Isolation Feet for Laptop

I am reviving this dead thread with an update on some things and ask a electrical design question.

So, it turned out that the Tranquilty Basik came with "feet" designed to mitigate vibration.  It also turned out that the Twonshend Air Platform wouldn't fit where I wanted it to go and was now somewhat superfluous in the setup, so it went to my home theater setup.

Now, the Tranquility Basik did in fact alter the sound quality, but in a very minimal way, at first.  What it did impact significantly, was video. If you play movie files local to the system, they are silky smooth. No jitter or jerking. Then...came the problems.  the "tuning module" on the Tranquility base, was burning hot to the touch.  So much so that you would hurt yourself if you dared to touch it. It worked for about 8 months until the LED went completely dead. The brightness slowly dimmed overtime before it died.  I contacted Synergistic Research and they replaced the module with no charge.  They didn't comment on the temperature of the module. Once replaced, the benefits I had noticed returned, as did the fact that the module gets burning hot. Almost 8 months to the day since that replacement, I noticed the sound quality wasn't as crisp and the video performance wasn't as spectacular. I looked and sure enough, the LED was dead.  I figured I was long out of warranty and asked where I could buy another replacement and if there was an upgraded module I could get. The Rep said he'd get me an upgraded version at no charge and that the module SHOULD NOT GET HOT!!!  Good to know as generally speaking, it's never a good sign when an electric component gets burning hot. The replacement arrived and as soon as I plugged it in, the performance was no longer subtle. The audio was FAR better, with precise localization, perfect musical timing, and a higher level of clarity. The video performance was only slightly better than before.  Also....it was cold.  It didn't get hot at all. So, this got me wondering.  Just what in the world does this module do?  It's such a small thing.  I decided to take one of the dead ones and crack it open.  What I found has confounded me. I want it explained; if possible.

SO....the tuning module was nothing more than two wirewound, audio specific, VISHAY DALE resistors attached to an LED. They are crammed into the shell and then sealed in with some form of clay.  Resistors shouldn't get hot. My guess is, the way these are crammed in, the posts were touching and possibly arcing. So it wasn't properly performing whatever it was meant to.  BUT...that's the question.  What was it doing?  How does two resistors attached to an LED "tune" an electric signal?  It made a difference, but I can't explain how. Consider how the Tranquility pad works, the resistors aren't inline with anything that directly impacts an audio signal.  Meaning, the internal electric signal being processed for audio isn't directly inline.  It's external. The resistors impact a signal that is being used to externally affect components that generate and handle audio. It's weird.
 

I think you know the answer @guakus .

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

@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.

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