Cable isolators ???


Can anybody (preferable someone not trying to sell them) give me any feedback on how effective cable isolators are?

Are they most effective on speaker cables, interconnects, etc.??

Do they work better on floors, carpeting?

Is this just a ridiculous idea??
dewinkle

Showing 3 responses by eldartford

I was doubtful about vibration having an effect on electronics, much less wires. Rather than argue about it, I put a high gain circuit (phono preamp) into a box along with a small speaker system and a SPL meter. Ran the SPL up to about 110dB, and looked for any change of the preamp output. Nothing.

I think that vibration isolation is for turntables, where the pickup is expressly designed to respond to tiny vibrations. Elsewhere in the system, do it if it makes you feel good.
Brainwater...Sorry, I forgot tube electronics which are microphonic, and would benefit from vibration isolation. Apart from that we agree to disagree. What the hell...Vibration control, along with exotic cables are what is keeping the high end industry from bankrupcy! Oh, and Clever Little Clocks too.
Honest1...The loudspeaker in the box with the (outboard) phono preamp was driven by a spare power amp. The test signal played through the loudspeaker was a "warble" tone that I swept over the range of 22.5 Hz to 250 Hz. (I may have also used a white noise signal but I don't remember that). The phono preamp output was fed as it always is into my regular audio system which includes a spectrum analyser. With no vibration applied, I cranked up the regular system gain so that the noise floor of the preamp was clearly displayed. Then I increased the vibration, and varied the warble frequency in an effort to affect the preamp output. There was absolutely no change in the spectrum analyser display. If there was any change in the preamp output it was below the noise floor. And this for a SPL of 110 dB from a speaker just inches away from the circuit.

Of course it's just my opinion, but my experiment seems more convincing than the "wife walked into the room" story that I have heard a thousand times :-)