Accustic Arts

Florian
It's been said that the '2000/'1000 are the same electrically and differ only in the suspension(according to the company). If that's true, then the acrylic plinth(granite is an option@$400...I think)and fancy towers are just for show.
I don't see how the two can sound the same when the '1000 is all Aluminum.

Hassel, I have compared the Accustic Arts Combo to Esoteric pieces and find the AA to be much more musical then the Esoteric gear. Take a look at my thread, Reference DACS: An overall perspective, for alot of details regarding the sonic differences.

Dev, it sure seems like your having alot of fun! Two questions: 1) Could you share more specific details concerning the sonics of the Oracle transport compared to the AA? 2) Would you share the rest of your system's pieces so I can have a context regarding the transports? Thanks in advance.

Dev
Pics would be nice.

Hassel yes I compared 2000/1000, put it this way if the 1000 was the same as the 2000 I would have a 1000 and would have saved allot of money. They are not the same right from the get go, the design is totally different and the 2000 electronics is modded. They sound different, the four fancy posts on the 2000 are a part of the actual suspension system for vibration, the 2000 just floats in the air.

Hassel regarding Esoteric, read Teajay's review, very accurate and I also prefer the "AA".

Tab110s, 2000/1000 are totally different from design and sound. This is not my main system, I am not yet ready but pics will come once I am. I am still awaiting for my Supratek pre to arrive and still dealing with the guy who ripped me off regarding the Sistrum product so I don't even have the Stand for my gear set-up.

Teajay, I really appreciate your reviews although I have not had a chance to demo the the Bent Tap or conditioners you refer to. Your reviews on the "AA" gear and the Stealth product I give you a thumbs up, my findings are the same. You have taken the time to put together great reviews and used the words that I can appreciate to describe so I have borrowed a part of your review but modified and added so I hope you don't mind.

My findings between the "AA" and "Oracle".

1) A dramatic drop in the noise floor so micro-dynamics and fine details just float out of a totally black background.(Oracle just further improves these areas)

2) More extension on both the top and bottom end, with more precise details/speed/slam, but not in an "etched" or overly dramatic "HIFI" way.(Oracle just further improves these areas again)

3) About a 20 percent increase of the sound stage with more air and space between the individual players on the sound stage.

I can't say what the percent is but from the first piece of music that I listened to the music just flows and breaths completely without any effort or signs of artificiality, it's scary real leaving goose bumps. Every person who has heard the system is left in awe.

All I can say is if you are a "AA" Dac MK4 owner you need to get a Oracle 2000 to demo and find out for your self, you will be impressed.

My current set-up;

Oracle 2000 transport
Accustic Arts Dac MK4
Stealth Sextet AES Digital cable between the two
Stealth latest and greatest Indra (XLR Stealth connectors)from dac to pre, I have been told that not many people have this interconnect as of yet.
Audio Research Ref3 pre (Supratek Sauv. pre on order)
Virtual Dynamic Rev 2.0 from pre to amps, XLR connection.
McIntosh 501's
Eggleston Andra 2's
Sistrum SP1 platforms underneath (Amazing what they do)
Virtual Dynamic Genesis 6 ft bi-wire speaker cables
Shunyata Python, VD power cords
Richard Gray conditioner
BPT conditioner
5 designated electrical lines

When I put in the Stealth Indra brand new in my system, say good by to my VD cable.
I am now planning on getting another Indra to see if it further improves over the VD still in my system. In many conversations my understanding is from the pre to amp is not as critical as from say the source(dac)to pre. I just have to get one to find out for my self.

I would also like to get the Dream speaker cables and power cords, regarding the power cords I have been told that you need your complete system done to fully benefit from the grounding design. You can go to Stealth's web site to get further info. regarding this. I have to say that I am really impressed with Stealth product just make sure to get Stealth's connectors and not the cheaper ones.

Tab110s, I am a bit confused because after I sent my thread I then clicked onto your system and you have listed the Oracle 2000 as a piece but looking at the pic it is sitting on a Altis dac but the dac is then sitting on a box and not in the GPA Monaco equipment stand that you also have listed. So I then clicked onto the Ars amp it says "Don't have one... yet" and the Merlin speakers it says "Not my actual pair."

