Cable elevators

Yes, I saw two models at CES. I was disappointed that they were not ceramic, however. That shape is precisely what I look for in a ceramic material. I want them as offsets where my interconnect touch the wall or rack.

Black Diamond Racing has a gadget now for that purpose. It's a carbon fibre ring that you feed the cable into, and you slide any number of them you need, along the cable to suspend the cable about an inch off of the floor.

Wow, thanks for the post, Richingoth. I have been looking for something like the 1X1X2 insulators shown on this page.

The Mother of all insulators Great and Small.
Check this site out:

http://www.surplussales.com/Ceramic_stof.html

I am going to try Vibrapods under the speaker cables

They definitely make a difference even if the cables are only and inch or so away from any surface (carpet, wood, etc.)
I use ceramic tile quarter rounds cut to length on all cables (interconnect, speaker, and especially power) that would otherwise touch any surface.
The overall sonic result is a more airy, less bright sound with a wider and deeper soundstage.

I stumbled into a restaurant supply store over the holidays and walked out with 18 porcelain sugar packet holders, the kind that you see in old fashioned coffee shoppes rather than at a Starbucks. They are now "lifting" my speaker cables and 20' of interconnect. These work well, look quite presentable, and cost $1.50 Cdn each. As for their sonic merits...this is still up in the air!

I use wood elevators, and due to the compostion of wood, meaning that is deadens electrical impulses, I find that is works very well..IMHO.

Wood is not a sufficient dielectric.

After going to a seminar given by Richard Vandersteen, I made my own cable elevators. He stated that speaker cables should be elevated off the floor at least eight inches and should be four inches apart.
I simply took some left over four by four wood from a neighbors remodel, cut them to eight inch lengths, sanded them and painted them flat black, then put wire tie mounting pads on two sides and wire tied my cables to them.
Viola, cables are now eight inches off the ground and four inches apart. Did, the sound change? Not that I noticed but I like them just the same.....

Cytocycle
What's the anti static you're using to treat the cables?
Thanks

Pegasus:

If you have some spare time for playing a bit try placing the cups in the normal position, fill with sand attach tongue depressors or similar acting like posts pointing up from the cup, take a rubber band and "crazy-glue it" stretched to depressors, the rubber band will be the contact point to the cable. Use this variation and let's see how it goes in your system.

Let me throw a mokey ranch in here. When you place a cable between two supporting point, doesn't that create a classical string boundary problem. Just like a string instrument, now the cable can behave like a string with its own resonance frequency and is excitable by certain frequency vibration? Does that in turn means that the number of supporting points can alter the frequency response? The mechanical and electrical interaction of this system is not trivial.

I tried to elevate my speaker cables with disposable cups and it made a sonic difference. Images were more forward than before and I could hear more detail, but I lost some musical warmth. So I removed the cups. If some one has a better mouse trap, let us know.

If you wish to delude yourself, I don't care.

Cable elevators...This is another type of audio-jewelry only
But if you have an extra money...why not

To use a single Rite-Way Suspender under my Omega Mikro speaker cables, I had it on a large piece of stryrofoam. Once the right side fell off the Suspender and was just on the stryrofoam block. While I was listening I noticed that my highs were gone on the right speaker. While it took a while, putting the cables up on the Suspender again corrected the problem. You will never find computer chips in styrofoam because of this static problem.

Doesn't styrofoam attract or store static?

I have used a very simple system that maybe you all can comment on for its efficacy. Those U-shaped nails from Home Depot that are used for wiring -just fit it over the cable and nail it to the baseboard about 8 inches off the ground.
Of course, your cables have to be small enough for that; mine are (AP Oval 8).
However, being that the nail is metal, of course, I am wondering if there is any undesirable effect. Re what I can hear, um, nothing different, but I did not audition closely.

In my experience the Rite-Way Audio Suspenders clearly outperform all others, including other ceramics. Also use one and only one on all cables. This difference cannot be accomplished with any other change in your system.

they were three legged and constructed of a metal alloy ( it looks like). actually bought them at world plus.

didnt try any thing else, the difference was staggering.

which ones did you use ?

hope that helps..

mike

Hi, which candle stick holders did you get? What are they made of?

Did you try anything else?

GW

i have been following this thread and finally pulled the trigger.

went to pier one and spent $30 on candle stick holders to elevate all my cables off the floor.this included speaker cables and power cables.

the difference was incredible. the highs which "hinted" at silkiness was now "incredibly" silky, please note this is a all solid state system.Imaging improved as well as micro dynamics.

it by far was the best $30 spent and highly reccomended.

hope that helps !!

mike

A very inexpensive way to see if there is an improvement - take the white styrofoam cups you can buy at the grocery store for under a buck and place them under the cables. Then have a listen.

Steve, they haven't added this new elevator product to the website yet. I only found out about it the other day, when I was talking to Robert at Starsound on the phone. He described the appearance and construction to me.

