Teleportation is critical. I usually teleport the vibration to Newark. |
Wahoo wah! Go Cavs! When I went to UVa Scott stadium was the world's largest outdoor bar. |
Hello TheKong, In answer to your question on mechanical diodes (7-15-15) A diode allows current to travel in only one direction. A mechanical diode allows gear rotation in one direction to be transmitted through the system. Most believe “theoretically” that a mechanical diode related to vibration and resonance transfer processes moves energy in one direction. Our opinions are that this theoretical process is ‘Not Possible’. The geometry and shape of the Audio Points indeed provide a high-speed conductive pathway for energy to flow in one direction towards earth but heavily relies on the laws of physics, motion and the all important gravity to keep the majority of resonance flowing towards ground. ‘Ground’ is noted as the greater mass or energy sink available in the listening room such as floors, structural walls and ceiling grids. Despite all the known sciences listed above, energy can still and does flow upward via conductive metals or other materials such as woods and acrylics, etc forming the conduit. Our simple analogy: if you remove the cap off a fire hydrant releasing the flow of water and take your fist - pushing it in against the flow is attainable though it may take a stronger person to accomplish this, it can be done. Energy movement related to an Audio Point™ can also move upward although the majority flows in downward trajectory towards mother earth based on the laws of science as we understand them. There are some ‘isolationists’ who believe and teach that floor born energy travels up an equipment rack and poisons the equipment and yes we agree ‘in theory’. Even with geometry and science behind the Sistrum Platforms moving energy towards ground; minor amounts of energy can still travel in the opposite direction. The same holds true when using just Audio Points. Our opinion is this minimal trace of energy has no audible effect on the sonic performance. Live-Vibe Technology™ is based on energy traveling everywhere, never ending and remaining in constant motion. Energy is a constant variable that cannot be destroyed. When related to musical reproduction, energy is generated from electro-mechanical and acoustic means, it establishes laminar flows and travels on structural surfaces (walls, floors and ceilings), it builds and propagates on all smooth surfaces, it is attracted to conductive metals, it dissipates as heat, it diffuses when two of the same frequencies collide, and the list goes on... “Energy caused from vibration is boundless”. That said; defining a newfound approach to vibration management is extremely difficult at best. We choose to participate in an area of audio reproduction where little is known, little is understood, little is written and opinions and theories abound. We choose to participate in an unknown variable. The fact that the High-End Audio Industry elects to name, classify and describe vibration management in one word - “isolation”, proves beyond any doubt the public is left on their own to form their own understanding. The term “Isolation” is only a small part, a categorical approach, a single methodology of which there are many in attempting to manage vibration. The term isolation easily relates and forms up an understanding especially to the novice. We know this to be true as we too began our careers under the same influences. Floating in air, free from vibration, anti-vibration footers and racks, stop vibration, vibration should be destroyed, eliminate vibration, et ALL are results born from this inaccurate name provided us by our forefathers, mostly industry journalists and not people of science. What would we hear or better yet, what would you be listening to without vibration? Star Sound’s atypical approach to managing the negative effects caused from vibration by transferring resonant energy to ground via high-speed conductive pathways is but one part of the overall defining Live-Vibe Technology™. Our opinion is that each unique piece of equipment has a preeminent operating efficiency.
We know every product is made differently. Materials, mass, design, build structure, etc - for all products are entirely different from one another. No two are the same. The only thing in common with all these variables is that every product has a set of frequencies where the utmost in performance (optimum operational efficiency) is attained while functioning in an ever changing vibrating environment. Unfortunately we also realize that no matter what tests are performed in a laboratory, when the product is placed into a different environment these operational frequencies and results will also change. How does one locate that state of optimum performance since every product is unique and every environment is different? Our opinion is to let the product vibrate all to its own. While in a state of constant motion the parts and chassis will self adjust to optimum provided the properties of detrimental Coulomb friction which are formed from vibration are provided a high speed exit away from the source. Let it vibrate! The equipment, room foundation, racking, walls, floors and ceilings are going to vibrate regardless. Listening to music is a dynamic experience where everything involved in reproduction or live performances is going to vibrate; even our own diaphragms located inside our heads - vibrate. TheKong, thank you for another great question. Robert Maicks Star Sound Technologies, LLC |
Geoff, roller bearings on top of an air bearing is exactly what Barry Diament recommends and uses himself, under his recording and playback gear. An air bearing can be as cheap as an under-inflated bike tire inner-tube under a piece of hardwood.