Kindly clarify

The CD puck provided in the Acustic Art Drive is a bit too small for stabilizing the CD. I now put a Boston Audio CD Stabilizer in between the puck and the CD before playing and the results are astonishing...
a) More silence, hence more details
b) More slam and extension
c) Bigger soundstage and more airy

The description of this CD puck is found here
http://www.boston-audio.com/cd.htm

Some items are boxed till the room is done. The main rack is at a friends home while the amp stand is boxed behind me when I'm on the Internet. My four year old will spread foam peanuts over if I unbox while she's around. The speakers are in the garage and the dac is being modded.
I'd like to order the Ars this year.

Dev,
one more question: How does the Oracle CD 1000 hold up to the AA Drive I MkII? Same performance level, better, worse?
Regards,
Florian Hassel

Hassel,
When I did the comparison it was against the 2000 and not the "AA" SORRY but I can't help you there.

The 1000 is a really nice piece and if you are looking for a transport and the 2000 isn't in the budget then for sure it's a contender.

The "AA" dac, I'm really content and over all impressed especially hooked up with my Oracle, this is going to be a real hard combo to improve on. The weakest link in my system I believe is the pair of VD interconnects from my pre to amps but I have to say the way my system is performing right now is the best I have ever heard it and really really enjoying it!

Just to let everyone know, I received an email last night saying there was something wrong with the Metronome that I was demoing. Tom said when he hooked it back up he was not getting the same sound that he recalls getting so something must be wrong. Tom was one of the six individuals that was over when we were doing the comparison. I just got off the phone and he said that he is going to send it back to the manufacturer, sounds to me $$$$$$$. I believe what happened was he just heard a system that either surpassed or equaled what he is use to hearing. While he was at my place he kept commenting on specific pieces of music saying "I have never heard that before" but it was his own music that he listens too. Just in case he reads this or it gets back to him I will say that he did say he was really impressed and said I have some real magic going on.

One last reminder regarding the 2000, if you are going to get one make sure it is the latest version.

Hotbird, thanks for the heads up on the Boston Audio CD stabilzer. In my past experience, other CD tweeks, such as the De Mat from Holland, always took away something like microdynamics, slam, etc., even if they "smoothed" over the sound or made the CD's sound warmer.

So my question is, have you experienced any sonic downside with this device? I called Boston Audio yesterday and talked to Austin the designer of their tweeks, a great guy, he explained they now make two different versions of the stabilizer which revolves around weight and thickness. Did you get the thinner and lighter weight one or the thicker one that weights more? Austin advised to order the thicker one, which I did. It seems very reasonable priced, $149.00 and you get a 30 day audition period. I'll thank you in advance regarding your feedback regarding any sonic shortcomings, if any , with this device.

How does it compare to the Marigo?

I guess I expected the BA Stabilizer to be a replacement puck not a mat. I assume that one continues to use the puck. I even think I have one of these mats. I have about six different cd mats, none of which did anything for me before, but maybe with the new AA Drive One, mk II, one will.

Teajay, we await your impressions of the mat. I wonder what the folks at AA would have to say. I do wonder about the size of the puck comment, why couldn't AA have figured that out? Would they design a puck that wasn't big enough or adequate for dampening? Could that possibly be true? I'm skeptical. If true, I'm sure they could desingn a bigger, weightier puck if it made a difference. But I remain curious about the affect of the BA Stabilizer.

Teajay, we await your impressions of the mat. I wonder what the folks at AA would have to say. I do wonder about the size of the puck comment, why couldn't AA have figured that out? Would they design a puck that wasn't big enough or adequate for dampening? Could that possibly be true? I'm skeptical. If true, I'm sure they could desingn a bigger, weightier puck if it made a difference. But I remain curious about the affect of the BA Stabilizer.

To Teajay,
I use the thicker one that measures 1mm thick.
I did not notice any sonic downside with the Boston CD Stabilizer and found the flow of music to be more natural. It is not a flimsy CD mat that can get crumpled like Marigo's etc. It forms a very airtight connection with the CD below and forms quite a rigid clamp with the Accustic Art magnetic CD puck on top

To Tbg
Sorry in my haste to reply, I accidentally kind of portrayed the Boston CD stabilizer as a replacement puck. It is not meant to be a replacement puck, but meant to be complementary to the existing magnetic puck in clamping the whole surface of the CD down. By extending the clamping area of the original CD puck, it should prevent flutter of the CD at the rim when it spins. The idea is not new actually, in Japan one can buy a similar CD stabilizer made of Carbon fibre (Boston uses graphite) that comes with various thickness too. Yet to get my hands on those for comparison. More info on the Japanese equivalent can be found at
http://www.phileweb.com/shop/begins/
(look for CDS-1, can use Babelfish Altavista to translate)

The Marigo is a solid piece and can't be bent unless you step on it...like I did with the original version.

