Stillpoints and reference-level speakers

This makes me wonder that perhaps Stillpoint's approach isnt the best for monitors which may seem to benefit more from coupling to large mass like to floor to deal with airborne vibrations whereas floorstanders have more issue with internal vibrations so fast dissipation is better?? Their weight already creates solid contact with the floor. Clearly I am not expert in this area but this may explain why I didnt hear much of any benefit from Stillpoints under my monitors.

Psag,
Each device will have its own theory for why/how they work better than another.I don`t know which is superior, I can say that the Apprentice are very effective with their mechanical grounding approach. For all I know the Stillpoints could be equal,better or worse.You`d have to listen to a them as Teajay did and decide.

My understanding is that most footers are intended to somehow channel resonances into whatever is underneath. In contrast, the Stillpoint is only loosely coupled to the underlying support. Vibrations are said to be dissipated within the Stillpoints device. Sounds good in theory...

Had 12 Ultra SS that went under my speakers/amp. Junk I say !! Big $$$$ rip off. It just didn't sound right. Installed my Equaracks footers back and back came "that certain sound" that draws one into the music.

All my gear is on Sistrum stands. Speakers/amps/Dac and power supplies. Only HRS platforms come close to Sistrum stuff.

Thanks Charles. I am just concerned about raising my speaker height too much with the Apprentice which would have the points both facing down and up.

Tboooe, I don`t know if you have a price point limit or not. The brass Audio points are a good product but the Apprentice(which includes these same points) is very much worth the added cost for speakers.
Charles,

Yes Teajay, interesting findings. I have tried Stillpoints under my components and speakers. I got great results with Ultra Minis under my AC regenerator and more subtle ones when used under my DAC and integrated amp. Results have been less impressive when used under my Sonus Faber Auditor monitors. Maybe this is because the speaker and stand was supposedly designed together?? Anyway, I am going to give the Audiopoints a try under my speakers. I wonder if there will be any benefit given that my SF stands already has spikes.

Hey Charles,

I'm glad that you experienced such wonderful results in your system with the Apprentice platforms. I highly recommend that you might want to audition at least the footers, if not a rack from Krolo designs, for your upstream gear. Just by using the Krolo Design's footers, they come in 3s, on different racks what they do has been amazing regardless of what I have put on top of them. When I have used the "Full Monty" the Krolo rack and footers the combination has been absolutely superlative in my system. The designer, Mirko Krolo, is a great guy to work with and has come up with beautifully built pieces that are based on a very intelligent application of isolation/bleeding off vibrations in his designs. I have have his reference TOMO rack in house right now and it has been significantly better then six other stands, racks or platforms in its effects at bringing the performance of my reference system to a qualitatively higher level that I did not expect to happen. What the TOMO rack does sonicly is of course the most important factor, however it does not hurt that it is one of the most attractive racks I have ever seen or ever have had in my home.

Teajay,
Wow! very interesting findings. I just got the Star Sound Apprentice platforms a week ago and completely agree with what you wrote. I have them under components(very good results) and speakers(the most impactful location) utterly improved natural sound across the board, .

I`ve heard/read very good things said regarding the Stillpoint products (haven`t used them myself). The Apprentice is really something quite special for the fairly modest price.They have a high -performance/value ratio.
Charles,

lloydelee21, is trying stillpoints under his Wilson's right now....he's posted in
a few places...maybe he'll chime in soon...

In other words, maybe the Stillpoints will emphasize certain qualities and downplay others, but is this perhaps working against the intended design and voicing of the speaker?

Maybe or maybe not, idle speculation can't carry us very far. The company has been around for some time now and continues to introduce innovative products. My Teres turntable came with a set of original Stillpoints and they work well in reducing mechanical vibration. Most of their footers work on a wide range of audio products, not just speakers.

Stillpoints • Ultra Mini, Ultra SS and Ultra 5 Footers, and ESS Equipment Rack
 
 

Hi Psag,

I'm right in the middle of a very extensive process of reviewing isolation devices for a review in the future for my website hometheaterreview.com. I have had in house many highly regarded footers, platforms, and racks to see what their effect would be on the performance of different gear and speakers. The results so far, will not surprise seasoned audiophiles, is that you never know what the results to be until you experiment in your own system. Some of the most highly regarded and expensive platforms/footers sucked the life out of my system, while other less known, less expensive devices produced wonderful sonic changes like more transparency/micro-details, better sound staging and layering, more accurate/taut extended bass, etc. The two very big winners so far have been: 1) For all upstream gear the rack and footers from Krolo Design. No matter what piece of gear I have put on the Krolo rack or footers it always has lead to significant improved performance with no negative effects at all. 2) For speaker isolation the Sistrum Apprentice Platform/Audio Points from Star Sound Technologies, which is not even this company's reference level device, had a beautiful effect on my Lawrence Audio Cello Speakers. Both company's offer home audition periods and charge very reasonable prices for their very high quality devices. Hope this helps, good luck with your experimentation.

Psag makes a very good point.

Your point is well taken. On the other hand, what does the Stillpoint contribute in the case of a state-of-the-art cost-no-object speaker design? I think that the designers of said speakers would consider their choice of footer to be intrinsic their designs.

In other words, maybe the Stillpoints will emphasize certain qualities and downplay others, but is this perhaps working against the intended design and voicing of the speaker?

I don't believe that most of them provide "reference level" support systems, although some like Kharma seem to make a serious effort. If all of them did, Stillpoints wouldn't be in business. Certainly audiophiles with modest systems can't be the target customer for their best offerings.