Tom, are you saying that if a component chassis is allowed to move laterally (as it is on a roller bearing), the time and phase characteristics of it's amplifying circuits are corrupted? Why---the electronic components are still in the same position on the circuit board, only the chassis has moved, a result of it's isolation from seismic vibration, surely a good thing? Why would you want a component rigidly coupled to terra firma, rather than isolated from it? |
Schubert, I see. I went to the University of Virginia. Good public school (and cheap at the time) but in retrospect something small like MAC (or Carleton for science/math) would have been swell.... |
MAC = common nickname of Macalester College in St.Paul, one of the better liberal arts schools in USA. I meant to ask the question of ATMASPHERE, hard for us old folks to keep things straight. |
07-17-15: Theaudiotweak Bdp24, Like a visual concoction of Dali the artist not the speaker. Some of these materials and shapes have been exciting at first but over a short period of time prove troubling for mind and body. Always into trying new things. I almost grew up in the 60's. Tom, Star Sound Technologies. Do much Lysergic acid diethylamide in the 60s and 70s Tom? |
Geoff, the key is to teleport the mechanical energy away from the vibrating object or at a minimum trick the mind into believing it has happened.....:) |
Hey Schubert. I saw from another thread that you are/were in the twin cities. What is MAC? I was at the UM from 1997-2007.
Ralph, ironically, my wife and I now reside in Charlotte, NC. |
Agear, did you go to MAC ? |
Good luck, Tom. It's not that difficult to figure out, honestly.
Cheers |
Geoff,
Your ideas and insightful experiences always make me stop and think not just about the content of your post but the how and why.Trying to figure out some of that leads me to some other interesting things. Thanks for doing that.Tom |
Are you Norwegian? Nope. We moved here in 1970 from North Carolina. |
Totally disagree, Tom. Sorry about that. |
07-17-15: Atmasphere Bdp24, the Aurios Pro Bearings I use did get mentioned by me earlier. They work fine.
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?
My Scully is an LP mastering lathe, not a tape machine, equipped with a Westerex 3D cutterhead. As you can imagine vibration is a big deal with an LP mastering lathe and its informative and amusing to see that the solutions audiophiles have been coming up with were in place 65 years ago.
We are in St. Paul near Macalester College. 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.... |
Geoff,
I see your concept as reasonable except upon landing at which time it will yaw and recoil,and have different settling times. Of course you could damp the one material that is faster then again that makes for additional timing errors. The ideal device is one that accepts energy and passes that energy to ground. That device needs to be near a form of stasis for it not to generate other motion artifacts and timing errors. So called isolation devices generate their own additional timing errors in trying to correct for the ones they are seeking to cure. Tom |
Bdp24,
I agree 100% that the Sorbothane is non linear. Wouldn't it be great if you could dial in the Q of all these materials and shapes. Bearings have good vertical coupling when loaded but have less lateral rigidity than a threaded secured cone at its shoulder. Lateral rigidity is important to the time and phase aspect of any component, if it is moving away from itself then it cannot be in time with the music. You can sonically see and hear this happen when one shape concept is compared to another.