Take a look at
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/cec/cec.html
Now that's a big solid CD puck/clamp ;-)

Oracle 2000 is not so big as that but still bigger than Accustic Art.

Perhaps someone can feedback to Accustic Art to look into this engineering aspect, and come up with Mk3 transport, or just provide us a better CD puck upgrade option, like Electrocompaniet's Spider Clamp ;-)

I would be concerned, perhaps unrightly, that added weight to the mechanism my be damaging in some way. I don't know if this is a legitimate concern, but it would be on my mind. I would love to improve beyond the already superb perfomance of the AA transport if it could be done as simply as using a mat or a new and improved AA puck that works on the current model.

Hotbird that puck reminds me of my Sony ES that I had but was just mostly weight with felt on the bottom side, I'm more impressed with Oracle's set-up.

The Oracle addresses these issues in other ways. One area being when you actually install your disc onto the platform the fit is very precise, when you go to take the actual disc back off a suction has been created holding the disc in place and then releases, this is without the actual puck in place. Now the puck it's self is special, it has a Urethane compound ring that acts as a vibration damping trap and adheres to the disc. You have to peel the disc off from the clamp when you change the disc. I have put many disc's on and there has been no loss of adhesion but if it occures Oracle recommends you clean it with methyated spirits.

Once you put your disc on and then the magnetic clamp you must then install the aluminum top cover which is a very precise fit. When you remove and replace this you can actually see the the whole unit move up and down. The suspension is very precise and they give you a calibration tool to assist in accurate measurement and calibration of each suspension tower located on all four corners. With every piece of music you actually push the disc reset button to initialize the selected disc.

At the beginning I found it a little strange but now I'm use to it.

The remote is all Aluminum, front and back ensuring quality and is very serious in weight and finish.

The unit even has a separate power supply that is connected via 15 pin DC input which to me is good design wise and well thought out.

Pictures don't do justice for this piece, it's art and a statement on it's own. Every person who has come over since I got it are very impressed, can't wait to hear it and then I pass them the remote and they comment saying they have never seen anything like this before, right down to the remote is screaming quality.

The Oracle turntable has already been one since 20 years ago, so the good looks should be handled down to a member of the family. Just wondering what's the price differential of a 2000 transport over the Accustic Art's, US$2000?

With regard to the Boston CD Stabilizer, methinks it weighs lighter than a CD, so no problem with the weight. The only downside I find with using the CD stabilizer with the AA transport is that centering the AA puck with the added thickness (Boston CD stabilizer is recessed to 0.5mm at centre) is more difficult as the protruding centering pin of the puck is not long enough to autolocate the centering hole of transport. I have to literally feel by touch that it is centred by wobbling the puck; if only the protruding pin was just a mere bit longer. But for the improvement such a simple device brings about, I guess a little inconvenience is worth it.

Hotbird if you look at suggested list the "AA" $6500.00 and the Oracle around $8500.00 but when it actually comes to purchasing the "AA" for some reason is heavily discounted more so then the Oracle.

Regarding the mats that are being referred to here, the actual pin on the "AA" is short so I would be careful which mat you use because it would not be a pretty sight if while spinning comes off.

I am wondering who is aware that there are two versions of the "AA" because no one has ever mentioned this. The way you can tell is by the remote, if your remote is straight at the front end when aiming at your "AA" and rounded at the bottom end (other end) then you have the latest "AA" TRANSPORT.

Just like other companies out there they make minor changes and do not say anything, my ARC Ref3 for example; the current one has different caps and the actual tubes are different, they did not tell people right up front along with they did not recall the unit a MK2 version.(people who know, some prefer the older version saying it sounds better and some say the newer version is better)

This actually bothers me, I believe manufactures should make it known if they make any changes. If it's a remote who cares but when they start making changes within the unit the end user should be made aware of this, come on changing caps and actual tubes defiantly makes a difference in the sound.

