The Best Isolation/ Vibration Footers per component - what's your experience?

First of all I found each one of these footers improved the focus, imaging, detail and soundstage. In my system I preferred some over others. Every system is different and has different tuning needs. The quotes on RevOpods and Center Stage2 footers sound like what I heard in my system. ’Intoxicating’ would be an accurate word to describe the Center Stage2 footers. In my system I thought the SortKones and the RevOpods were equal with slightly different tonal characteristics....SortKones being a little more detailed and the RevOpods being a little warmer.

I found the Ultra 6’s and Center Stage footers a class above the RevOpods and SortKones. If your system is warm and tube like I could see you preferring Ultra 6’s. If your system is neutral I could see one preferring Center Stage2’s....again what you prefer will be based on your room, components, musical taste and what tonal qualities you desire.

One brand of footer might work well in my system and not be ideal in yours. I recommend finding a dealer that will let you borrow a set or two to demo in your system. Good luck finding a Critical Mass dealer that will let you do that (I couldn’t find one). If you PM me I will give you the name of my dealer who sells Nordost, Stillpoints and RevOpods. You might be able to demo a set of RevOpods in your system.

Thanks for this. I don’t live in the US, I am in Hong Kong (HK) hence why I started this thread for us all to learn more. Unfortunately, most/ almost all dealers won’t demo anything in anyone’s system. Sometimes they’re even reluctant to let you hear what a component does in a system. Most people here therefore rely on reviews and trying/ buying it for themselves and reselling if it doesn’t work out as they would like.

I think I might try the Revopods first and then the Centerstage 2 footers, given the price difference. Also the Revopods may retain their demand and value now here in HK, so it might be easier to resell and then try the Centerstage.

OK, I am just looking for experiences of people, no need to get hostile sgordon1 (I don’t see why people on audio forums/ sites or even facebook get all pumped op all the time, aren’t we all just sharing for the love of the hobby?). Even if you are not, I can just say you come across like this, just saying.

Maybe I am indeed looking to see what worked for people on what kind of equipment. Even if it’s just highly subjective.

Secondly, I don’t think that others in general will propose a lot of different brands from those already named above, since I have seen on different forums and sites that they are the most talked about/ popular.

Thirdly, if people make a persuasive argument of what worked for them and they think why, I might try it myself. Now it can work or it won’t work, if it doesn’t I’ll just get it out of the system and look for a different solution. Easy peasy. Unfortunately, where I live in HK the dealers will never let you try before you buy, which is absurd. So we can only gain information from reviews, forums or maybe friends we know who have tried. Hence why this kind of input is greatly appreciated.

@EBM I know you are a big fan of Symposium, but I am looking for people who have actually also tried the Arya Audio and Centerstage 2 footers.

Thanks for the feedback! Can you let us know which other brands you have tried and on which components for reference?

Hi, @ebm Thanks for the feedback! Didn’t know you were using Centerstage already.

Where do you feel the Magico Qpods and Alto Extremo where better sounding than the Centerstage?

I see some people slowly selling all or most of their Stillpoints to buy and go all-in on the Critical Mass Centerstage.

I've experimented with several...Symposium Roller Block Jr, Rollerblock 2 +, Ingress Engineering (Canada), Voo Doo Iso Blocks, Still Points and Synergistic Research MIG's. All components on 2" or 3" solid maple racks or stands, all with Symposium Svelte Shelf Plus under everything including Ethernet switches and LPS. I found the Svelte Shelves to be a must....otherwise HF in my small listening room got way too "hot"....here's what I found....I love what the Stillpoints do under my pre amp and LPS, under amps and sources too much of a good thing. I ended up with Ingress Eng. RollerBlock 2's (open faced) under monoblocks (detailed, great bass and smooth), Ingress Eng RollerBlocks (top & bottom piece) under REL Subs, Symposium Rollerblock JR under streamer and SR MIGs under both SR PowerCells. I tried all styles under all pieces and this combo game me the best detail, focus and largest most open soundstage yet with great tonal density and musicality. It's easy to swap out any footer and hear the difference.  Good stuff!

Great sharing!

I have found similar results to yours.

• I also found that the Stillpoints works best under the LPS. I haven't tried the pre-amp yet, but will do. I tried the amps and sources, with Stillpoints, but it sounded very forward and not real, there was no music anymore.
  
• All components on 2" or 3" solid maple racks or stands, all with Symposium Svelte Shelf Plus under everything including Ethernet switches and LPS. >>> How do you this? You mean you have a Maple rack and on top of this you put a Symposium shelf as well? So, maple>symposium>equipment? Any pictures?

Thanks everyone for responding and keeping this thread up and running. I haven't been able to respond to each of you with all great ideas. Ofcourse there is no problem in adding more vibration/ isolation brands to the list mentioned in the original post, just keep them coming for us all to know and learn more. Also great to see the thread expanding to other subjects in lowering the noise floor, such as the great ideas mentioned by Mahgister and Millercarbon. I understand that vibration/ isolation is only one of the solutions to improve sound. I have tried crystals and working on the acoustics as well. However, for now I am looking at vibration/ isolation footers before I will do more with crystals and acoustics. There is a lot to try and improve.