There are sound propagation charts for materials which prove useful as a guide but variations in the same material group of less than .02 % can be heard depending on the additive. In listening tests these minor amounts are akin to dot crawl as was once the case in video...you can literally hear the instruments up near the wall and ceiling junction. That's not right. If the material is extremely hard and so is the speed the musical image can travel not only on the wall in front of you but also bend onto the ceiling above you. Like a visual concoction of Dali the artist not the speaker. Some of these materials and shapes have been exciting at first but over a short period of time prove troubling for mind and body. Always into trying new things. I almost grew up in the 60's. Tom, Star Sound Technologies. |
No sense for mechanical grounding of hard materials or impedance matching of materials? No progression in 65 years? Just a closed book? Tom |
Bdp24, the Aurios Pro Bearings I use did get mentioned by me earlier. They work fine. 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? My Scully is an LP mastering lathe, not a tape machine, equipped with a Westerex 3D cutterhead. As you can imagine vibration is a big deal with an LP mastering lathe and its informative and amusing to see that the solutions audiophiles have been coming up with were in place 65 years ago. We are in St. Paul near Macalester College. |
The best of both worlds is roller bearing on top of a mass on spring system for isolation in the vertical and horizontal directions plus the three rotational directions. I also like stacked mass on spring systems, you just have to work out the spring rates of the systems so they won't interfere with each other. |
Tom, were the bottom of the component perfectly flat and the platform of the Rhythm perfectly flat, I could imagine that you have four in contact. Were there no fasteners for the Audio Points, I can see that you could move the one not in contact until it was in contact. |
Norm
I am describing how I use 4 shelf points under my transport and 4 shelf points under my preamp all having the tip facing up at the bottom of the chassis. A user could place many more under a component if there was a benefit heard or the space required. The Back Stage and Rhythm both contact the floor with 3 larger coupling points all facing down, dedicated to their particular platform namesake. Tom |
Tom, how do you get four Audio Points in contact with the component? Three points define a plain, so four define two plains. Even on my speakers neither has all four in contact. |
Norm,
I use 2 Back Stage Platforms in my personal system and do so successfully with 4 Audio Points and discs on each, under my main source and my preamp. Both these platforms are direct coupled to the floor that's underneath the berber carpet and wool pad.
The Rhythm Platforms were designed with even more slots to allow multiple placement and locations of Audio Points. This approach was devised so as to work with and around power amps that had many fasteners on the bottom plate as well as various heat sink locations whether those be on the back or the sides. Some customers use 5 Audio Points and coupling discs. You are welcome to contact me to discuss. Tom |
I have very favorable opinions about both the Stillpoints isolation devices and the Star Sound Tech. Rhythm racks. They have decidedly different sounds, which is not surprising as their technology is quite different. The Stillpoints sound is very resolved and pleasant. The Star Sound is dynamic and fast. It sounds more real with ambience and note decay.
The Star Sound will reward you highly for the most resolving components. It is much easier to use Ultras under components than to use heavy Rhythm platforms. I should also note that like locating Ultras under components having an impact on their benefit also applies to locating Audio Points on the Rhythm platform. Unless you are using the Stillpoints Grids on their ESS rack, it is much easier doing this with the Ultras.
Also, it is very easy to use more than three supports with the Ultras and virtually impossible with the Star Sound Audio Points.
Both are outstanding products that bury all other products, at least the ten to fifteen others I have used. IMHO, wood and soft products are just awful and rob the music of pace. |
I've seen no mention of "roller bearings" as promoted by recording engineer Barry Diament. I'm new to Audiogon---were they at one time in fashion and have now fallen out? They provide lateral isolation while maintaining vertical coupling. And isn't the real argument against Sorbothane that it is non-linear, it's isolation properties inconsistent with regard to frequency? |
Wolf_garcia – I have to step in here:
Scotty333 joined Audiogon in 2000 and is now named Wisper. He like many listeners had to change their moniker when Audiogon modified their profile a few years back hence locking out a few veteran members. Wisper telephoned us stating he wanted to write a review on the Rhythm Platforms. Any company would be "nuts" to refuse that offer considering his depth in knowledge, product ownership over time and years of listening experiences so you might wish to refrain from further attacks on individuals.
