the "offcut" strategy, where I purchased scraps cut to size at a discount for cash. Ended up with a 1/4" thick 18"x17" platform for under my amp, and a roughly 9"x8" piece that is a full inch thick. Total cost: $38USD. The first piece I inserted was the inch thick piece. I swapped out a slightly smaller piece of Macassar Ebony, and took 3 brass spikes off it and put them on the Acrylic. Then I put the step-down transformer on that platform. I wasn't expecting much of a difference, but it was immediately obvious that the Macassar was converting energy and outputting it somewhere in the high bass/low midrange region (sorry, my ear isn't experienced enough yet to put that frequency to a number). The result was more clarity throughout the frequency spectrum with at least one "boosted" frequency gone. I then put the 1/4" piece under my amp with less than obviously results, but good results. Finally there was enough room on the small platform to also put my DAC on. For clarity; My amp, step-down, and Dac are all resting on Isoacoutic isolation devices, which sit on Acrylic that is coupled to concrete under the carpet.
My assumption/fear was that even though Acrylic is a material known as non-resonant, it doesn't seem to be a popular material in the audiophile world, and there must be a reason. Well, I haven't figured out that reason. I thought it might make my system to sterile, but it isn't. It makes rhythms and subtle touches stand out, like a split second delay before striking a key is way more obvious because my brain is tracking the rhythm naturally without effort (or so I figure)
Next up is to purchase a full 4' x 8' piece of inch thick, or even 2' thick Acrylic and cut it into pieces for all my equipment. Cost for 32 square feet, 1 inch thick is about $560 USD, and I should have some left over to sell.
Anyone else have any experience in this area?
A couple months ago I started buying 2" thick offcuts of hardwood and attaching spikes to couple the platforms to the concrete under my carpet. I then use a smattering of Isoacoustic pucks (8 minis, 4 Indigo) and an ancient 3 piece ball bearing isolation product I got for cheap. I definitely noticed a difference. Put my amp, Step-down power transformer, Power Isolator, laptop, and DAC on various platforms, spiked or not spiked, with Isoacoustic pucks. Sound was tight and clear, though I did feel I noticed some bloat at certain frequencies, but the upside was the rest of the spectrum was very nice, a definite improvement.
Last week I decided to hunt down some acrylic as a proof of concept for a non-resonant material. Was looking to hear what the different wood platforms sounded like, and needed to hear the wood what the wood sounded like by eliminating it. (and still have the extra clarity that comes with vibration control) I found a local supplier that sells 4'x8' sheets, and can cut to size. I utilized the "offcut" strategy, where I purchased scraps cut to size at a discount for cash. Ended up with a 1/4" thick 18"x17" platform for under my amp, and a roughly 9"x8" piece that is a full inch thick. Total cost: $38USD. The first piece I inserted was the inch thick piece. I swapped out a slightly smaller piece of Macassar Ebony, and took 3 brass spikes off it and put them on the Acrylic. Then I put the step-down transformer on that platform. I wasn't expecting much of a difference, but it was immediately obvious that the Macassar was converting energy and outputting it somewhere in the high bass/low midrange region (sorry, my ear isn't experienced enough yet to put that frequency to a number). The result was more clarity throughout the frequency spectrum with at least one "boosted" frequency gone. I then put the 1/4" piece under my amp with less than obviously results, but good results. Finally there was enough room on the small platform to also put my DAC on. For clarity; My amp, step-down, and Dac are all resting on Isoacoutic isolation devices, which sit on Acrylic that is coupled to concrete under the carpet.
My assumption/fear was that even though Acrylic is a material known as non-resonant, it doesn't seem to be a popular material in the audiophile world, and there must be a reason. Well, I haven't figured out that reason. I thought it might make my system to sterile, but it isn't. It makes rhythms and subtle touches stand out, like a split second delay before striking a key is way more obvious because my brain is tracking the rhythm naturally without effort (or so I figure)
Next up is to purchase a full 4' x 8' piece of inch thick, or even 2' thick Acrylic and cut it into pieces for all my equipment. Cost for 32 square feet, 1 inch thick is about $560 USD, and I should have some left over to sell.
Anyone else have any experience in this area?