I personally have knowledge of this because I had some issues when I bought my new "AA" transport, two bad ones and one good. First unit I received the plunger button too stop the disc was defective, it would stay in when you pushed it so you would now not be able to listen to music, also would not play some disc's and lastly while playing would just stop. The second unit I received brand new, the actual Philips cd transport was not secured and the screws were loose within the unit, I couldn't believe it. The last unit was perfect, no problems what so ever. The first unit had the straight remote with fairly sharp edges, did not get that far to check the second unit but the last one I received had one end rounded and the actual sharp edges were removed. I have to say I was really frustrated at the time but I was taken care of so that made me feel much better. The information that I received was there were some changes within the actual unit along with a brand new remote design. I didn't really dig any further to find out because this all seems to be kept as a secret just like other manufactures do. There a name they call it but for some reason I just can't remember what it is.

Dev, I think you are an unreliable source for this. We have no idea how you got the three Accustic Arts unit, such as whether they were gray market items, or even current models. You note some quality control issues while no one else has said anything about this. You note slight difference in the three remotes which may indicate nothing about the Drive Ones at all. My remote is what you would characterize as the latest version.

Your ears are no substitute for mine, so where I given an opportunity to compare the Oracle and the Drive One, I would certainly listen, but I have no interest in seeking this opportunity. I am, however, actively seeking to hear the Memory Player with it dac versus the AA.

Tbg, what a statement to make. You are a bit of a .... for making such and further to suggest that I buy grey market is absolutely not true, I have the finances and don't have to do so.

These were bought from a reliable dealer KR Audio (Alfred)and that is why the defective ones got replaced da!

I obviously bought a new unit and it had problems da! and then received another one with issues da! and finally got one with no problems.

I am giving information that I have either personally experienced and or received just like the H-CAT supposive dealer in my area that does not exist.

In closing Tbg I don't care what you have to say but to make statements as such are best to keep to your self, you obviously have personal issues, this all comes from a guy with what a H-CAT pre, please.

Obviously other members would like to know that is why I get emails asking me to post my findings.

Oh an just so everyone knows I did get to findly hear a H-CAT pre., not in my system but in some one else's, please it's a joke! would you like the serial number? I wasn't going to say anything but Tbg you seem to want to get into a pissing match so your system please if you have it in it.

Dev, thanks for the additional information. I would have to assume that were what you have said true, that KR Audio would have substantial issues with the Importer.

I would suggest that I have alerted others to your irrational evaluations, namely that you opinions are based on other than what others might hear. My example is the H-Cat. Others' very favorable reactions are but small testimony that either you cannot hear or that you have not heard anything you claim. And Dev I would indeed like to know the serial number as I don't in the least believe you.

I would only suggest to everyone that they give Dev's opinions their proper weight. Listen for yourselves.

Pin may be short, but no danger of it spinning off-course.
The pucks magnet is quite strong and pins it down to the other side, so I have no worries. As mentioned earlier, the Boston Mat is 1mm thick a the sides, but 0.5mm in the recessed middle, so there is still enough room for the centering pin to locate the centering hole, although a bit more like 0.5mm would have made it easier.
So looks like in reality the Oracle2000 transport is quite a lot more expensive to make the switch. So for those who cannot afford the jump, do try the Boston Mat with the transport first, it's a no-brainer upgrade to the sonics ;-)

Norm,
I think you've nailed it.

Any slob with money can buy expensive gear but money can't buy good ears.

Unfortunately these forums are filled with self appointed experts who talk a good game but really don't have a clue.

Tbg you are a unique individual and I have read other threads by you which show the type of individual you really are, "very negative". I picture you a person who is mad at the world sitting there with a hearing aid in one ear and constantly tapping on it while trying to listen to your radio shack set-up.

Just for example you can't even get your facts straight, you should re-read my prior thread very slowly and maybe a couple of times so that when you respond you get your facts correct.

For example; where do I say three remotes are different?

I was actually over at the persons place yesterday (reviewer) who has the H-CAT to get the serial number and post it but was asked not to. Tbg refers to all these so called happy H-CAT owners please, what your right and left hand? Go and check out the so called H-CAT thread and read the threads left along with the negativity, they speak for them self's. I wonder why when I went to the reviewers place that the unit was sitting off to the side and not hooked-up, it's that good, the reviewer doesn't even like it either. If it is all that where are the glowing reviews? is there even one posted yet? How many years has H-CAT been out for and no reviews.