On a more personal note: I spent many years as an FOH sound engineer, worked with a host of reinforcement providers, did stints in recording studios, cut half speed masters for vinyl, highly used and recommended Sorbothane® and foams and was contracted by very successful musicians and am now blessed to be associated with a few “bespectacled geeks”. That said I consider myself as qualified and experienced as anyone to address your insults.
You struck a nerve insulting our people but rather than airing opinions here in public, I would greatly appreciate a phone call to discuss any further differences in opinions on our crew and clients.
With your background in professional music I am sure we will get along just fine. Who knows, Star Sound may send you a sample of our product for an audition where you could position our Platforms under guitar amps and/or studio gear as well.
Your feedback can be forwarded directly to me and would be very welcomed versus airing insults prompting more confrontations here on AudioGon. In addition, once you hear our systems, no one will question your reporting whether the results are positive or negative.
Please feel free to take us up on our offer as a listening test could very easily change your current opinion.
Robert Maicks Star Sound Technologies, LLC 877-668-4332 |
BTW, the five shelf Star Sound Rhythm rack should arrive in a week or so. It will house a full stack of Esoteric K-01X, SRS 10 Mhz rubidium clock, Hynes linear supply that powers the clock, and a two chassis Atma MP-1 preamp. Each of these currently rides on Stillpoints Ultra SS or Star Sound SP-1 in a well braced DIY oak rack that I built in the late '80s. I am a slow learner w/r racks. |
Agear, So far I've settled on four Stillpoints Ultra 5s under Merlin-- and have recently ported these U5s to a pair of Chapman T5s that I'm demoing. With a dog in the house the narrow Merlin footprint is a bit tippy for a Star Sound platform. |
I have an Audio Museum in my basement with lots of brass cones, spikes, feet (taxidermy is creepy but hey), old cables, maps of Cuba, etc…and I don't recall any of these admittedly basic tweaks actually affecting the TEMPO of music. "Tempo was faster, due to better-defined, leading edges." OK then…I need this comment alone to cry foul, and can only assume this entire OP rant is a shill for Star Sound. Obviously when somebody who has never posted here previously devotes a solid foot page to a product, and includes a hefty pile of "Audio Science Facts" with classic WAF (read: sexist bullshit) notes and hysterical enthusiasm for five thousand dollars of perforated "magic shelving" and brass spikes, It's not a stretch to be suspicious. I've seen this sort of thing before, and although Star Sound has fans, some may smell the pathetic odor of the Hard Sell…or not, if you have others able to drop by your condo to reinforce your Lust for PRAT by telling you your 5 large is well spent. I do, however, plan to band saw some plastic into appealing shapes, buy 37 bucks worth of brass points and screw 'em in, look up some white papers regarding pointy things, make a marketing website with sincere looking bespectacled geeks, and warn my bank to make room for the windfall…Welcome Seekers of Tempo. |
07-16-15: Dgarretson I wouldn't conflate golden ears with thin experience in racks and footers. And this is after all a FORUM, not Diogenes the Cynic with lamp and a coronation of one honest man. The thread has becomes thread-bare for lack of comparisons between the admittedly small number of available "engineered" racks solutions. Hopefully more experiences will arrive in time. D, I have owned Equarack footers, Stillpoints (gen I), various Herbie doodads, and Sistrum. I did direct comparisons of the gen I Stillpoints versus SS Apprentice stands under my Gamma Summits speakers. What if anything have you tried under the Merlins? |
07-16-15: Wolf_garcia NUTS…for "the group" (!) excepting Ralph who gets things, I offer this simple possible clarification: I use MY OWN EARS for my ultimate opinions on sound (yeah I know..astonishing), and admit I've never met a Charlotte based engineer…but I've met Charlotte…adorable…and she said, "Agear keeps dragging people to his house to shout LOOK AT MY RACK!" at them, and then drops their names like a used surgical glove. If anybody measures "the fruits of pointy interventions" (the title of my next epic and slightly tawdry poem) please don't ruin my nap with the results. I'm sensitive... Wolf, you need to stay on your meds. The engineer in question showed up with Robert from SS almost 2 years ago. I have young kids and infrequent visitors. So, do you have a sampler of your recordings I can hear so I can decide (or decree rather...I am a little emperor too...) if your ears are made of tin? What studio setup do you have in place? |
I wouldn't conflate golden ears with thin experience in racks and footers. And this is after all a FORUM, not Diogenes the Cynic with lamp and a coronation of one honest man. The thread has becomes thread-bare for lack of comparisons between the admittedly small number of available "engineered" racks solutions. Hopefully more experiences will arrive in time. |
