Question for DIY people: Butcher block shelving??

Donbellphd, Neuance at http://www.neuanceaudio.com is the only product I know of that is designed to the philosophy Sean is discussing. GREAT PRODUCT

A quick note on my system as it stood prior to the arrival of the Aesthetix. My system starts with a Sony SCD-1 (heavily modified by Richard Kern and Audiocom-UK) fed through a Great Northern Sound “Passive Audio Signal Isolator” into a Placette active line stage. I then have two Plinius SA-102 amplifiers bi-amped vertically. Meaning one amp drives the bass and the second amp the mid-range and tweeters. Both amps are played in true class A. The speakers remain Dunlavy IV-A. (No longer manufactured) All interconnects and speaker wires are Nordost Valhalla. Power cables include Nordost Valhalla (SCD-1), David Elrod ESP-2 Signature (Pre-amp) and NBS Statement (amplifiers). I use two dedicated circuits, one for the amps and one to a Shunyata Research Hydra power conditioner fed by an Anaconda power cord. Both Circuits use Wattgate 381 outlets.

My racks sit on 4” sandstone slabs that rest on Aurios Pro isolators. Both my Mana (SCD-1) and Apollo racks are spiked to the slabs. Each component sits on a shelf “sandwich” comprised of 3/8” Aluminum shelves resting on upturned spikes from the rack. I then use a sheet of anti-static “Bubble Wrap” with a Neuance shelf sitting on the “Bubble Wrap.” The Hydra uses EAR feet between it and the Neuance shelf. The SCD-1 and both amps are supported by three Orchard Bay titanium cones (no longer available) and Aurios Pro isolators. The Placette sat on its factory footers, the Aesthetix sits on a “Tightrope” isolation system that in turn sits on a Neuance shelf “sandwich” The Dunlavy IV-A speakers sit on #3 Black Diamond Racing pucks and #4 BDR cones that then sit on Aurios Pros. Both the base and midrange/tweeter binding posts use Walker Audio High Definition Links II. All cables are raised off the floor using Cable Elevators

I use AudioPrism Quite-line system on the refrigerator, computer and T.V. outlets to cancel line noise at the source. I have home made acoustic panels in the vertical corners with triangle panels at the ceiling corners. I have one round home made acoustic column between me and an untreated window. Other windows are treated with Marigo window dots and wool curtains. The wood floors have thick wool rugs. I use an assortment of Walker Audio brass and lead pucks on much of the equipment and on two wood furniture pieces in the room. The 14’-6” x 20’-0” room is used only for the stereo and is isolated from the house with French doors. The doors are covers by acoustic panels on the room side to reduce the glass surface. The house side of the glass appears as natural glass in that there is a dark surface behind the glass. The speakers are placed on the long wall approx. nine feet apart and 1/5 into the room. The listening chair is 1/3 into the room. Behind the listening chair is a teddy bear collection (acoustic bears) with book shelves on each side. There are a number of other “acoustic bears” that have been positioned in very specific locations to help focus the system. (REALLY!) Now you all have the evidence needed, I am certifiably nuts.

P.S. Sean you are one of the brightest most enjoyable people here. I have always learned from you, it means alot to have you welcome me back. Matbe if Audiogon could use some magic and combine the two threads....

I remeber this often happening and feeling half the members would miss out on some good stuff. I sometimes tried to start a third thread to combine the others, that never did work.

anyway thanks again:)

I have not heard from brulee in years. I do try to keep some contact with Redkiwi, one of my true mentors. I guess we all get caught up in our lives and move on. With Audiogon, it's not possible to totaly stay away. My problem is once I visit I must check the stuff for sale and having not worked in two years, that is really not a good thing for me to do. I just cann't resist a good deal.