In addition, one of the things I am trying is removing the rack (I am using Artesania, with 3 levels) and see if the sound improves if the equipment is on the floor or at least closer to the floor. I have heard some experts say and also saw on Avshowrooms that it's better to have equipment as low as possible if it's positioned in the centre instead of being on the sides. A lot of us probably don't have dedicated listening rooms and prices of long cables lengths can be high, so putting equipment on the sides and further away from speakers is not always possible. Any more input from you guys on getting the equipment away from the soundstage?

A/V RoomService EVP (equipment vibration protectors) are very effective and less costly than most of the commercial products listed in this thread.I haven't tried many of the products listed above but I've found the EVP to work well in all the applications I've tried.Jim Smith (Get Better Sound), Tom Gibbs (Positive Feedback) and Neil Gader (TAS) have praised their performance in their systems. TAS 2020 Editors Choice Award for what it's worth.

Thanks for this. May I know under which components you have tried these?

just ordered a set of Revopods to try under my turntable. I’ll circle back and let everyone know how it goes.

Great, thanks! I was thinking of this myself, but probably for the pre-amp or amplifier, since the Centerstage are even more expensive. I think that either of these will also relatively keep their market value if it does not work.

@millercarbon

I found this on your page 

This is why The System looks the way it does. It is extremely difficult to make a rack as good as no rack, ie the floor. A rack puts everything up high closer to ear level and reflects sound more because its all in one block. So The System is mostly on the floor, and with components at differing height and spacing the components diffuse more than reflect. This also provides for shorter and more direct cabling with greater isolation between signal and power cables. 

This is all very interesting. I think a lot more must be going on if a rack, any rack, is placed in the centre instead of the sides of the room. Especially if the rack has more than 2 levels. I also have the Get Better Sound book and it was recommended to put all or most of the gear on the side walls. Unfortunately, this wouldn’t work in a normal living room space especially if you live in HK. Hence, it might be that placing everything on single platforms with 1 level only would already improve the soundstage instead of using racks. I am currently using Artesania Audio, but it might be that even this brand or more expensive will always decrease the soundstage.

The bass tightened up but it was all there this time. The soundstage widened and deepened. I even gained some imaging-which is not the strong suit of these excellent loudspeakers. I was going to return the Orea Indigos. Now, I don’t think so. I will likely remove them from the preamp for a while, and then replace them under the preamp and remove them from the amp to see if the benefit is mostly from one or the other.
Yes, I have tried just about every type you can imagine. Stillpoints, Mag-Levs, solid panzerholz wood blocks, various carbon fiber cones...
I am very impressed by Isoacoustics at the moment.

How did the Stillpoints work for you? Which did you try and where? In general, the Stillpoints are still reviewed better, but are more sensitive to placement.

I use a combination of isolation for my system. Under server: Stillpoints Ultra 6's / amp: Critical Mass Black Diamond shelf & Center Stage footers (4) / Under speakers: Nordost SortFut / REL subs: Arya Audio RevOpods / Under conditioner, grounding station and other conditioning products: Ultra 6's and Nordost SortKones (TC).  

I have mixed and matched all of the combinations possible with these products and have my preferences.  

I find the SortKones (TC) and the RevOpods equally effective with the RevOpods being warmer and the SortKones (TC) being a little more detailed. SortKones are tall and components tend to slide around a lot. RevOpods are much shorter but also have a hard surface on the narrow end (component side) so components will slide around if pushed or not handled carefully. If space (height) is an issue, the RevOpods will be more accommodating .

The Stillpoints Ultra 6's and the Center Stage footers were far more effective than the above. The Ultra 6's are extremely detailed, focused and somewhat analytical. The center Stage footers (1" & 1.5") are just as detailed but add a warmth and realness that the Ultra 6's don't. The holographic layering of the soundstage with the CS footers is spooky good. After talking with other Critical Mass owners and dealers I decided to add a Critical Mass shelf to the mix. Using the shelf in conjunction with the CS footers was cumulative and by far the best I have ever heard under a component. I plan to add 1 more CM shelf and 4 more CS footers.....Critical Mass is ridiculously expensive but nothing comes close to what their products can do for your system.  

Hi @ron17, thanks for sharing your feedback with us.

Some interesting things you mention there. I am going for best sound quality and for me that is realism and making the speakers and all components disappear as much as possible. Sometimes that mean maybe less detail or more or less warmth for instance.

You are saying that the Revopods sound warm and what I could find online is that Hifi + is saying "Irrespective of the component they're holding up, the Revopods give the soundstage extra depth and definition. Voices are more resonant and more like the real thing. The individual instrument sections in an orchestra are more clearly defined an delineated." Would you say you agree with these findings? Could you also share with which components you used them besides the sub and what you heard?

For Centerstage 2 footers PF mentions "The resultant stillness this afforded, by way of a darker, starker, background, was just intoxicating, adding a power and persuasiveness to everything I played, allowing me to be informed as much by the silence between musical impulses as by the effortless drive and pace of the musical gestalt itself. Instrumental tone colors, including their textures and verve, had bloomed. There was a newfound effortlessness and neutrality to every aspect of the music I played now" Also here, would you agree with these findings and under which components did you try them?

It's interesting, it seems that on more Western forums (e.g. whatsbestforum) they tend to lean towards the Centerstage 2 footers as best performers. Whereas on Eastern forums (e.g. Audio Exotics) they say that Revopods bested the Centerstage 2 footers.