NUTS…for "the group" (!) excepting Ralph who gets things, I offer this simple possible clarification: I use MY OWN EARS for my ultimate opinions on sound (yeah I know..astonishing), and admit I've never met a Charlotte based engineer…but I've met Charlotte…adorable…and she said, "Agear keeps dragging people to his house to shout LOOK AT MY RACK!" at them, and then drops their names like a used surgical glove. If anybody measures "the fruits of pointy interventions" (the title of my next epic and slightly tawdry poem) please don't ruin my nap with the results. I'm sensitive... |
07-14-15: Atmasphere These ideas are not new BTW!! My Scully LP mastering lathe was built in the late 1940s and employs a special table equipped with adjustable points for feet. On top of that is perched a damping platform that decouples from the table using a set of squishies. IOW audiophiles did not make this stuff up; its been in use by pro audio for decades longer. So its not bogus or imagination and there are actually rules for their use. If you follow them you will get better results. Wolf isn't nuts and neither are the people riding him. 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? |
07-15-15: Roxy54 Agear, What was the result of that comparison? Starsound stand was preferred of course....:) |
07-15-15: Wolf_garcia I've had major dudes from both the recording industry and Audiophilia as neighbors, friends, fellow car, motorcycle, and watch fans, trophy wife collectors, and lawn mower borrowers…and the only opinion I really trust regarding tiny differences in sound, either mixing a live show or listening to playback on anything, are mine. 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? |
TheKong, its actually a pretty simple concept: A point has a large area at one end and a very small area at the other. So vibration at the large end can be focused into the point; vibration at the point is defocused at the large end. While not nearly as efficient as an actual electronic diode, they do work.
theaudiotweak: there proved to be many updates (or repairs; in some cases it was hard to tell which it was we were doing when we resurrected this machine) that helped our machine along. For example we had to do a lot of work to the transmission so vibration from it and the drive motor was simply not making it to the lathe itself. This paid off in spades. The original decoupling parts in the drive used leather for decoupling, which was rotted; we used some materials that were a little more 'space-age' :) made of actual damping materials. The result is that the lathe is very quiet- when we cut lacquers, they are so quiet that when you play them the playback electronics are the noise floor, not the lacquer, regardless of what electronics are used. |
I own Apprentice racks and placed them under the tt, pre, both amps and the dac. Installed the Star Sound brass cones under the Maggie T4's. Well worth the investment. They ain't cheap but Robert''s advice was spot on. One thing I haven't seen mentioned is that the effect can be enhanced with some fine tuning on point of contact under your gear. One point located directly on or near the transformer mounting hardware is really effective. |
Ideally they do not allow vibration to go the other way (they are mechanical diodes) Can Ralph, or other knowledgeable members, please educate me on this? Is it a scientific fact that points / cones really act as a mechanical diodes? I have heard this saying since the introduction of the Tiptoe, but have not aware of any prove. Thanks |
Regarding the Pro Audio Crowd, I'm not sure they actually exist relative to opinions that matter about anything beyond food and drinking…I don't know many modern engineers who dismiss good cable and gear, or make aesthetic assumptions regarding things that happen where they are not (other people's things). I've had major dudes from both the recording industry and Audiophilia as neighbors, friends, fellow car, motorcycle, and watch fans, trophy wife collectors, and lawn mower borrowers…and the only opinion I really trust regarding tiny differences in sound, either mixing a live show or listening to playback on anything, are mine. I do enjoy the fact that my comment including clown shoes engendered further comment (!), and although I seem to not care about fancy gear racks (speaker stands are another matter), it's mostly because I don't. My rack has a drawer full of tubes and stuff on the bottom, and I think that's very important…I discovered entirely by accident that my specific speakers in my rig on a wood floor in my house sound much more coherant on vibrapods and butcher blocks that raise the tweeters to the proper height…who knew? |
Agear, What was the result of that comparison? |
The questions should be. How many mechanical improvements can be made to a 65 year old Scully lathe? Tom |
Agear, take a look at my post- especially the part about how our Scully lathe was built.