Gregm,
When I tried a similar project I discussed the results with Ken at Neuance, Arnie (Audiogon founder) and a couple A’gon members privately. It appears that the inner tube does fine at isolation, but the problem with this type of isolation, including air blotters, is the upper shelf is still able to “roll” on the air suspension. If you recall when you tried this project, the shelf was quite easy to move in a sideways motion. This motion, no matter how small will create smear of the leading edge of the note. Its effect in tempo is this smear. A second possibility is the thickness of the rubber has potential to dampen in a place we do not want dampening. We are trying to drain or isolate vibration at this point; using a dampening product may be effecting tempo too and being counterproductive.
My bubble wrap does not have this effect, and I’ve theorized it’s because each bubble is in tension, and the motion of one bubble is in opposition to the bubble next to it. Thus the 100 or so bubbles are canceling each other to the degree that it is not possible for any movement. Now add to this the sidewall thickness if each bubble is so thin that the “dampening” effect described above is essentially eliminated. It turns out to be an ultra light weight, absolutely neutral suspension (at least in my opinion). If you try a bubble wrap sandwich and weight it by pushing down on it, try moving it sideways, it’s virtually impossible. Now try it on a blotter or inner tube type product, it moves all around.
So you might be wondering, why do Aurios or similar bearing products work so successfully when they move sideways too. Well again it’s my opinion and a theory that Arnie came up with one night when we were “chatting” over the phone. We were discussing the fact that I had placed Aurios under my speakers, and that I was amazed that the entire speaker was totally vibration less. This was on six foot tall speakers that had quite a large amount of vibration prior to the Aurios. Arnie theorized that the lack of vibration was due to the design of these bearing type products. The bearings are in a trough or cupped shape base. This means that for any vibration to create sideways movement, it must be of significant force to push the bearing “uphill” well the speaker is 200 lbs, so even the enormous force created through the bass drivers, a force strong enough to allow the listener to “feel” the vibration in the air, is still not adequate to push up hill or “lift” my speakers. Without this lift there is no sideways motion. We then theorized the bearing must vibrate at an ultra high speed as it tries to move, thus releasing the energy as heat????
Now then, take this same theory to a CD player or a turntable. These components might weight as little as 25 pounds or so, but the source of vibration within the component is far less severe, again the vibration is not of a great enough proportion to move the component uphill. That makes sense, but I have a second theory that effects the result, the bass waves within the room do have enough force to move 25 pounds on a bearing uphill, if only so slight. I believe that is why my SCD-1 player that weights 58 pounds sounds better with the 15 pound plate on top of it. I think the bass waves are significant enough to move even 58 pounds. The improvement is slight with the weight, and it appears in clarity, thus smear. My amps also benefit from these bearing products; they are 80 pounds each and are not helped with weight. In actuality the pace and tempo is slowed and the definition is muddied with weight. This may explain one of the points of contention between the light rigid and the mass loaded camps.
I’m kind of thinking out loud now in that I’ve never really thought about all of this to this degree, but this all might explain why my pre-amps have never benefited from bearing products. The pre-amp has always been a relatively light component. The Aesthetix Calypso is.39 pounds. If the “magic” weight is something around 70 pounds, as per my SCD-1 experience, then I would need to add some forty more pounds of mass to the units top. This would be a massive storage unit for vibration and would no doubt product a slow, muddy and fat sound. Without the weight the pre-amp would be allowed to move on the bearing product, creating a smear that would result in a lack of focus and a sense of tempo change.
On my system I guess these are the results of my findings. Again I’m only theorizing with no science, but it makes sense to me. In my design; I have isolated the racks from the floor vibration with the bearings under sandstone slabs. These slams are hundreds of pounds and with equipment are even greater. Thus the actual movement of the floor is still not enough to lift the slabs on the bearings, so the bearings are isolating the racks successfully. The bearings used between the shelf sandwiches and components over 70 pounds are able to be isolated from further vibration that is picked up from airborne vibration through the rack it’s self.. The pre-amp does not benefit in the same way, which explains why my old Placette always sounded best on it’s factory feet. Today my Aesthetix is on a string suspension product, but after this discussion, I think I need further testing of other footer choices. The string product makes little sense given what I’ve talked about above.
Hummm…..
Well back to the laboratory.

I wonder if Sean has a scientific reason that he has found from his tests. I have the same, maybe even greater from the Orchard bay titanium cones. The titanium is far (louder) more efficient than the O.B. brass cones.