Harbeth 40.3 XD + Ton Trager First Impressions

@curiousjim My room is really wide so side walls are a non-issue. However moving them further away from the rear wall increased bass-resonance - they sound much better 2ft from the rear wall which is where I had the 30’s.

This surprised me - I really thought they would like being further out in the room.

@jjss49 I’m not surprised the RW and TT’s were similar - the geometry and build quality are similar, with the TTs having a slight edge esthetically IMO.

Last night’s listening session was almost surreal while sitting in the sweet-spot.

Do you like the Maggie’s better than the 40’s?

@whipsaw The RW/TT stands absolutely decouple the speakers from the floor - the "homemade" ones for sure coupled the speakers to the floor, almost as much as if they were placed directly on the floor. The difference wasn’t subtle. You might say they don’t "completely" decouple them - maybe spikes would, and maybe the ball-feet of the RW’s do a better job than the TT’s.

@jjss49 Interesting, thanks.

@whipsaw Thanks for the input.

I decided to put it to the test. I started by asking Brooks at Resonant Woods if he sold the round plastic feet he uses on his stands and he said yes but pointed out that installing them would likely split the tenon’s, and suggested I try some ball bearings, which work perfectly - held in place by the dimple in the tenon.

This helped.

Next I contacted Iso Acoustics and they suggested Iso-Pucks between the speaker and stand. I installed 8 of these yesterday - they are just tall enough to lift the speakers off the tenon’s. They are discrete and look good.

Sound-wise, they made a BIG improvement. Much tighter bass and better imaging/detail. Cosmic Hippo by Bella Fleck was epic and instruments had better separation.

Thank you for steering me towards this.

Q: Am I now mostly decoupled? 🤔

@whipsaw Thanks for the reply. You didn't push me at all. The solution cost around $350 - huge price/performance ratio compared to what I spent on the speakers. I'm stoked.

I’ve been using Symposium Acoustics platforms and Rollerblocks under my tube integrated, tube DAC, and their sprung platform under my TT for quite a while and had good very results.

Lot’s of good gear out there, and some not so much of course.

Have an awesome weekend.

@paullb I don't know, and have no way of testing this. Esthetically, I think both are really nice, with TT having a slight edge, but the other factor is these are made specifically for the model so right-sized. 

Resonant Woods are not being manufactured atm, so you are stuck with the more expensive TTs unless you get lucky like I did and find something used/open box. 

@whipsaw I kept going and added Gaia feet to the RELs. They work. It's interesting with the subs because I can feel the cabinets vibrating/moving which I could not before.

Presumably, this means the drivers are not 'fighting' the cabinet if that makes sense.