Engineers who poo-poo this stuff have to somehow work out how to get past that... |
Some General Rules: when to use squishies as opposed to points:
All audio equipment benefits from damping.
Squishies (ex.: Sorbathane) is useful when vibration is affecting the equipment via the shelf on which the equipment sits. It provides isolation.
Points, such as TipToes or Stillpoints, provide coupling to the shelf or platform on which the equipment sits, and are more useful when the vibration you are trying to control is airborne. Ideally they do not allow vibration to go the other way (they are mechanical diodes). So they are 'sinking' vibration away from the equipment.
So if you have a damping platform you would use a point system to couple your gear to the platform. But the platform might sit on a set of squishies if the shelf it sits on is uncertain.
If you have an equipment stand, generally you would use either points or a platform. Some stands (I use a Sound Anchors stand) have damping properties but you should beware- not all do. Most stereo cabinets (like those from Ikea) and curiously, the Stillpoints equipment stand, have resonant qualities and require decoupling- squishies.
A proper equipment stand with damping properties is usually hard-coupled to the floor using a point system. I use a set of Aurios Pro bearings as they relieve lateral vibrations as well as providing coupling. Prior to their installation I could hear footfalls in the loudspeaker- now they are absent.
These ideas are not new BTW!! My Scully LP mastering lathe was built in the late 1940s and employs a special table equipped with adjustable points for feet. On top of that is perched a damping platform that decouples from the table using a set of squishies. IOW audiophiles did not make this stuff up; its been in use by pro audio for decades longer. So its not bogus or imagination and there are actually rules for their use. If you follow them you will get better results. Wolf isn't nuts and neither are the people riding him. |
07-13-15: Wolf_garcia Bloating and slurring indeed! I have insisted that musicians I work with (who perform standing up) wear golf shoes (old school steel spiked ones) or step into clown shoes I've nailed to the floor…the golf shoes tear up the stage…and the clown shoes sound better. Lesson learned. 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.... |
I'm planning ordering more Rhythm Racks next week. The Rhythms I have under my speakers create the most amazing soundstage I've heard. Better than apprentice rack by a wide margin. I know this because I listen to both racks under my speakers.
To those who comment without hearing stuff... with no experience, all that is left is unfounded opinions of little or no value. no need to comment. If one is also adding negative judgments without hearing, it usually some empty soul crying out for attention. Perhaps getting a pet would help them feel better. |
That's very funny Tom. Well done.... |
Wonder how the tone of a string instrument would be affected if a small section of sorbothane was placed on the soundboard and the strings were plucked? Tom |
07-13-15: Onhwy61 I don't read any "facts" in this thread. What we have instead is an extremely positive "review" of a product from someone with no Audiogon background followed by a very small number of people repeatedly chiming in with agreement. That's not facts, but simply 3 or 4 people voicing their opinions. Furthermore, when someone disagrees with this limited viewpoint they are met with condescension. 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.... |