Best Isolation Devices?


WHAT ARE THE BEST ISOLATION DEVISES FOR COMPONENTS AND SPEAKERS? I AM USING AN ATLANTIS STAND WITH 2.5" BRASS CONES UNDER PREAMP AMP AND SPEAKERS(1 BRASS AND 2 STAINLESS STEEL). I AM USING TITANIUM CONES UNDER CDP AND BLACK DIAMOND RACING CONES #4 UNDER PREAMP POWER SUPPLY. I AM ALSO USING 1.5" BRASS CONES UNDER PS AUDIO P500. THE RESULTS ARE OK BUT I PROBABLY SPENT WAY TOO MUCH MONEY FOR THESE CONES. MY CURRENT SETUP WORKS O.K. BUT I'M CURIOUS ON OTHER PEOPLES EXPERIENCES AND OPINIONS. MY AMP IS A PASS X250, MY PREAMP IS A PASS X1, MY SPEAKERS ARE HALES T5'S AND I HAVE A PS AUDIO P500.MY POWER CORDS ARE GOOD BUT I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY ARE BUT THEY ARE GOOD.CABLES FOR SPEAKERS ARE SHUNYATA LYRA AND INTERCONECTS EVERYWHERE ARE SHUNYATA ARIES. PLEASE HELP AS THIS TWEAKING THING CAN DRIVE ONE CRAZY. MY SETUP WORKS THOUGH. HOW MUCH SHOULD BRASS CONES COST? SOME ADS HAVE THEM GOING FOR $30 TO $450 PER SET OF THREE.
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First, I'd like to state up front that I am associated with Starsound Technologies, the maker of resonance control devices that address what isolation devices fail to do. They are the maker of the original Audiopoints, which do not cost anywhere near $450, have engineered geometry, and do the best job that a brass cone can do. However, when looking for a speaker device, the Sistrum Platforms are the best that I've found for my system, and they work really well on it, and many others' systems too. There are platforms or racks made by Sistrum that are even more effective than the Audiopoints for components. The platforms and racks provide a much greater degree of vibration evacuation than even the very good Audiopoints do. But the Audiopoints are used as contact points in all these platforms and racks, due to their great effectiveness.

You'll find some users on this forum, who have the Sistrum racks, platforms, Audiopoints, and Sonoran cables. They have posted their happy results many times in the past, on these pages. A cone is not a cone, a rack is not a rack, and a wire is not a wire. The engineering of these things makes a difference, and they cannot all be lumped into the same category. If you want the best, at reasonable but not cheap prices, then look into the Sistrum stuff. It is not the most expensive, but it will be the most effective at removing unwanted vibrations from your system, in nearly all cases.

Energy seeks ground via the fastest route possible. Provide a rapid-transfer path to ground, and the vibrations will move away all by themselves. This is basic physics. It's like a "short-circuit" for vibrations, and it works. Try one piece, and you'll come back for the whole package. I've seen it time and again.

I know some people promote other vibration control methods. But I feel certain that they have never tried a Sistrum. It is not possible to group this product in with other products that claim to do "similar" things. This product line stands alone in what it can do so effectively.

I'm confident about this because I use it, and I know what it does. I'm not speculating. In a world of hype, there can be things that really do what they claim. This is one of them. It may not be the answer to all things, but if vibrations, and their effects on your sound are your concern, you should investigate these products.
My favorite line of isolation products come from Symposium. I have my speakers on their Svelte shelf. This does a very good job of tightening up the bass and making the sound stage lock into place.

I use an Ultra shelf under the preamp. This has a very subtle effect on the preamp, but this may be the case because my preamp requires relatively little extra isolation (Levinson Ref. No. 32 has a thick case and power supply in a separate chassis).

My CD player are on Rollerblocks that couple it to the shelf that comes with my Zoethecus rack. The Rollerblocks make a fairly substantial improvement in making the sound much cleaner (perhaps a bit leaner sounding) and more dynamic.
Cheap, easy & effective would be to add a wall shelf (could be mounted directly above the rack) for the CD player.

Ask Ken @ Greater Ranges/Neaunace if there is a model he can recommend to be used in combination with one of their Neuance shelves. Can't imagine such a combo being too expensive as the shelf alone is only around $165.

The wall shelf should offer "adjustable" upturned spiked shelf supports in order that you can easily maintain an even keel on the CD player as the house/building settles. Spiked shelves are desirable for other reasons as well, but adjustable spikes are what make sense with TT's and CD players.

CD players (the transport sections) are better off leveled (just like a TT) for optimum performance. Doesn't make much sense considering the weight/mass of a CD, but level your player, if it's not, and you should hear a difference/improvement in the HF's. Most new/older buildings continue to settle (our 40 year old building supported by steel "I" beams just keeps on moving).

If a wall shelf is out of the question (they can look quite nice if centered over a rack), then look into a rack that offers like features to the wall shelf described above (for the CD player shelf @ least). A wall shelf however, by isolating the player from the PS/Pass gear is your best bet, IMO.

I'm am only familiar with the little 30 watt Pass single ended amp (not your Biguns:-). The Aleph 30 that I played around with for an afternoon sounded pretty much the same when placed on any hard/solid surface (not so good when resting on either the carpeted floors/shelves @ the shop). The Mapleshade cones I tried (in combination with a rack) lightened the bass up too much (no one cared for the change in the sound).

Other than looking for stands/racks for the heavy gear, maybe just try removing the PS unit from the rack in the meantime? You might try coning it to the floor if you have any spares on hand.

Racks/stands are a good focus area, IMO, which is where you are headed. I have gone through 3 systems in the past 3 years, in the process of downsizing, and the original rack/shelves have done duty for all of these systems. I traded down electronics only, not the racks/shelves/cables which make even lesser gear sound better than it normaly would.

I do use spiked shelves for the amps/preamp, but I do not believe that mine would hold up to the weight of your Pass gear in the long run. Mana and Sistrum racks, to name a few, look to be fairly sturdy.
I would highly reccomend the Grand Prix Audio racks. I have recently added a rack and some amp stands in two different systems. The benefits of these devices was simply amazing, really you'd have to experience it to believe what these can do for a system. There is a lot of science to back up their claims as well. After experiencing the improvments the Grand Prix racks make I move the importance of vibration control in a system up a notch, especially with top notch electronics that are capable of very high resolution. They aren't cheap, but what they will do for your system makes them a great value.

Also excellent is the Sounds of Silence Vibraplane. Source components benfit especially from the Vibraplane