Tbg you are correct about one thing everything I put in my threads are my opinions da! aren't yours and everyone else's?

Yes you should indeed always listen for yourself but these threads are for us to communicate our own personal experience's and I guess that is why I have made so many friends and constantly get emails asking for my thoughts and if you read my feedback on gear bought and sold it is so positive.

Tbg so I assume by your sarcasm that my list of gear that I own (which is not my main set-up)and posted in this thread in your expert opinion is not up to par please! get a life!

The "AA" gear is great product that is why I still have the "AA" dac, I am really impressed with it but I personally prefer the Oracle 2000 transport with it.

I am really enjoying the Virtual Dynamic speaker cables.
The Stealth Indra is marvelous!

I'm have never said go out and buy a 2000 prior to listening but if you are a "AA" dac owner you should get one to demo but be prepared to part with some money.

Regarding the mats, I bought the latest Marigo Signature Version 2 to see what they are all about, one side is green and the other gold. I don't have a comment as of yet but only wanted people to be careful and hopefully Hotbird is correct.

Dev, Tbg has a VERY nice system, and is well respected. You might want to rethink your postion. LOL

Dev, I hope we are all unique individuals. You say I am a very negative individual. I take exceptions to some of your negative posts, such as focussing endlessly on the listing of a dealer who doesn't respond by H-Cat or it being a "joke" or the supposed changes in the Accustic Arts Drive One's remote and suggesting changes within, "The information that I received was there were some changes within the actual unit along with a brand new remote design. I didn't really dig any further to find out because this all seems to be kept as a secret just like other manufactures do. There a name they call it but for some reason I just can't remember what it is."

I don't know why you get on these wild hairs. Sometimes your posts are informative, especially when no one challenges your observations, but you are certainly not all knowing as you sometimes seem to believe.

Playtheblues, no disrespect but please. Well respected by who? Obviously he must be a buddy of yours which is alright but if you had false allegations made towards you, you should also reply.

If Tbg is using a H-CAT pre any credibility he had is gone and when he personally attacks individuals making false accusations please that only tells me of the type of person he is.

On Gon people try to inform others with their own experiences and don't need the sarcasm that he seems to so often give.

When I listen to some one's system and refer to it as being "Very nice" I'm only being nice when it's actually only mediocre and not a top contender which is alright.

Tbg you wrote;

"I don't know why you get on these wild hairs. Sometimes your posts are informative, especially when no one challenges your observations, but you are certainly not all knowing as you sometimes seem to believe."

I personally don't have anything against you but please how can you say such you don't know me; you obviously were not aware of the two "AA" transports. You seem to be so sensitive when individuals refer to product, it's only product get a grip. You can "challenge me" as you put it any day and if I can answer your question I will but making allegations like suggesting buying "grey market product" etc. is wrong on your part.

I'm the type of person that prefers to try and inform and help others.

So enjoy as I am.

Dev, now more than ever I stick with what I have said about you. You are anything but a person that prefers to try and inform and help others. You just don't want others to note that you have no clothing on. I cannot help you to see what you are but hopefully others can see that you have need to lash out at others with opinions different from yours for what ever reason.

I would be interested in hearing the Oracle transport, but I must admit that your recommendation taints it as I suspect you favor it because you are the first person to do so. I well remember your begrudingly liking the Accustic Arts because you had not discovered it.

I have no idea what you mean about not being aware of the two AA transports. Long ago I owned the original Drive One and knew well that I was buying the mk II as I knew I was buying the new mk IV Dac. You are so off the wall that half the time I at least have difficulty understanding what you are talking about.

Many do not bother with AA or Audiogon because of the caliber of people who post. I have tried to express my experiences as I think presently we have limited opportunities to audition new products. Everything I have said should always be take with the warning that your experience may differ. The H-Cat is an example. There are at least 40 people out there that love what they are hearing with their P-12R but don't need to deal with the likes of you who has never even bothered to listen to it and instead goes on and on about a dealer who did not respond to you.

I have no idea what "So enjoy as I am" means but please do.

Tbg, there must be a language barrier here.

You do need to get your facts straight prior to actually doing a thread, again you are just making things up as you go along but now it's all clear to me why.

I just received an email from someone saying that you are around 67 YEARS old, so I was right. (Ear piece and taping on it)

Can you actually hear properly including hi frequencies? I can get technical but won't.

