I guess I need Rhythm racking now....
How an audio rack can enhance your amp/pre
Just thought I would share my recent experience with upgrading my sound star technologies rack to the new rhythm rack.
Every now and then, I have a visiting audiophile who really appreciates my system…and traditionally asks – “wow, what makes it sound so good?” My typical answer is it all makes a difference, even down the equipment rack, which can and certainly should be considered a component…but in many cases is overlooked…
Star Sound introduction
About 10 years ago, I was introduced to Star Sound Technologies Sistrum platforms and Audio Points. Audiopoints has always been known for its manufacture of well-designed and beautifully manufactured brass cones used under equipment and as an integral part of an audio stand. This ultimately led to the design of stands designed to transfer vibrations out of components and down to ground. What I didn’t know at the time was how good the Sistrum platforms ‘sounded’. So, I bit the bullet and tried several Sistrum Platforms - what intrigued me about the stands was the design of the Sistrum Platform which allowed a pre-determined pattern of energy, known as Coulomb Friction to develop and dissipate via a high-speed calculated conductive pathway to earth's ground. Which made sense…how do you deal with airborne energy dissipation? I know you could put cones to reduce vibrations from the ‘ground up’ so to speak, but how could you eliminate airborne vibration? We’ve all held our hand on our equipment when music is playing only to feel the equipment vibrate, so how do you deal with it? Draining it quickly to ground made sense, but at the end of the day, all I really wanted to know was…does it improve the sound?
To say I was shocked is an understatement - the Original Sistrum Platforms offered – smoother sound, better transients, dynamics and a lower noise floor. And, the cool part is that you could turn up the sound and the music would flow with greater ease…well worth the investment. Robert at Star Sound was extremely helpful in guiding me through which racks made the most sense for my system.
Rhythm Platforms
Which brings me to 2015…it had been a while since I last spoke with Robert curious as to what his engineering team was up to…which led me to check out the ‘new’ model of Sistrum Stands – the Sistrum Rhythm Platforms.
These new platforms / shelves were substantially heavier, with a nicer overall finish than the original stands, with more grooves allowing for substantially more options to place points in various places under your equipment to refine the sound even further. In addition, the shelves were engineered to deal with resonances in a more efficient manner…The brass cones at the bottom of the rack were substantially bigger in size - 3 inches and quite heavy. The brass cones under the equipment were attached with nicely crafted screws that could be hand tightened and no longer required a screw driver… a nice feature making it both easier to put together but also the amount of tightening could influence the sound. The brass and platform rods are modular, making it easier to put together and painted in a beautiful black finish – in combination with the brass I would say the improvement in the WAF factor is significant – the stands are really impressive to look at. As for structure, these things were a solid as could be – and heavy! Not going anywhere, even in an earthquake!
My system includes VAC equipment, preamp, amps, DAC and a transport. As well as power supplies. Most of which now rested on the new Rhythm Platform.
Listening Impressions:
My first impressions were clearly a lower noise floor with enhanced dynamics, while also being able to hear deeper into the soundstage, which now extended well outside of the speakers. Tempo was faster, due to better-defined, leading edges. The high end was ‘cleaner’, with more sheen and decay on symbols and hi hats. Brass had that right bite to it, without over doing it…Bass lines were tighter which led to better ‘rhythm’ … and best of all, I could crank up the volume and the dynamic range seemed to extend effortlessly, which was a nice surprise.
One thing I noticed, that was true of my initial experience with Sistrum Platforms, is that the newer Rhythm Platforms sounded progressively better after 3 days of ‘settling’ and reached full potential after about 1 week. So some form of break in is required.
Over the years, I’ve tried different racks and various cones under equipment, whether if be soft, hard, ceramic, rubber (or some variation of ‘absorbing material’ etc.) you name it. All of which ‘altered’ the sound, but nothing came close to the Sistrum Stands holistically; while the new Rhythm stands, just take it all to a higher level…
While I cannot expound eloquently on science of Coulomb’s Friction, I can tell you that whatever they are doing at Star Sound visa vie their racks, it works…and it’s not subtle. This is a very audible improvement in your listening experience. If you want your system to perform at its highest level, I would suggest that you maximize your investment in your equipment by letting it do what it does best and put it on a Sistrum rack that will allow it to perform at its best. And if you want the best, I would strongly recommend the Rhythm Platforms.
