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Isolation Feet for Laptop

It seems fairly common knowledge that vibration is a form of distortion in many electric components, not just for turntables and speakers. Isolation feet seem to work well in most applications.

I searched around and I didn't find any information to suggest that folks are using isolation feet on laptops or desktops, despite increased streaming usage. In a great many cases, there are indeed heavy vibrations coming from within the computer.  Whether it is the fan for the CPU or even GPU to the all the various chips/transformers, etc or even power supplies and batteries. If adding isolation feet to a streamer, DAC or power supply makes sense, then wouldn't it also make sense to apply isolation feet to your laptop; if you use it for music?

Well, I am going to find out. :)

I ordered some IsoAcoustics Orea Series Audio Equipment Isolators with a max weight of 16 pounds. The laptop weighs about 6.7 pounds, so it shouldn't be that much strain, even with all the cables creating some measure of down force as they dangle over the edge.

My expectation is that the DAC will be able to perform slightly better due to reduced vibration across the USB port and power filter. The DAC is a USB stick (Dragonfly Cobalt) so it has a very rigid hard connection to the laptop; so vibration is very easily transferred.

Has anyone else tried this?

128x128guakus
britamerican
52 posts
 

I think you know the answer @guakus .

thyname's avatar
thyname
3,107 posts
 

@britamerican Cin Dyment: Enlighten him! Tell him what you really think

guakus's avatar
guakus OP
351 posts
 

@britamerican Not really. I can only surmise. The module completes a circuit. It is common to place resisters behind an LED so that the LED doesn't burn out. Except that it isn't normal to use hi-fi Audio specific resisters. Accepting that a resister is meant to choke the electric signal, then all I can imagine is that the module chokes the signal.  But why is choking the signal necessary?

If I take it from a Synergistic Research perspective, they approach augmenting sound from a two point perspective. Either you tweak the sound for precision and clarity or you tweak the sound for musicality and spaciousness. Sort of like, clean, clear two-channel stereo or vague surround sound. Apparently, you can't have both.  *shrug* So the modules that would control that aspect are external. Hence, the "tuning module" in question. According to the company's design, the module is turned either left, right or in between, in accordance to "ground" which impacts sound space precision or spaciousness. Again...this module consists of two audio resisters and an LED.  There is the slightest possibility that there is something to the clay/cement that seals the module.  The posts that go from the resister to the actual plug are suspended in the clay/cement. I have seen in other products that use materials that surround a conductor to "clean" the signal.

You say I know the answer, but the truth is I have no clue.  The only thing I know for sure, is that it works.

britamerican
52 posts
 

Close your eyes and have someone else turn the knob. Then tell us if it still works.

guakus's avatar
guakus OP
351 posts
 

@britamerican Thanks,  I can always count on such sarcasm.  I have decided to chalk such behavior down as, "I don't know the answer either and it upsets me. So to compensate, I have to be rude and sarcastic to make myself feel better."

Have a Lovey Day.

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