When is the last time you have had your hearing actually tested?

I was communicating with (Guidocorom) another member and when I read your H-CAT threads noticed you acted similar to him so you have defiantly painted a picture for your self. Anyone can read for themselves and see, I have put a few examples of Tbg being sarcastic to both Guidocorona and Studioray other members so please Tbg.

02-16-07: Tbg
Guidocorona, LOL. I too would not bother to answer your questions.

02-16-07: Tbg
Studioray, I think you still are willfully using wrong analogies.

Norm when I referred to : "So enjoy as I am" was not being sarcastic but referring; "Hope you are enjoying your system and music as I am."

So enjoy as I am!

I would be interested in hearing from others that have auditioned the Oracle, especially those that own/owned the AA. Auditioning is hard, it would be nice to get more opinions. As far as I'm concerned the AA is pretty darn good, even with its "undersized" clamp. If any of you do try the dampening/mat, please roport your findings.

With all do respect, if you want to start a thread called Dev versus Tbg, or something more creative, do so - not that it isn't fun to see the back and forth, but can we get back on topic? How does the AA stack up against the competition? Is there something better? If so, in what way? Are there ways to optimize the perfomance of the AA? Power Cords? Isolation Devices? CD Mats, Clamps, etc.

I agree Pubul57 so I'm done.

The "AA" transport is a great piece, I bought that Marigo mat to actually try with it because it was recommended by another "AA" owner so you might want to pick one up yourself and try. There are a few out there including the one Hotbird mentioned.

I had the transport sitting on a Critical Mass platform and noticed a positive difference, lower floor noise, separation clearer, dynamics and voices more defined. There are a few like SRA that are reasonably priced that should compete.

I am using a Richard Grey Pro 400 for my sources but I do want to try what Teajay had recommended and is using because I have heard from the few using the same with great results.

Dev and TBG:

Any chance you guys could use complete sentences and observe basic rules of grammer? It would make your joust much more entertaining. Thanks.

Pubul57, I cannot imagine that Accustic Arts would have put a sub-optimal puck with the transport. I have been unable to identify anyone to really ask about their reaction to using mats, but I must say I have three mats around here from long ago efforts to find a beneficial mat and am hesitant to try them. Previously I had an Esoteric X-01 LE and was warned about using mats.

What you talk, guy? Who dat Dev? : )

Jeffreybowman2k:

Does that make you proud writing your SARCASTIC thread? I did it for you purposely otherwise you wouldn't have been able to comprehend, Jeffery what ever get a life!!

Below is what you wrote, do you call this complete sentences and observing basic rules of grammar? practice what you preach!

"then i introduced Isoclean transformer and 80A powerline. both using super focus PCs. the improvement was nothing short of astonishing. the additional details brought out by the reduced noise was incredible. i have a low tolerance for audio snake oil, but there was no denying how big a difference the isoclean stuff made."

Oh God, Dev and I agree about something; sorry, only about the IsoClean, of course.

I remain skeptical that the engineers at AA would be capable of designing a world class transport and DAC and not have the wherewithal to design a competent clamping puck for their system - not impossible, but highly unlikely IMHO. Perhaps a mat might improve things, but I'll wait here to hear from others that may have had a positive experience with the AA - I'm slightly skeptical regarding the use of a mat, but open to the possibility. What did greatly improve (ok, audiophile overstatement) the performance of the Digital Duo was the use of an RSA Haley (similar to Teajay's Jaco)power conditioner. For me it was well worth the cost - might be because I live in an apartment building and my electricity may be quite "dirty". I will look into the Critical Mass platform mentioned by Dev, I think good platforms do make a difference - I'm using 2" maple with BDR cones at the moment - no idea if that is ideal, but will experiment. I'm also using the JPS Digital AC power cables and they seem to do a good job with digital equipment.

What are Isocleans?