As you know, I am using all the other Starsound stuff, like the platforms, audiopoints, and Sonoran Cables on my system and I like them very much. They really do what they are designed to do, and I had a real "eye opening" experience when I put this stuff into my system. Once you get to hear what this does, and how it is actually a scientific approach to this vibration problem, it all just comes clear about how to handle the vibrations. They have even been tested in industrial applications, and not only helped with vibration control, but increased the efficiency of the motors in the machines, for reduced electrical consumption. In anything like this, or audio components, it will result in better working of what it is supposed to do, quiet the noise floor, and reduce smear or inefficiencies in signal transfer. I am definitely a believer in this, because I have heard the improvements in my own system, and they did far more than I ever expected. It is a genuine scientifically well-engineered product, and there is no "snake oil" about it.

Mejames, this is a brand new product for them, and I don't think it appears on the website yet. I have talked on the phone to Robert about it, and I think that this elevator system is available. I believe it is around $500 for the complete set(I think there are 8 of them in the set). These feature Audiopoints on their bases, and little platforms and are like "little versions" of Sistrum platforms with the necessary changes to handle the cables. When you add up all the Audiopoints, and other stuff that are in this set, it is really a good deal. I think that just adding up all the Audiopoints that they use in these comes near $500. I haven't gotten them yet, but I plan to.

ok, that's what I thought, they really neede a cable with added mass attached. I couldn't locate any info on the audiopoints web site though.

steve

hello Tom would you happen to know the price for a set of these?

Steve, the Sistrum cable elevator system was designed to provide a path for unwanted vibrations to rapidly move to mechanical earth ground. All Sistrum products are designed and built with this goal in mind. They incorporate structural geometry, materials, and construction that follows the laws of physics to provide a rapid evacuation path for these unwanted vibrations. Designed by engineers and patented. They are the most effective when using a cable which has resonance control features, such as the Sonoran Cable line does. Most people agree that vibration management is now an important and mainstream part of the audio system. Sistrum is just taking that to a much higher level, and incorporating it into all parts of the system, including the cables. And they are doing it in a way that conforms to the physical laws of nature, and not "snake oil". All forms of energy seek the ground state via the fastest route available.

Cables vibrate just as anything else does. They have electrically generated internal vibration, and externally generated vibration from the listening environment.

Which vibrations are we talking about affecting the cables? I am trying to understand that it seems that we can hear orders of magnitude improvements on things that are basically inaudible...most time changing the cables themselves is a subtle change, eliminating electrostatic charge by elevating the cables is a subtle change...but when do we hit the point that we cannot hear everything.
I am not saying that some amt. of vibration does not reache the cable; Most of the time we cant even hear the effects of vibration on the hardware itself.

I doubt elevators can help transfer cable vibration. What devices are you speaking of and why do you believe their performance meets this claim?

steve

Vibration definitely affects cables too. A properly designed elevator system will help the vibrations to go to mechanical earth ground. Unfortunately, about 99% of these elevator systems aren't properly designed, and apparently the designers think that just elevating the cable is what they are after. Some cables can also be affected by the effects of the carpet, and these under-designed elevators may be effective in some way for these kinds of cables.

My tile floors aren't carpeted in the area where the speaker cables are. I tried elevating the cables and noticed a difference in sound A/B in different times and there is an improvement. How you do it has a bearing with what you hear in the several tests I've made. I'm not convinced it´s just an electrostatic issue, good 'ol vibration might have to do with this take a look at http://www.solid-tech.net/products/cradle.htm#
I have my own design combining different techniques and I'm happy with the results
Luis

I use them(more for looks) but spray my cables/carpet with anti-static spray and it lowers the noise floor even more..
The Transparent Cables must be more insulated because when I used Tara Labs, and Kimber cables the risers make an audible difference.

I think it depends on what type speaker cable you have, I have never heard any real improvement elevating speaker cables (even with other audiophiles present to listen) but
don't rule out that some other cable designs can be slightly improved.......easy matter to test on your own and draw your own conclusions.

Jdombrow

Diddnt think about the static in the carpet. I guess that it is more than possible.

Welp, if nothing more than for cosmetic reasons im probably gonna get some when i get a good rig running again, if i hear a good sonic improvement then all the better!

thanks! :)

I made my own. Go to Pier 1, and check out the different type of glass candle supports. I found some that perfectly support my H.T Pro-9 Bi-wire cables for $1.50 each- and they look cool.

Do they make a difference? Well, the later it is, and the more I drink, I think I start to hear something....:)

One of the reasons is that synthetic carpeting can store static electricity, so getting the cables of the carpet helps eliminate this interference.

They CAN make a difference. I heard a diff at an acquaintance's house, he simply used thin string to suspend the cables a few inches off the floor (tied to ceiling tile frames). Definite higher decibel output (measured), some perceived clarity of image and enhanced soundstage size.

I think the theory behind it is the floor acting to increase capacitance by being an enhancement to the dialectric. Techies out there can clarify better.....

If you have some string, and something to tie them to, it's a cheap try at a possibly great tweak. You can even try some tricks like popsicle sticks or pencils (see the Mapleshade web site for tripod wood designs they have).

Best of luck in any case....

I use them, though I rigged by own. I use the old glass telephone/power insulators to elevate my cable from the floor. In a good system you can really hear the diffence and they look cool too especially the blue ones. You can order commercial ones from several different sources, even Mapleshade has their own version.