Free TWEAK that works


For those who have still not decided if I'm certifiably crazy, I have your proof. The latest tweak I've tried is beyond belief, I just have to tell the world. I use all Neuance shelves to support my equipment. I wrote a review on the benefits of using Neuance on a light rigid steel rack with up-turned spikes to support the shelves. The results were quite incredible and I strongly urge people to try this product.
Anyway, I was sitting in my music room the other day looking at a pile of bubble wrap that was protecting my latest toy (another story) when I got to thinking that bubble wrap might make a great support for the Neuance, allowing the shelf to act on the component alone. The vibrations from the rack would be isolated from the shelf by air! After trying a few sizes of bubbles I settled on the 1" diameter wrap. First off I used a MDF shelf supported by the up-turned rack points. Then a sheet of bubble wrap (bubble side up) that covered the entire shelf, next the Neuance. This provides an extremely even weight distribution, thus even pressure to the under side of the shelf. The equipment sits on the Neuance as it did in my review. I first tried the pre-amp, this was good so I went to the cd player. I listened for a day and decided to do the amps and power conditioner too.
The results are stunning. The depth of the sound stage is at least twice as deep. The bass is deeper and better defined, midrange and treble are not as noticeably altered in this regard. What is most noticeable across the entire frequency band is the clarity. Now I'm sure you've all read about the removal of layers of fog or haze from the presentation, this is quite different. I'm talking about the focus, like a camera. Everything appears clearer and much crisper. Now this is not subtle, it's stunning! The space between images is clear, the image itself is better defined, everything is simply easier to see. The bass is tight, I mean it's pin point now where it was a round note before. It's not like anything I've experienced before in audio, maybe like a different speaker with the exact same tonal qualities as before. All this but not artificial in any sense, no simply more palpable, more life like.
Yes, the tone has not changes what so ever. The system simply is better by a large amount. I wrote Ken Lyons of Neuance with my findings and he had stated that he has tried air suspension and he found it smeared the leading edge of the notes. He feels that any sideways motion will effect the signal, especially with the digital. I have experienced just the opposite. The pace is superb, the music is alive, exciting and extremely involving. More so than at any time in my past. I believe it's the bubbles and the size. My theory is the bubbles are large enough to produce separation. The bottom of the bubbles is fixed so the walls of a bubble when weighted are in tension in an outward direction 360 degrees. The bubble next to the first bubble is also in tension in the opposite direction. Given that my shelves are 15"x 17" that makes for approx. 250 bubbles working with opposing forces to each other. I'm thinking that the sideways motion is not possible, I know it takes a lot of sideways force to make the shelf move with my hands. I believe the smaller bubbles had much less side wall to work with and thus the lesser result with them.
I'm wondering if simple MDF shelves would experience similar results if set up in a similar fashion, or are the qualities of the Neuance enhanced by this form of isolation?
One concern, I have had this up for a week now. I see no signs of the bubbles deflating, but I'm thinking they might. This could make for a real pain if it happened too often, time will tell.

128x128jadem6
I'm a CD and SACD guy. Placement and room acoustics are the most important to get right. All the tweaks in the world will go to waste unless your set-up right. I place my speakers on the long wall, 1/5th into the room. The speakers are that distance (1/5th) plus 1/3 of that amount away from the side wall. In other words, the tweeter is 34" from the back wall and 46" from the side wall. They are toes in about 30 degrees. My ear is 1/3 of the distance into the room. In the perfect world I'd have a room twice as large and have the speakers and myself 1/3 and 1/3. I use home made (acoustic ceiling tiles with carpet cover, $20.00 total)12" wide corner bass traps and home made accoustic panels on the side walls. The back wall (behind me) has a fur rug hanging over a hutch with a teddy bear collection on top of the hutch. Accoustic bears!
I use a test disk 'XLO' that is played on repeat to adjust (fine tune) the speaker location to avoid any node problems. Before I used my bass traps and accoustic panels I did have a few nodes. Now it's relitively flat across the spectrum. The listening position now has a range of about 6' front and back with very little change in the soundstage.
Ken Kessler wrote years ago about using bubble wrap as a record mat. Try that some time for an interesting tweak.
You can also use the small, 12" innertubes available at Target or the like for about $3 each. More sideways motion though, if that is a problem.

What is Neuance?
OK Jadem6, I'm gonna try your tweak this weekend. On the advice of Dekay, last year I bought a Neuance shelf for my transport and have really liked the air and spaciousness it's added along with the improved focus. I'll try anything for that little extra edge, especially since them thar bubbles are so cheap.