BDR Cones & Pucks with BAT Tube Amp


i am one of the biggest skeptics of the high end that i know, especially when it comes to weird little tweaks like Black Diamond Racing (BDR) stuff. so, when the dealer suggested i put little cones and disk thingies beneath my vk-75, i almost laughed. i tried it anyway today and i'll be damned...it made a very audible difference.

that annoying bass smear, which was driving me nuts and which i (wrongly) attributed to tube amps in general, is now gone. everything is cleaner, clearer and more musical. piano keys are finally percussive, doublebass lines have individual notes (!), and voices sound like people. the imaging and depth, which were already good, have sharpened to another level. am i nuts?

cliff notes: BDR stuff is good! i am impressed. all is right in the world again.

the BDR things i use are: three cones and three "pucks". two cones are screwed into baseplate at the rear of the amp, and a third cone to support the front. the pucks are placed on the floor and the cones sit in countersunk holes in the pucks. pretty stable actually...i can slide the amp around without dislodging any of the pucks.

my system can be viewed here: http://gonmain.iserver.net/cgi-bin/syst.pl?0&1005067058&view
s2k_dude
Dude, I've also been experimenting with BDR cones. I have sets of 2's & 3's which I have been alternating back & forth between my Music Reference RM5III preamp and Assemblage 2.7 Platinum dac. Each set sounds a touch different and I'm not sure which I prefer under each component. Clarity and focus are improved, though I feel it is a subtle improvement. As my house has a concrete floor, I sometimes feel that vibration controls like cones, sand boxes, feet, etc., have had less effect than they might in rooms with livlier flooring.
Great to hear another person trying tweeks! I would suggest you try other products too. The BDR (Black Diamond Racing)has always been very good for the money and I still use it on some equipment.I have found Titanium cones (Orchard Bay)and the Walker points to be even better on some components. BDR tends to work best for me on solid state, tubes tend to improve the most with more demanding products like Titanium. I have only played with the roller typr isolation products but they too would be worth a try. Good luck and thanks for the report. J.D.
thanks for the replies. it's reassuring to hear that i'm not totally insane to be using (and liking) these goofy cone things. hey JD, where'd you get those Ti cones? in what ways did you find them superior to BDR? i would love to try them if i could find a local vendor. do they have a website?