Otis makes good elevators
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In general, you should not spend a lot of time rubbing your cables on a wool carpet. If you think a significant static charge will accumulate from the cables simply sitting on the carpet... uhmm.. static sitting... then there is a problem and it is not in your cables. As a fun test, why not see if the SQ is affected when a Defibrillator is hooked up to the outside of the cables? or shoot a Taser at them while listening. |
I think I've said it elsewhere in one of the forums, but it's worth repeating. Try granola bars, original oats & honey in the green box work best, with 1/2" layers of Jif peanut butter in between, 6 pieces high placed perpendicular underneath the speaker wire every 24". If you don't hear a difference go to 20" apart and then if still no difference, go in 2" increments until the sound just blooms with clarity. When you hit the right point, you will know it, it will hit you like a ton of bricks - the sound will just open up 3 dimensionally. It's kind of like setting up a Vandersteen speaker or planars/electrostatic speakers. The speaker/speaker wire connection seems to dictate how far apart the granola bar/PB spkr wire lift has to be. Generally, I've noticed bookshelf speakers can use less granola but floor standers need more granola. This is the most amazing tweak ever! |
Try the thick black foam that is used to insulate 3/4" or 1" copper pipes. The stuff I get is usually ~ 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" thick, so the OD of the insulation is about 3 1/2" to 4". I cut it to the length / height I want and viola, instant cable elevators. Not nearly as nice as the ESD Cable Elevators (which I also have) but for a few dollars - they can't be beat! |
WOW! I am really jealous of your guys’s hearing abilities. I have tried elevating my nordost ribbon cables as well, about three inches above my cheap carpet non-coiled and I hear zero difference. But like another poster I leave them there to amuse visitors and it’s a conversation starter. I might try some of the ideas mentioned here for Aesthetics, but no way would I actually pay for something I can’t hear. And I’m 43 with good hearing! LOL |
" but I can see that static electricity in carpet, the same they builds up from walking on it and shocks you when you touch a light switch, could possibly have some effect." could possibly is not the same as "does" the problem is that most audiophiles don't understand electronics, much less how equipment is designed escalators - yes!! |
I'm usually a skeptic, but I can see that static electricity in carpet, the same they builds up from walking on it and shocks you when you touch a light switch, could possibly have some effect. As far as vibrations, that I do not buy. These aren't guitar pickups, they are straight lengths of 12 gauge wire! But I agree with the most of contributors here, go cheap. I fail to see how big money could have any effect on cable supports. Glass and ceramic carry static electricity on the outside, so do many plastics, remember the plastic comb trick? And balloons making one's hair stand up? Wood sounds like the best option. Here's an idea! Buy telephone poles made for model railroads! That would look awesome! PS - I wish there was a "Like", button on these comments! |
Have lots of children hold them up during your listening sessions. Just make sure you have an even number to equalize both sides of your system. Make your own or borrow the neighborhood kids. I have found that girls holding the cable makes for a better musical presentation. Boys and good for rock and some Miles Davis recordings from the seventies. |
I found ceramic electric isolators at a garage sale (4 for $5). Look exactly like the cable elevators: https://www.reddragonaudio.com/collections/cable-elevators/products/cable-elevators |
Funny this should appear today. I just finished building my own this morning. Have gone the toilet paper route, but whole roll, not just tube. One of the best isolation there is. But looks weird. So I bought enough length of maple 1 x 2s, had them cut 6" and 3" length and crazy gel glued them in T form, strung my cables, now 7" off carpet, put 1 1/4" maple edge grain cutting board under each speaker. An injection of fluidity and liveliness, slighter brightness and warmth, and most of all the incredible new solidity and bass depth was stunning. This all cost $23 for the wood from Home Depot and $45 apiece for the cutting boards from Amazon. Most elevators commercially sold charge $100 that for just 1 to 3 elevators. I got 16 from my $23... You should get them off the floor whether carpet, cement or wood. Free from static and electromagnetic field. The difference was akin to a $10,000 upgrade. |
@maxboy00 , thank you for sharing your experience with elevators. That's what good friends for, they do keep it real :-) IMO, tweaks are very much components or system dependent and above all user ability to discern any improvements - good or bad. From my experience, carpets is the worst kind of flooring as they causes static interference which leads to signal degradation. Plus elevators keep your cables in pristine shape and in some cases enhances the overall look of your rig. |
OP, You may also look into elevators from Red Dragon Audio, I am using these to keep my flat cables above carpet to great effect. And they are quite inexpensive. https://www.reddragonaudio.com/collections/frontpage/products/esd-xl-cable-elevators |
You don't need to spend a bunch of money on elevators if you are just a little bit handy. I made mine out of 2 1/2" poplar boards (4 pieces glued together and sanded) and then ran them through a table saw in the center to cut the slot for the ribbon cable. See last picture on my system page. I made a bunch of them for just the cost of the wood. |
Propping the cables up on "Isolators" would minimize the area of the cables exposed to seismic type vibration by quite a bit. Another technique that might be better is suspending the cables and cords from the ceiling with high test fishing line on eye hooks with a rubber band on one end of the fishing line. |
Try the PVC "T"connectors found in the plumbing dept at Lowes. They are small, inconspicuous and easy to place in your room. Very cost effective and can be painted to blend into the room aesthetics. They are non conductive and do not resonate. A perfect solution! I am sure you can come up with many other alternatives just by walking through the store and scanning the shelves. Dowel rods, tee pees, copper conduit, plastic conduit, etc. Just get them off the floor and let them settle for a day or two before making a judgement. Be creative and don’t be fooled that spending more makes an audible difference. 😉Good Luck! |
"Hi fellow AG'rs. I seeking advice regarding recommendations for flat/ribbon cable supports. i.e (for Nordost flat speaker cables). Any recommendations?" I've seen people use tape and zip ties to route these type of cables. They do it at shows. You may want to try it like this first to see if you can even hear a difference before spending any money. |
Like nonoise I got great results from simply looping my Valhalla cable over a hook screwed into the wall behind my speakers. Obviously you can pay big $$ for the elevators nordost make (https://www.musicdirect.com/accessories/Nordost-Sort-Lift-Cable-Support ) but I would try a wall mount first, I found the sound opened up and became a little less confused If no walls are handy you could try these ones i found more impact from cable elevators (Shunyata) under my interconnects then under my current speaker cables (SR Galileo) but then again I do run a very long balanced cable. The design of the Shunyata DFSS is not well suited to Nordost cables |
If you have synthetic rug flooring, then you should keep them off the floor. If you have natural wool, cotton or wood flooring, I wouldn't worry about it. Aside from that, you can make your own or buy something similar to what you see in the ads for a considerable savings. Use your imagination. In my case, I have my speaker cable looped around a nail in the wall behind the speaker from which hangs a wool carpet (for sound absorption). Looks fine to me. All the best, Nonoise |