Esoteric X-01 LE is not a toploader player, thus using mats on it may be risky as it can jam up the tray opening mechanism should the mat slide out during closing. However, with toploaders like the Accustic Art transport, such risks are minimal, as there is very little loading movement to dislodge any type of mat. Furthermore, the design of the Boston CD Stabilizer which I am using is already stated for use on toploading transport and CD player only. So please heed the warning appropriately ;-)

I am a big tweaker.
A) Power Cords
I use mainly Acrolink powercords namely the giantkiller 4030 powercord terminated with F1/M1 Oyaide (the highest model in their lineup, Beryllium Copper plated with Platinum/Palladium ). They have replaced more expensive Shunyata powercords costing more than double. Ultimately I may get the Acrolink PC6100/7100 powercords that comes terminated with carbon fibre connectors (oem by Oyaide and same ones used by Wolff in his higher models).

B)Digital Interconnects
Currently Acoustic Zen MC2 AES/EBU, but may be switching to an Acrolink 75 Ohm digital interconnect now on trial with the most gorgeous looking BNC connector
http://www.acrolink.jp/english/products/6n_d5050_5070_2.html

C)Many Japanese Acoustic Revive tweaks...
i) RG24 Grounding Conditioner
Some may laugh, but these really lowered down the background noise considerably. A must try
http://www.acoustic-revive.com/english/rgc24/rgc24_01.html

ii) SIP-8/BSIP2 shorting plugs...
Leave no holes unplugged, the quality of these are better than Cardas' equivalents, and added advantages
http://www.acoustic-revive.com/english/sip8/sip8_01.html

iii)Pure Silk Absorber
A rather inexpensive buy but brought the most cost-effective improvement to my setup. The changes are really beneficial and quite unbelievable. A box of wool is quite big and can be shared among 2 audiophile buddies
http://www.acoustic-revive.com/english/psa100/psa100_01.html

iv) Quartz Insulator
Can be used as footers, top plate dampeners, emi/rfi modulators..etc as in
http://www.acoustic-revive.com/english/riq5010/riq5010_02.html
I use them solely under the input/output RCA/XLR terminals and it audibly brought about more refined frequencies, clear out the digital harshness and improved separation and wider sound stage. Expensive tweak, but I bought 3 sets including 1 limited edition using higher grade crystals with stronger effect.
http://www.acoustic-revive.com/english/riq5010/riq5010_01.html

v)Quartz Resonators
These are like the Japanese version of Marigo sound tuning dots but have even more applications
http://www.acoustic-revive.com/english/qr8/qr8_01.html
http://www.acoustic-revive.com/english/qr8/qr8_02.html

As they say, tweaking is an art, and it seems that the Japanese are really into it, as proven by the very effective range of Acoustic Revive range of products that I have tried

Forgot to mention my power conditioners
a) 2 sets of Blue Circle BC86 MKIII Noisehounds
These are parallel noise filters, but probably suck more noise than the gimmicky PSAudio Noise harvester (a recent Stereotime review commented they need 5 sets of harvesters to hear an audible difference)
b) BPT Purepower Centre powerstrips with Bybee..
c) Magnet Isolation Transformer(a cheap made-in Thailand brand that apparently OEMs for Monster) just to feed the DAC and transport. Will upgrade to a Japanese brand Balanced Isolation transformer in future once my local distributor brings it in. Namely the CSE TX series
http://www.cse.ne.jp/tx.htm

Rack/Footers
a) Finite Elemente Signature on Cerabase Footers
b) Taoc Tite 35S SuperInsulator footer on the Transport
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue22/awards_2005.htm
c) Boston Audio Tuneblocks on the DAC

Pubul57, IsoClean's main claim is their isolation transformers and filter boxes. I have a picture of mine which are for sale, if you want to see what they look like or check out aaudioimports.com.

Hotbird, and I thought I was a tweaker. I have heard very favorable comments from a guy in NC about the Quartz Resonators or insulators. I don't recall which, but he puts them on transformers. I may try a bag of six I believe. It sounds like you are under the influence of Joe P. He has some great stuff. We will just have to agree to differ about the Bybees.

Tbg, those IsoCleans sure look well built, but I struggled before I could get myself to pay $1600 for the RSAs. Now I did see an IsoClean item I might be able to afford, namely those $25 fuses - have you tried them in your AAs?

Pubul57, Yes the IsoCleans probably are overbuilt. Yes, I use the fuses in my AA dac and transport. I have compared the IsoClean and the HiFi fuses and found the IsoCleans are superior even trying the HiFis both directions to find their directionality. But this is another subject.

Finally tried the IsoClean fuses, to me the system sounded different, and since I paid $50 better. Could these things possibly lower the noise floor? Well, certainly worth a try as a tweak.