Daruma's vs Rollerblocks

I have tried both on my cd transport, audiomeca mephisto II. First I used the daruma and was amazed at the improvement over no suspension (and this with a very elaborate homemade stand - sand filled plinthes and carbon block supports). Even my wife thought they were great and she generally thinks I'm crazy. I then tried the rollerblocks with tungsten, but I was worried about the soft material my cd player is made from so I used the metal plates. This was not as open and as 'good' as the darumas - though it was a brief listen. I then went to inverting the symposium and resting the balls on one of their svelte platforms and this seemed the best. It was however an expensive change vs the darumas. It is best to test each however and some companies or shops will let you try them. Hope this is of some help. If you have questions drop me a note

Gary

Gary,

Do you think the Rollerblock/Svelte combination is worth the extra cost over the Daruma's? I have tried neither but am curious. Would/did you keep the Symposium products? How would you describe the differences? TIA

Dear Wellfed:

To qualify the decision as to which suspension device to use is, in my opinion, hugely system dependent and what I found may not be applicable to you. With this in mind, in my system I must confess I don't think the symposium added that much compared to the cost. It probably is better than the darumas but at probabley triple or more the cost. I was only borrowing the darumas from a friend who was out of town, but I had them a month. The others I sort of inherited and thus cost me very little. If I was to pay anywhere near retail and money was a remote issue - which I think it is for everyone - I would try stuff out first. If I could not I would go with the darumas and see if they fit the bill - avoiding seeking perfection. If I wasn't happy they are easy to sell and you can try the others. Hope this is of some help.

If you guys were impressed by Daruma or Rollerblock, you should try Aurios MIB since I've tried all three and reached a conclusion that MIB is the one that works best. At first I was highly skeptical but now I have Aurios under all of my equipment since they do work. My only complaint is --- they are a bit too expensive.

Dear Rdr4b
Thanks for the information. Which of the aurios are you using, the older 1.0 or the newere versions or the pros? The cost really is a lot more than the darumas - it is 2-3 x's better? Thanks

Gary

I had both the 1.0, 1.2 and the Pro. 1.2, IMHO, has the best price/performance ratio simply for its self centering design. However, if you have a level surface, 1.0 would do a fairly adequate job as well. Darumas, on the other hand, could be a real pain to use. It takes great patience to level them perfectly. Design-wise,Daruma used the ball bearing as a point of contact; but Aurios has 3 ball bearings and it allows freedom of movement to dissipate the energy so in theory at least, Aurio should work better.

The Aurios Pro under my spiked Amati Homage is the first gadget that I've tried over the years really works.