David Berning Quadrature Z or Vitus SS-101

06-20-11: Rtn1
I heard the Berning in another system. I thought it became congested during large orchestral passages. It also made too much background noise.

What were the speakers being driven? And what was the preamplifier?

06-21-11: Davidhyman
darkmoebius, source is lyra titan I, spiral groove centroid arm, spiral groove table, lyra erodian step up transformer into air tight ate-2 phono/pre...speakers are loiminchay kandinsky w/ TAD compression drivers.

Truly, truly, amazing system! The look/design of Kandinsky's speakers always blow me away. I've heard a system with the Air Tight ATE-2 loved every second of it. Is there any particular reason why you aren't considering Air Tight amplifiers?

BTW, I was actually addressing my question to Rtn1 to get a sense of the system context where he heard the Quad Z sound "congested" and with "too much background noise".

in my room, even with ample low frequency acoustical treatments, it borders on "wooly"...the berning, with its ability to control the amount of feedback/dampening, allows to couple the woofer without over or undershooting the woofers. you can really dial it in!

Now, I understand. That could seriously come in handy.

Have you ever tried isolation speaker stands? Some do a great job of tightening up bass. In your price range, you could go directly to the best and just get Vibraplane Active vibration control platforms used in scientific and precision electronics manufacturing. There used to be, or may still be, an audio company who simply rebranded Vibraplane products and sold them at a nice markup.

Townshend Audio has a new generation of Seismic Sink stand that handles up to 350 lbs. Here's an Enjoy The Music review of the effectiveness of the last generation stand:

As with the 3D Sinks, the first challenge for the Townshend platforms was at another location. (I seem to have an abundance of friends with loose, springy wood floors.) The Von Schweikert dB-100 loudspeakers that I recently selected for a Best of the Year award were sitting on a floor that had all the stability of of a carpet-covered trampoline. On that easily excitable surface, the prodigiously deep and precise bass I had experienced with the dB-100 had morphed into a swollen, overblown mess. With or without spikes, the wild and woolly bass output was obscuring this loudspeaker's overall balance and detail resolution.

The 2D platforms were exactly the right solution. Placing the dB-100s on them restored the speakers' real character. The visceral deep bass now had the speed and clear pitch definition I had heard during my review process. Moreover, in addition to cleaning up previously obscured midrange information, the platforms also brought a new delicacy and sweetness to the high frequencies. A clear win for Townshend.

Also, here's StereoTimes review:

I first auditioned the Speaker Platforms in my 19' × 17' converted-attic bedroom loft to test response on wooden floors, and also to test the 3-D Sinks when placed on large very heavy, record cabinets (1500 LPs each.) First speakers tested were an old pair of Infinity Qb's circa 1976, pre spike, pre-speaker stand. Placed on spiked stands, the sound was thuddy and blurred in the bass with a notable upper-midrange edge. In came the Platforms. Can you say "Transmogrify?" "Apotheosis?" I now can.

Delineation of bass playing was particularly notable. What had been, without the Speaker Platforms, murk, mud and thud, was now agile, tuneful bass clarity. The clarity extended throughout the entire frequency range - pianos no longer clanged and note articulation and timbre were not shamed by the sound of the live piano that often wafts up the stairs. Vocal intelligibility was simply stunning: I was able to parse foreign lyrics into words and phrases even when I didn't speak the language. There was a sweet clarity, a lack of edge and harshness to the sound that I had not thought the speakers capable of producing.

There was also the unavoidable impression that the volume level of lower bass response was down a bit, along with some loss of resolution. Playing at loud levels showed the sound holding up even under the duress from hard transients and huge masses of instruments hitting crescendos. The speakers remained clear and focused and did not turn harsh. And for the first time from these speakers, I heard a huge, coherent, three-dimensional soundstage that extended the boundaries of my room.

Audition of the Spendor 2040 and Celestion 3 speakers showed the same loss of bass level. The trade-off was one of quality with the Sinks versus quantity without. Since the bass playing was so articulate and tuneful, quality eventually won out. The lower reaches of acoustic bass and drum thwacks were however, missing and re-positioning the speakers to see if a closer proximity to the speaker's rear wall might bring back the missing low bass was stymied by the room's lack of positioning flexibility.

EquiRack makes a new approach to isolation that seems to work extremely well on components and speakers. Each pod can hold up to 48lbs, so I don't know if four will fit under each of your speakers. But, check the reviews on how well they work

Nothing a few coasters under your chair or couch legs won't cure...;o)

My speakers use 106dB Fostex T900A. Overall, positioning of the double-horn speakers and dual subs was an arduous task that I am in no hurry to repeat.

The manufacturer, the late Terry Cain, suggested I use a cheap laser level for construction to properly set angle in the vertical range towards my listening height. It worked pretty well.

Might be a little more difficult with your speakers due to their sheer weight and the level would have to be fixed in the horn mouth with some plumbers putty, etc.

I'd guess you'd have to fix a piece of art board in your listening position. Then, set the laser levels in the horn mouth and mark exactly where they hit the board. After placing the speakers on the isolation device, adjust the speaker and raise the rear spike until the lasers hit the spot again.

From the pictures of your speakers, it looks like your room carpet on cement slab, is this true? Or, is your floor suspended wood?