Showing 32 responses by agear
T_Ramey, I know Jason. He lives a little north of me in Huntersville, NC. I am the forerunner, but I know they have a few more planned. Paradoxically, we are moving in the spring, so I will have to recycle the whole experiment. That's okay though. It was fun. Clement Perry from Stereotimes will be rolling through in early December to do a formal review, so I have to get my act together....:) |
Roxy, I don't share your concerns. Clement has been a fan of Dale Pitcher's stuff, and has never owned or reviewed it. He is also a fan of SS and Lampizator having owned neither. Besides, the room is a freight train, and is hard to miss irregardless of associated equipment. It sounds good with vintage Bestbuy grade stuff and Craigslist speakers. Have is TVAD doing these days??? |
10-22-15: Charles1dad Charles, I have not. I am sure there is a substantial improvement. I was really hoping to snag a prototype of the stage (all brass) but to no avail.... |
10-22-15: Roxy54 If you have any experience with SS, then use your intuition and extrapolate to what a treated room would do. The reviewer is immaterial TBH.... Update your system page! I am a fan of TVAD, but I would prefer seeing your system.... |
06-10-15: Buconero117 I think that applies more so to racks and footers that rely on pure isolation. If the Sistrum technology works the way Starsound says it does, that issue should be more easily defeated. I have dealt with all that "acoustic energy flying around the room" by grounding the walls, equipment, and speakers with Starsound technology. The results are rather impressive. More about that later on another thread.... |
07-11-15: Tbg Very well said. I have used Herbie's stuff and it is modestly effective and affordable. I have also use Equarack footer and those are a step up in performance (and price). They do soften things and if your digital front end or rig is more forward and aggressive they can be used as a form of tone control but at a cost. SS has been my go to product since 2008. I am jealous of u guys who getting the Rhythm stands. Me want but cannot afford right now due to blowing my budget on other things.... |
07-13-15: Onhwy61 I have not read any condescension in the dissenting opinions regarding rubber. As for "facts" in the realm of audio, they are few and far between strictly speaking. Much of it is driven by intuition and experience. Believe it or not, Starsound has commissioned an outside lab to do measurements of their technology. No rack company has done that to date. I am consistently surprised how testy people get about this subject (especially when it comes to Sistrum and Starsound). Like it or not but the hobby does evolve and move forward. Look at older magazine reviews of equipment and you see equipment plonked on chairs or the floor. Its akin to the world of cables. "Engineers" cried voodoo for years as they lacked the appropriate measurements tools. Nordost and Vertex have demonstrated changes in jitter performance with cabling using software. The same will most likely be demonstrated with "isolation" technologies, etc.... |
07-13-15: Wolf_garcia Wolf, a lot of the pro audio crowd thinks audiophila is chalked full of witchcraft and garbage (and that is partially true). Conversely, many recording "engineers" possess equally magical thinking in that their cheapo wire and equipment is somehow impervious to the sonic limitations that many of us philes have experienced. I personally feel that if more recording engineers paid closer attention to some of these details we would have better recordings. As a side note, I had a Charlotte-based recording engineer (Rob Tavaglione) hear my Starsound listening room not too long ago. He was impressed and went on to review one of the smaller Starsound stands for his nearfield monitors. He actually did a comparison between his previous stands( Primacoustics Recoil Stabilizers) which are composed of urethane foam mounted on a steel plate.... |
07-15-15: Wolf_garcia Major dudes? Have you had this dude chime in? http://www.vavawoom.com/malin/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2014/06/movies_big_lebowski_the_dude_jeff_bridges_movie_desktop_1280x1024_wallpaper-43039.jpg So in essence, you are an island unto yourself? Solipsistic emperor? Captain of your soul? Do you have any recordings that we could hear? |
07-14-15: Atmasphere Wolf is nuts Ralph. The group has already made that determination. You make some good points. It would still be useful to somehow measure the fruits of these interventions. The Vertex software could theoretically measure effects on jitter for example. My experience with Sistrum has been that the move vibration is at hand, the more profound the results (walls>subs>speakers>tube gear>SS electronics). I have also noticed that my fire breathing SET amp (Viva Solista) puts out less heat when on its stand. Robert at SS said that may be in part due to management of tube vibration? I don't know. I think he did some simple temperature measurements with tubed gear and showed a drop in temp during use. He would have to chime in to clarify. Paul at TRL was on me for years to buy a Scully and let him mod it. I would love to own a tape player but I have young kids and its just not practical. BTW, I spent over 10 years in the twin cities for my surgical training (UM). Loved it. Married a native and then moved south. Where in Saint Paul are you? |
