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Amp stands- Do they work?

I recently purchased a Pass Aleph 3 and loved it so much that I "had to buy" a pair of the Aleph 2 monoblocks. I have been A/B-ing them at my home for the last 3 weeks for most of my free time. The 2s have a lot more presence, but lack the for lack of better words "musical reality" the 3 has. Forgive me for the term, but if you've heard the 3, then you probably understand. Anyway, I have asked most of the guys at Pass Labs and they essentially tell me I am hearing things- that the 2s "have all the sonic characteristics of the 3, just more of it" I have eliminated all other variables except that the 3 is on the bottom of my rack (Salamander Archetype), and the 2's are on the carpet in front of my system. I am interested in anyone's input as to the impact a reasonable stand might have on the sonics of my amps. I currently am acting on this hypothesis and have put the 3 on the floor next to the 2's. If it is of any help the components are in order- my source is a Muse Model 5 transport, Illuminati D-60 digital, EAD 7000 MkIII D/A, Kimber KCAG, Muse Model 3 preamp, WBT 5151 -great cable!!!!!, Pass Amps, Nordost Red Dawn speaker cable, B&W 804s. Counterpoint PAC-5 conditioner, API Power Wedge 4A conditioner. Marigo RMX ref power cables. Amps are using stock power cables- Nelson Pass's recommendation. Thanks for listening and I look forward to any input.
tsquared
kacz
177 posts
 
I don't see a how the stand could make much of a difference except for digital gear. I had my classe amp on a cheap wood rack for awhile and it sounded great. When I bought my metal rack it didn't sound any better. I am glad I bought it though it really finishes off my whole system. And really the music is more involving because everything around where the soundstage is is more pleasing to the eye................................I sure hope your not running those amps through all that line conditioning either. They really restict an amps power flow and can really dull the sound. Especially with the higher watt aleph 2's. The 3 has such a low watt output that it is probably not effected as much. After a lot of experimenting I plug my amp straight into the wall and only use two MIT Z cord 2's for my front end. Thats it. I have a passive preamp so there can be no power corruption for that.
7p62mm
97 posts
 
I agree with Nanderson's suggestion about evaluating the stands affect on the amp's sound with a double blind test. Also, Vxphan's suggestion to use concrete blocks during the test phase is a good idea. Don't be surprised if there is no improvement in sound. As Nanderson said once a person has spent a lot of money on something then he naturally wants to hear an improvement instead of realizing that there is no improvement and that he would have been better off stuffing the cash into a g-string. If you decide to use stands for heat disapation or cosmetic reasons then you will probably find that a well constructed set is all that you need. I.e.; you won't waste money on stands with tweako options such as gold plated audio grade feet. Good luck.
mikela
23 posts
 
of course they make a difference.better bass definition and clarity.every frequency will sound clearer more refined.i've experimented with [nad-b&k-aragon-levinson-audio research-vtl] all of these components and the difference was substancial on all. the type of stand used is critical to the amount of benifit achieved.double mdf with good polycrystal spikes works better than most of the stands mentioned above.the polycrystal amp stand is excellent 300.00 and the zoethecus is a little better 600.00 .i can't beleive people state they don't hear any difference[blind-standing on their head or any other way] maybe they can't perceive a change,so they won't even try one.if you have these amps on the carpet,put them on stands and you'll truly see for yourself.
sedond
1,387 posts
 
*my* amp stands work - i have yet to have one of my amps fall off the stands! ;~) of course, i *also* have 20-lb lead bricks sitting on top of 'em, so i'm sure that helps keep 'em in place! seriously, eliminate *all* variables when doing comparisons, but the power conditioner *mite* effect the high-power amp more than the lo-power one, so try both amps w/untreated power.
7p62mm
97 posts
 
I think that member Mikela doesn't understand what a blind test is. In this case you would have a friend set up the system in one of two configurations 1) with stands and 2) without stands. The person evaluating the sound is not told what configuration he is listening to. If he cannot determine when the stands are in place more than 50% of the time (the value he would get by guessing) then there is no evidence that he can hear the difference. For the test to be valid it should be repeated as many times as possible and all other system variables should be held constant.
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