07-17-15: Atmasphere Okay. I lived in downtown St. Paul from 2000-2003 near Regions Hospital. I used to frequent the Grand Ave. area after hours...lovely. Are you Norwegian? I am part.... |
During my last abduction by the reptiles, they downloaded some of their wisdom on vibration management. The universe is ultimately composed of vibrations, and it is more important to "tune" your system to said vibrations than to squelch them. Apparently, it is essential to address what they called "nano-ripples" represent the fine, outermost ring of that universal vibration. We do not currently have measurement tools sensitive enough to measure them, but they showed me a blueprint of how to address them in an audio stand. The closest analogy to this phenomena is Schumann resonance. I will commence work on a proprietary set of stands that will become the new benchmark in audio. The reptiles do not claim patent rights, but simply asked me to acknowledge their collective wisdom and contribution to mankind. |
07-18-15: Wolf_garcia I get all that Wolf. Audiophilia has a religious component, so if a new piece of equipment sets us into an ecstatic frenzy, forums like this are our only opportunity to relay the experience. besides, the only ACTUAL criticism of Star Sound's possibly life altering product line relative to what I currently use, is that there is no drawer on the bottom for my stuff. I would not let that be the final determinant. There are other places to stash your weed and associated paraphernalia.... |
07-21-15: Bdp24 Ha! An aging hippie like Atmasphere then....excellent. Studies have shown that THC accelerates hair growth in 50-something males. Santa Cruz is a hell of a lot nicer than SD. UC-SC is one of the most beautiful campuses I have ever seen (and I am not talking buildings....). If I had gone to school there, what with the open curriculum and other temptations, I would have graduated with a major in "consciousness" and not much else. My mother-in-law is an Erickson and was raised in Southern cal. Baked in baby oil for much of her youth and got a nasty melanoma that almost killed her. My folks both grew up in Africa, and their Derm is constantly plucking little skin cancers out. Scary stuff.... |
07-27-15: Wolf_garcia So that probably means your hair cells are fried and you have tin ears like a lot of X-musicians I know. When was the last time you had them tested? How old r u? An audiophile friend of mine fraternizes with one of the guys from Kansas and his ears (by his own admission) are fried. Due to his tinnitus and overall damage, he is not even able to appreciate stereo reproduction (which may be a blessing in disguise given all the sourness of demeanor it generates on these forums....). Robert would indeed send the racks but questioned whether you were seriously interested since your focus (as a non-SS user) appears to be mudslinging (framed by brittle attempts at humor).... |
08-04-15: Geoffkait But the natives grow things that can, using brain chemistry, bypass those pesky vibrations.... |
07-28-15: Wolf_garcia Call Robert and set up that demo..... |
Maril, what stands did you use and when? SP4s, SP101s? SS products are ideally used on their own without any intervening construct. The products have evolved like everything else. As for its "sonic signature," its a chicken and egg scenario to some degree. Is it the rack or the equipment? I find my 101s fairly "neutral." What changes mostly is speed, focus or coherency, and ambient data. Again, if your system is bright or tipped up in character, then SS might not be the answer. For example, some speaker manufacturers rely on wood cabinet resonance for bass and tonality control, and a product that drains that vibration can cause the speaker to sound lean. That being said, I put a vintage pair of Pioneers I bought on Craigslist for $75 as a surrogate while I waited for my speakers to be completed. I put them on a set of "Apprentice stands" which are current generation and smoke the SP4s which I assume u used. I had a speaker designer over who said they sounded better than a lot of 10K speakers he has heard over the years. I have a SOTA system/room where everything change is glaring. Its not a soft, marshmallow sound from the 70s.....:) |
Well said Robert. I recently that Sound Anchor is teaming up with Stillpoints to create the ultimate speaker stand: http://www.stillpoints.us/index.php/39-home-posts/125-coming-soon IMO, SS already makes the ultimate speaker stand: http://audiofederation.com/hifiing/2006/RMAF2006/report/500/part4/IMG_4185.jpg Some of you may not know this, but Tom (Theaudiotweak) has patented a mechanically grounded endpin for the cello. The professional musicians who use it are giving him the thumbs up. The SS technology is a flexible one. SRA or Stillpoints could not easily be used in that application or in walls like my sound room. JMHO.....:) |
08-18-15: Wolf_garcia Not. LOL. Robert called it. So, Squeezebox, Jolida JD502P, and Vienna Bach's and/or Wharedales and apparently Vibrapods, what are you working with? Vibrapods to Preludes |